The universe, the multiverse and fantasy fiction.....

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A lot of fantasy fiction has taken advantage of the possibility of multiple universes being spun out of everyday existence. The idea is simply that existence, at each decision point, constantly subdivides into multiple existences. The theory is related to quantum mechanics in physics and roughly explained by "if the tree fell in the forest and you didn't hear or see it, did it really fall?"  Another thought experiment is described by the late, famous physicist Erwin Schrödinger’s Cat and can be summarized as, is that damn cat really dead until you look in the box? If all outcomes are possible, then was Jesus really handed over to the Romans, did the Norman's successfully invade England, did the Nazis win WWII, etc. etc. in some other universe?

There is a very interesting update on multiple universes in today's Telegraph, from the U.K., in an article by Roger Highfield. He seems to think that multiverses are a done deal. Give it a read and see what you think!

In my novel, Gettysburg Passage, I flirt with the possibility of a parallel universe but do not make it central to the plot, which could involve some kind of time travel. How certain events unfold is left to the imagination of the reader. But I must admit the possibility of multiverses is really cool and the idea that you could jump between them, maybe to a more desirable outcome, is attractive to many.

Gettysburg Passage is a fantasy novel from Amazon which takes place mostly in the present time. But several of the main characters do get sucked into past events in American history, if only for brief slices of time. The challenge they face is, are they willing to give up the very comfortable present to make a great contribution to history and civilization that is occurring in some other time or parallel existence? If they elect to help out, they probably won't make it back "home."  Would you do it -- make the jump -- if your reality would become far more exciting somewhere else?

Go to Amazon.com to learn more about Gettysburg Passage, just $2.99!

Related articles

• The multiverse and quantum physics: Other worlds may not be so far away (telegraph.co.uk)
• UGA researcher leads discovery of a new driving force for chemical reactions (eurekalert.org)
• When the multiverse and many-worlds collide (newscientist.com)
• Are Many Worlds and the Multiverse the Same Idea? (blogs.discovermagazine.com)
• Quantum Leap: Bits of Light Teleported to Another Place (livescience.com)
• Schrödinger's LifeDeath (virographematics.wordpress.com)
• Fattening up Schrödinger's cat (nature.com)
• Quantum probes that won't kill Schrödinger's cat (newscientist.com)
• Michio Kaku and Parallel Universe (thepressnet.com)
• The Soul of Science: Brian Greene's The Hidden Reality (themillions.com)
• What Does the New Double-Slit Experiment Actually Show? (scientificamerican.com)
• Quantum Enganglement, Quantum Biology, and a Hunch About the Human Condition (blogcritics.org)
• Scientists Achieve First Ever Quantum Teleportation Of Photons: Quantum Computers Coming Soon? (techie-buzz.com)
• The First Quantum Machine (ebongeek.com)
• Moving Mirrors Make Light from Nothing (scientificamerican.com)
• Moving mirrors make light from nothing (nature.com)

An Explosion of Energy at Maiden Castle, Dorset, England

Image by squelch41 via Flickr

Maiden Castle, in the county of Dorset, in England, is the remains of a fortified, hilltop settlement, dating back thousands of years. Until recently, the conventional wisdom was the Maiden site grew slowly from about 2,000 B.C., was painfully enlarged generation after generation, and peaked several centuries before foreign invasion and withered by the time of the Roman occupation. In an amazing turn of events, scientists believe the peak of its importance as a center of an organized community was actually reached far, far earlier, nearly 5,000 years ago., when it became the largest fortress site in all of Europe.

In a facinating article in The Guardian, from the U.K., scientists are able to analyze new archaeological dating evidence far more precise than carbon-14 measurements. The results are that Maiden Castle grew very large as a hilltop settlement around 3,700 B.C., in a rapid explosion of growth. The people living there were able to maximize military, agricultural and civic organizational techniques to far outstrip the power of their neighbors.

Once again, we learn new evidence about the past and realize just how much we don't know. This is a central idea in the novel, Gettysburg Passage, an action-adventure fantasy available from Amazon. Modern people go about their everyday lives. Suddenly, they are confronted with evidence of a reality they didn't think possible. Should they investigate further, and perhaps be called on "to help"? What if that means walking away from your regular daily existence, from your friends and family? Maybe they'll come along!

Here is a link to The Guardian article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jun/06/archaeology-dating-property-boom-3700bc

And here is a link to learn more about Gettysburg Passage, just $2.99 from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Gettysburg-Passage-ebook/dp/B00408AOMW

Related articles

• Archaeology dating technique uncovers 'property boom' of 3700 BC (guardian.co.uk)
• Iron Age hilltop test's 'success' (bbc.co.uk)
• Appreciate Culture and History in Dorset (bluechipholidays.wordpress.com)
• The Village that Died for England (the1955hudson.com)