Come one, come all. It’s time for the second incarnation of the Self Published Science Fiction Contest. Once again, we will be looking for the best of self published SF, and once again I am one of your humble judges. As per last year, I have assembled a crack team of reviewers to form the At Boundary’s Edge team for the event (non-SPSFC solo blogging will not be affected). We have both grizzled veterans of the SPSFC and fresh faced new judges on the team this year, so please, allow us to introduce ourselves.

Alex
atboundarysedge.com
@HormannAlex on Twitter

I’m Alex, and I’ve been reading Science Fiction for as long as I remember. It started with Asimov and the Star Wars Expanded Universe, aided by healthy doses of Doctor Who and Star Trek on the TV. My nerdery finally reached its full form when I wrote my Master’s dissertation on the role of Empires in Science Fiction, and since graduating I’ve been running At Boundary’s Edge – a blog where I tell people about all the science fiction I’m feasting on, the good as well as the bad. Current favourite authors include Christopher Ruocchio, Jack Campbell and Adrian Tchaikovsky. If a book is space opera or military SF, there’s a strong chance I’ll enjoy it.

Ale
streetlamphalo.co.uk
@wasteofpaint on Twitter

I’m Ale (they/them), in my mid 30s and I live in London (UK) with two cats and too many unread books. I started off with Asimov, because my dad made me, and went on into Pratchett, Star Trek, Butler, le Guin and Tchaikovsky. These days I split my reading between SF/F, lit fiction and non-fiction, as well as other nerdy pursuits like video games, board games and (way too much) D&D.

This is my second year in team At Boundary’s Edge and I’m excited for the crop of sci-fi we’re about to read!

Athena
onereadingnurse.com
@onereadingnurse on Twitter

Hi! I’m Athena, a critical care nurse who grew up with English professor parents and a slightly out-there uncle living next door.  He loved Star Trek and as a kid he always had me looking for evidence of extra terrestrial life such as crop circles, singed trees, and weird lights in the sky. Maybe he was serious or maybe he was keeping an annoying kid occupied. I’ll never get to ask  but I am the result of feeding a very young child Asimov, Bradbury, and a whole pile of Trek fiction 

As an adult in a stressful career I seek escapism more than anything and circled back to reading mainly Sci-fi & Fantasy. I’ve been reviewing (firmly out of dad’s shadow, thanks!) and blogging about books for 4-5 years now! I love the indie SFF community and can’t wait to dig into some awesome SPSF!

Paul
Metrocoward on Instagram
@metrocoward on Twitter

Hi, I’m Paul 41 from Surrey in the UK. My passion for SFF developed whilst growing up watching TV series Doctor Who, Blake’s 7 and the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. As a teenager I was obsessed with Discworld and anything by Philip K Dick. 

Some of my all time favourite Sci Fi books include The Three Body Problem, Hyperion and Ubik. I have also really enjoyed the Planetfall books by Emma Newman and the Luna trilogy by Ian Mcdonald. 

I have two sons aged 3 and 11 so I am trying to introduce them to the wonders of Sci Fi but currently Mr Men and the Avengers are taking top billing.

I’m looking forward to sampling some fresh Sci Fi and hopefully finding a new favourite book/author in the process.

And now, back to Alex

There you have it. That’s the team. If you’re interested in following the SPSFC, make sure you’re following us at our sites and on social media as we dive into the scintillating waters of self published science fiction. And remember, there are nine more teams out there, so do be sure to follow them too.