"Silence Like Diamonds" is a 10-part science fiction story about the cloud, drones, network security and cats, here on Light Reading, starting Friday.

Mitch Wagner, Executive Editor, Light Reading

July 24, 2015

3 Min Read
Light Reading Goes Faster Than Light

Light Reading is trying something completely different -- a science fiction story. "Silence Like Diamonds" is a fast-paced adventure involving themes important to the communications industry: the cloud, drones and network security. And cats. Read the first part here:

Silence Like Diamonds – Episode 1: Family Business.

Written by John Barnes, "Silence Like Diamonds" is the story of top-of-the-line security consultant Yi Ingrid Palacek -- "Yip" to friends and family. Yip has a nice, quiet life for herself in the family business solving problems for the world's biggest network providers. When Yip's sister lands a plum assignment working for NameItCorp (as ubiquitous as Google used to be), our heroine thinks it'll be a fat gig to keep her well supplied in cat food. But things get complicated fast, and Yip soon finds herself on the run from an shadowy international conspiracy.

We'll bring you "Silence Like Diamonds" in ten parts, starting today, and every Tuesday and Friday for the next few weeks.

Barnes, the author of "Silence Like Diamonds," is ideally suited for this assignment. Recently, he's been successful as a technology journalist. Prior to that, he had a long and distinguished track record as a successful writer of science fiction and other fiction genre.

"My thirty-first commercially published novel came out in September 2013," he says. "I've published about 5 million words that I got paid for. So I'm an abundantly published, very obscure writer."

Barnes' popular titles include Orbital Resonance, A Million Open Doors, Mother of Storms, Encounter with Tiber and Tales of the Madman Underground.

Plus, Barnes wrote two novels in collaboration with Buzz Aldrin. Yes, that Buzz Aldrin.

So why is Light Reading, which likes to publish fact, bringing you science fiction? Couple of reasons.

First, science fiction is more than just entertainment. Much of the best science fiction is a lens through which you can look at today's technological and scientific trends, and where they might lead in the future.

Science fiction is especially a natural match for the communications industry. Because our industry brings people the future today.

We don't have flying cars, hotels on the moon or humanlike robots (though we're getting there on the robots), but by gosh we have pocket-sized computers that connect us with all the people and information in the world -- and beyond. Communications providers brought us that.

That's what the communications industry is doing today. What about the long-term future? What issues might service providers and the world they serve face ten years out and beyond?

Want to know more about the cloud? Visit Light Reading's
dedicated cloud services content channel.

Science fiction is great for exploring those kinds of ideas, and that's one of the reasons why we're bringing you a science fiction story.

The other reason: Why not? It's summer. Let's relax and have a little fun with something different.

We'll talk more about John, "Silence Like Diamonds" and the issues in the story in coming weeks. For now, just fasten your safety belt, launch yourself into the future and start reading: Silence Like Diamonds – Episode 1: Family Business.

— Mitch Wagner, Circle me on Google+ Follow me on TwitterVisit my LinkedIn profileFollow me on Facebook, West Coast Bureau Chief, Light Reading. Got a tip about SDN or NFV? Send it to [email protected].

About the Author(s)

Mitch Wagner

Executive Editor, Light Reading

San Diego-based Mitch Wagner is many things. As well as being "our guy" on the West Coast (of the US, not Scotland, or anywhere else with indifferent meteorological conditions), he's a husband (to his wife), dissatisfied Democrat, American (so he could be President some day), nonobservant Jew, and science fiction fan. Not necessarily in that order.

He's also one half of a special duo, along with Minnie, who is the co-habitor of the West Coast Bureau and Light Reading's primary chewer of sticks, though she is not the only one on the team who regularly munches on bark.

Wagner, whose previous positions include Editor-in-Chief at Internet Evolution and Executive Editor at InformationWeek, will be responsible for tracking and reporting on developments in Silicon Valley and other US West Coast hotspots of communications technology innovation.

Beats: Software-defined networking (SDN), network functions virtualization (NFV), IP networking, and colored foods (such as 'green rice').

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