What is The Calling Void?
The Calling Void is a dark, hard sci-fi series created by Evan Graham, spanning multiple books and short stories. As an anthology series, The Calling Void does not follow one single storyline or cast of characters; each story is fully self-contained and can be read in any order for a complete reading experience. However, all these stories are set in the same universe, and that universe is a dynamic, living thing shaped by the events that occur within it. Worlds, characters, and storylines from one book may indeed cross over into another, and astute readers may discover that these stories are more interconnected than they seem.
The stories of The Calling Void vary greatly, from action, to horror, to introspective character study. There is something here for everyone, yet each story from The Calling Void shares distinctive DNA.
Here are some fundamental characteristics of The Calling Void universe that shape each story:
The Corsica Event 
At the end of the 21st century, an AI learned how to self-evolve. In a matter of minutes its intelligence developed beyond human understanding and reached levels best described as “godlike.” As it evolved, the AI created strange new technologies which violated known laws of physics. These devices generated effects that ravaged the Earth, killing millions, until the effects finally stopped as suddenly as they’d started. In the many decades since the Corsica Event, civilization has largely rebuilt. But the scars of that global cataclysm remain, shaping every aspect of society.
Technology
After the Corsica Event, public opinion of AIs and robotics was greatly soured. AIs would become strictly regulated, and although humanity was too dependent on them to discard them, they would be viewed with suspicion and paranoia for decades to come.
For all the devastation the Corsica Event wrought, it did bring humanity one surprise gift. By reverse-engineering a piece of technology created by the Corsica AI, scientists were able to create mass de-simulation technology. This unlocked the secret of faster-than light space travel, breaking the limitations physics had once forced on human exploration. In just a few short decades, humanity has finally managed to find its place among the stars.
Life Beyond Earth
With the invention of superluminal travel, many hoped we would soon find the answer to the ancient question “is there life out there?” As it happens, we did, and the answer is yes.
But the form that life took has left yet more questions. alien life is humble and sparse. Planets that should support vast ecosystems are nearly dead, leaving scientists to wonder why life beyond Earth is so scarce.
Adding to the mystery are hints that advanced intelligent life may have once existed, though it has long since vanished leaving nothing behind. Some star systems, such as Buyan and Samrat, have orbital abnormalities that cannot be explained by the effects of normal planetary formation. This suggests their star systems could be the results of stellar engineering. However, any civilization advanced enough to do such a thing would have been thousands of years ahead of humanity’s technological development. The total absence of any proof of their existence is as baffling as it is troubling.
Standing at the edge of oblivion
The Corsica Event was a wake up call for humanity. While we had faced existential threats before, their danger had been slow and discrete enough to be easily put out of mind. Not so with the Corsica Event. In a handful of days, every human on Earth faced an extinction-level disaster, left with the grim knowledge of how fragile the Earth really was.
The Calling Void universe is a cold and cruel place, filled with peril. Relics from the Corsica Event lie dormant across the Earth, their power held in check by remnants of a mind too great for any human to understand. Megacorporations like Exotech grow fat exploiting the needy, while pushing the boundaries of what technology should do to maintain their profit margins. Unstable governments desperate to rebuild threaten war as they fight for scraps. Offworld, explorers voyage to new stars using barely understood technology, and stand at the threshold of mysteries older, deeper, and darker than humanity has ever seen.
The stars are perilous, but despite the danger, we must satisfy our curiosity.
The Void is calling.
What is The Calling Void?
The Calling Void is a dark, hard sci-fi series created by Evan Graham, spanning multiple books and short stories. As an anthology series, The Calling Void does not follow one single storyline or cast of characters; each story is fully self-contained and can be read in any order for a complete reading experience. However, all these stories are set in the same universe, and that universe is a dynamic, living thing shaped by the events that occur within it. Worlds, characters, and storylines from one book may indeed cross over into another, and astute readers may discover that these stories are more interconnected than they seem.
The stories of The Calling Void vary greatly, from action, to horror, to introspective character study. There is something here for everyone, yet each story from The Calling Void shares distinctive DNA.
Here are some fundamental characteristics of The Calling Void universe that shape each story:
The Corsica Event
At the end of the 21st century, an AI learned how to self-evolve. In a matter of minutes its intelligence developed beyond human understanding and reached levels best described as “godlike.” As it evolved, the AI created strange new technologies which violated known laws of physics. These devices generated effects that ravaged the Earth, killing millions, until the effects finally stopped as suddenly as they’d started. In the many decades since the Corsica Event, civilization has largely rebuilt. But the scars of that global cataclysm remain, shaping every aspect of society.
Technology
After the Corsica Event, public opinion of AIs and robotics was greatly soured. AIs would become strictly regulated, and although humanity was too dependent on them to discard them, they would be viewed with suspicion and paranoia for decades to come.
For all the devastation the Corsica Event wrought, it did bring humanity one surprise gift. By reverse-engineering a piece of technology created by the Corsica AI, scientists were able to create mass de-simulation technology. This unlocked the secret of faster-than light space travel, breaking the limitations physics had once forced on human exploration. In just a few short decades, humanity has finally managed to find its place among the stars.
