Jeremy Clift publishes science fiction novel

Former Reuters journalist Jeremy Clift has shifted gears and published his first foray into science fiction.

Born in Space is set in what he sees as the likely next wild frontier, a booming mining economy on the moon where robots outnumber humans by 6-1, babies are created in labs in space, and the rich have fled earth's wars and climate traumas for new orbiting luxury habitats.

Clift, who was country manager in Indonesia, and a correspondent in the Middle East and Asia, joined the IMF in Washington DC in 1999 after the Asian crisis and became head of the international institution’s publishing program.

Now, in retirement, he has launched a new science fiction series that envisages the moon becoming fully integrated into the world economy in the next half century, as giant mining companies turn the “eighth continent” into a huge construction site.

The book is not just a sci-fi adventure, it's a tale of sacrifice, romance, and redemption set against the backdrop of a booming lunar economy and space colonization driven by AI and robotic technologies. Clift paints a picture of a world in turmoil, where desire and ambition clash against a backdrop of interstellar intrigue and technological advancement.

According to Clift, the near-Earth and lunar economies will be an integral part of the global economy. He foresees construction of major facilities on the moon to support helium-3  mining efforts and lunar resupply missions for onward travel to Mars and other locations, including a maglev train linking the south pole with the moon’s central mining extraction areas.

“With the surface of the moon larger than the size of Africa, integrating it into the global economic system will bring huge benefits,” says Clift, who now lives in Charlottesville, Virgina.  

The scheduled return of astronauts to the Moon in 2026 could trigger a new phase of colonization of the lunar surface, probably mostly by robots, with some human intervention.

“A downside will be increasing space debris in near-Earth orbit and pollution by extraction companies,” Clift warns.

The book will be launched at both the North American Science Fiction Conference in Buffalo, NY, in July and the World Science Fiction Conference in Glasgow, Scotland in August.

"Born in Space" is available for purchase worldwide on Amazon and at many retailers.

https://bookshop.org/a/103742/9798990010734 ■