Craig Wilson Explores Evolution, AI, and the Hundred-Million-Year Future

Planetary Scientist Makes Hard SF Meet Deep Time

Craig Walton is a planetary scientist at the University of Cambridge (UK) and ETH Zurich (Switzerland). He’s also written both science fiction and fantasy. His Cyclus Dawn, middle volume of the Metamorphosis series, has been a best seller in the currently running Based Book Sale.

Your work sits at the intersection of science and fiction. How has your scientific background influenced your bestselling Metamorphosis Series?

I am an earth and planetary scientist. I study how life emerged on Earth and where we might find it beyond Earth! Today, the world is wrestling with great advances in both biotechnology and artificial intelligence. With Metamorphosis, I wanted to explore a world where altering genetic information is seamless and instant, as well as one where new forms of life and ultimately intelligence arise as a result… some of it very much unwanted by my cast of characters!

What’s a scientific idea, technology, or misconception that modern science fiction consistently gets wrong?

The sheer scale of the universe is probably the thing that people struggle with. The journey to a different star system, for example, even at light speed, will lead to vast changes back home before you arrive. You could well arrive and find that they got there before you, having cracked some sort of absurd technology in the mean time.

What scientific idea do you particularly try to get right in the Metamorphosis Series?

The Metamorphosis Series takes place over something like a hundred million years in total, starting in Book 1 only a hundred years or so in the future and jumping out from there. I tried hard to make sure that the plot points were consistent with how changes would unfold at that scale (within the rules I set for my own made-up ‘science’ in the novels).

This was a fun challenge, which led to two massive plot twists in Book 2 and 3 that I did not see coming almost until the page that they appeared…

Any final words?

I loved writing this series. Thank you to everyone who has bought it and joined me for the ride!

Thanks for participating in the Based Book Sale!

In the Based Book Sale

Cyclus Dawn blends Dune’s scope, Hyperion’s depth, and The Expanse’s intensity. Step into the Metamorphosis saga and grab Book 2 now!

About the Based Book Sale

The Based Book Sale is a grassroots collaboration of independent authors, small presses, and readers built around the idea that great books do not need institutional gatekeepers to find an audience. For one week, hundreds of titles across science fiction, fantasy, literature, and nonfiction are offered at steep discounts — many for just $0.99 or free — as participating authors cross-promote one another’s work and introduce readers to new voices, hidden gems, and unconventional ideas. You can learn more from a recent interview with Based Book Sale Founder, Hans G. Schantz.

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