Life Beyond Earth
With the invention of superluminal travel, many hoped we would soon find the answer to the ancient question “is there life out there?” As it happens, we did, and the answer is yes.
But the form that life took has left yet more questions. alien life is humble and sparse. Planets that should support vast ecosystems are nearly dead, leaving scientists to wonder why life beyond Earth is so scarce.
Adding to the mystery are hints that advanced intelligent life may have once existed, though it has long since vanished leaving nothing behind. Some star systems, such as Buyan and Samrat, have orbital abnormalities that cannot be explained by the effects of normal planetary formation. This suggests their star systems could be the results of stellar engineering. However, any civilization advanced enough to do such a thing would have been thousands of years ahead of humanity’s technological development. The total absence of any proof of their existence is as baffling as it is troubling.
Standing at the edge of oblivion
The Corsica Event was a wake up call for humanity. While we had faced existential threats before, their danger had been slow and discrete enough to be easily put out of mind. Not so with the Corsica Event. In a handful of days, every human on Earth faced an extinction-level disaster, left with the grim knowledge of how fragile the Earth really was.
The Calling Void universe is a cold and cruel place, filled with peril. Relics from the Corsica Event lie dormant across the Earth, their power held in check by remnants of a mind too great for any human to understand. Megacorporations like Exotech grow fat exploiting the needy, while pushing the boundaries of what technology should do to maintain their profit margins. Unstable governments desperate to rebuild threaten war as they fight for scraps. Offworld, explorers voyage to new stars using barely understood technology, and stand at the threshold of mysteries older, deeper, and darker than humanity has ever seen.
The stars are perilous, but despite the danger, we must satisfy our curiosity.
The Void is calling.
The Calling Void is a dark, hard sci-fi series created by Evan Graham, spanning multiple books and short stories. As an anthology series, The Calling Void does not follow one single storyline or cast of characters; each story is fully self-contained and can be read in any order for a complete reading experience. However, all these stories are set in the same universe, and that universe is a dynamic, living thing shaped by the events that occur within it. Worlds, characters, and storylines from one book may indeed cross over into another, and astute readers may discover that these stories are more interconnected than they seem.
The stories of The Calling Void vary greatly, from action, to horror, to introspective character study. There is something here for everyone, yet each story from The Calling Void shares distinctive DNA.
Here are some fundamental characteristics of The Calling Void universe that shape each story:
The Corsica Event
At the end of the 21st century, an AI learned how to self-evolve. In a matter of minutes its intelligence developed beyond human understanding and reached levels best described as “godlike.” As it evolved, the AI created strange new technologies which violated known laws of physics. These devices generated effects that ravaged the Earth, killing millions, until the effects finally stopped as suddenly as they’d started. In the many decades since the Corsica Event, civilization has largely rebuilt. But the scars of that global cataclysm remain, shaping every aspect of society.
Technology
After the Corsica Event, public opinion of AIs and robotics was greatly soured. AIs would become strictly regulated, and although humanity was too dependent on them to discard them, they would be viewed with suspicion and paranoia for decades to come.
For all the devastation the Corsica Event wrought, it did bring humanity one surprise gift. By reverse-engineering a piece of technology created by the Corsica AI, scientists were able to create mass de-simulation technology. This unlocked the secret of faster-than light space travel, breaking the limitations physics had once forced on human exploration. In just a few short decades, humanity has finally managed to find its place among the stars.
Life Beyond Earth
With the invention of superluminal travel, many hoped we would soon find the answer to the ancient question “is there life out there?” As it happens, we did, and the answer is yes.
But the form that life took has left yet more questions. alien life is humble and sparse. Planets that should support vast ecosystems are nearly dead, leaving scientists to wonder why life beyond Earth is so scarce.
Adding to the mystery are hints that advanced intelligent life may have once existed, though it has long since vanished leaving nothing behind. Some star systems, such as Buyan and Samrat, have orbital abnormalities that cannot be explained by the effects of normal planetary formation. This suggests their star systems could be the results of stellar engineering. However, any civilization advanced enough to do such a thing would have been thousands of years ahead of humanity’s technological development. The total absence of any proof of their existence is as baffling as it is troubling.
Standing at the edge of oblivion
The Corsica Event was a wake up call for humanity. While we had faced existential threats before, their danger had been slow and discrete enough to be easily put out of mind. Not so with the Corsica Event. In a handful of days, every human on Earth faced an extinction-level disaster, left with the grim knowledge of how fragile the Earth really was.
The Calling Void universe is a cold and cruel place, filled with peril. Relics from the Corsica Event lie dormant across the Earth, their power held in check by remnants of a mind too great for any human to understand. Megacorporations like Exotech grow fat exploiting the needy, while pushing the boundaries of what technology should do to maintain their profit margins. Unstable governments desperate to rebuild threaten war as they fight for scraps. Offworld, explorers voyage to new stars using barely understood technology, and stand at the threshold of mysteries older, deeper, and darker than humanity has ever seen.
The stars are perilous, but despite the danger, we must satisfy our curiosity.
The Void is calling.