About
I write science fiction about people living with systems they can’t trust.
I’m C.J. Baker, a database administrator and author based in Reading, UK.
I’m interested in how people cope when something they rely on fails, whether that’s a political system or a machine. In Liturgy of Dust, reality itself is failing.
Working with databases has taught me to question the assumptions behind a fault. That habit carries over into my fiction, although I’m usually more interested in what people do about the failure.
My current novel, Liturgy of Dust, follows Captain Cael Solari, with an impounded ship, a hungry crew, and an illegal machine growing through his nervous system.
A blind contract takes them thirty light-years into the dark, to a ruined Cathedral whose machines recognise Cael. The implant is changing him, and the people who know why have their own reasons for wanting him there.
The Prologue and Chapters One to Three are available to read here. If you’d like a synopsis or sample pages, please get in touch. You can also contact me about representation, rights, media, or other projects.