Reader Guide
Editions Guide
After a career of writing technical papers, marketing campaigns, and grant proposals, I turned to science fiction. Easy transition, right? After all, aren't proposals and some marketing briefs just fantasy?
My transformation began in 2012 c.e. and after years of writing, learning, and rewriting, some of my books have changed titles, grown longer or leaner, more to the point and been published under more than one name. Why? Some find 'Zavecz' hard to remember and just try spelling it out to someone over a telephone.
This page is for readers who want to know which edition to buy, whether an older copy on your shelf was made even better, and where just where to start. Starting on the first book of a series is always good but I my stories stand alone; you'll never be lost if you buy out of sequence.
In my two series of prehistory, you will encounter GraviDynamics Corporation, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, and time travel that takes you to the era of Cretaceous dinosaurs — but the series visit different worlds at different Eras. The Crucible Series (~99 million years ago 'Mya') and the Cretaceous Station Series (~64 Mya, just prior to the great extinction) each have their own unique planet, dinosaur fauna, and stakes as well as different characters all of which struggle to survive in the same universe.
My future history 'Jankin Decatur' series presents a fledgling star colony's struggle for independence; a world that is a twin of Earth that never experienced the Great Saurian Extinction.
The Short Answer
Crucible Series (~99 Million Years Ago)
The Argos expedition and its aftermath. Colonel Daniel Drake's crew is cast back roughly ninety-nine million years to a prehistoric Earth unlike the one visited by Cretaceous Station — different world, different dinosaurs, different stakes.
99 Mya Book 1
Previously published as Crucible of a Species (2016). If you already own the older title, you have the same story at its heart — but not the fullest version.
| Edition | Year | Pages | For Readers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 99 Mya (hardcover / paperback / ebook) | 2022 | 453 | Buy this one. Restored scenes cut from earlier versions, revised character arcs, and a new ending. |
| Crucible of a Species | 2016–2017 | 308 | Legacy Still a complete novel, but superseded. No need to buy if you have 99 Mya. |
What changed in the 2022 rewrite?
- Longer and fuller. About 145 pages longer than the 2016 paperback (453 vs 308 pages per Amazon) — scenes trimmed during earlier editing were brought back.
- Colonel Drake. His backstory was reworked; the 2022 edition emphasizes his devotion to crew and mission rather than a tragedy-driven origin.
- The Asteri. Earth's mysterious benefactors are portrayed with more ambiguity — helpers, yes, but not without conditions.
- The ending. The expedition's return home and humanity's place in the galaxy were revised substantially.
- Title. 99 Mya names the setting directly: ninety-nine million years before the present.
Also available in audiobook (ACX / Audible).
Forge of a Species Book 2
Sequel to 99 Mya in the Crucible line. The 2016 and 2021 print editions are essentially the same story (334 pages per Amazon).
NullBots Book 3 · 2018
Crucible Series, Book 3. Set about two years after Forge of a Species (2056 AD). Teenage Hailey Sharpe arrives at Old Earth — a colony and starport among the dinosaurs — where Mark Nolen, son of Dr. Phillip Nolen, has built a new venture on the legacy of the lost Argos expedition. What began as a young-adult dinosaur adventure grows into a broader space-opera turn by the final chapters.
| Edition | Published | ISBN-13 | Pages | For Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NullBots | Feb 2018 | 978-1720311515 | 360 | Preferred edition. Same story with a clarity rewrite and a shorter, stronger title. |
| Hailey Sharpe and the NullBot Swarm | Feb 2018 | 978-1981804467 | 366 | Earlier title First publication under the full character title. Superseded by NullBots. |
Development titles before publication included The Reluctant Raptor and Hailey Sharpe and the Reluctant Raptor. If you already own either 2018 edition, you have Book 3 — no need to buy both unless you want the revised prose in NullBots.
Crucible Series Reading Order
Cretaceous Station Series (~64 Million Years Ago)
A different approach to prehistoric science fiction. GraviDynamics sends researchers roughly sixty-four million years into the past — another planet, another cast of dinosaurs, and stories centered on Cretaceous Station and its horrors. Not the same prehistoric world as the Crucible Series.
Nodal Convergence 2012
Published 2012 (354 pages per Amazon). Also circulated as Cretaceous Stars and Convergence in early ebook exports. Paleontologist Sara Wenford and GraviDynamics probe the physics of time travel through Jupiter's portal to study a Cretaceous-era world.
Legacy editions in old collections may use any of those three titles for essentially the same novel.
Hunter's Moon Published Mar 2012
The original published title in the Cretaceous Station line — a horror-thriller at the research outpost. First released March 2012 (ISBN-10: 147931742X).
| Edition | Published | ID | Pages | For Readers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter's Moon | Mar 2012 | ISBN-10: 147931742X | 428 | Original publication Complete novel; superseded in manuscript by Theropod Moon. |
| Theropod Moon | 2025 (ms.) | — | — | Current title. Rework of Hunter's Moon — tighter prose, revised ending (Jan 2025). |
Theropod Moon is the author's current version of the same Cretaceous Station story. Trade publication is pending; this site will post updates.
Screams of the Hype 2018 Novelette
106 pages (paperback) · 108 pages (Kindle) per Amazon. Set in 2061 CE at Cretaceous Station: the ISA warship Mercon pursues an unknown vessel into Jupiter's Great Red Spot; survivors confront NullBot technology and an ethical war over dinosaur extinction. Features an older Hailey Sharpe (heroine of NullBots in the Crucible Series).
First published in The Witness Paradox anthology (Tannhauser Press, 2018); also a standalone ebook. Best read after Nodal Convergence or Hunter's Moon — it sketches the Station's larger situation across both prehistoric series.
Cretaceous Station Reading Order
Either prehistoric series can be read first. They share future-history elements but visit different deep-time worlds.
Jankin Decatur Series (Kraken Colony)
Authored by Philip Nolen. The series takes its name from Captain Jankin Decatur, who leads the Kraken Colony's fight for independence from Earth. Set around 2170 CE on Kraken — humanity's first interstellar colony — these are military science-fiction adventures inspired by the age of fighting sail, with starships instead of frigates.
Quantum Effect / Quantum Spark In Progress
A full-length novel in progress, rewriting and expanding the earlier Quantum Zero novelette. Working titles: Quantum Effect or Quantum Spark.
This will be the series-origin book — it sets the stage for everything that follows. Unlike the published Quantum Zero prequel, the finished novel will introduce Jankin Decatur in its final pages, handing the story to him for Quantum Surge.
Not yet available for purchase. New readers may wish to wait for this edition rather than buy Quantum Zero.
Quantum Surge Book 1
376 pages per Amazon. Book 1 of the Jankin Decatur Series. The Kraken Revolution begins with Captain Decatur at the helm. Available in paperback, hardcover (ISBN 978-1-935142-99-7), and ebook.
Working title during early drafts: Fermi's Frigates. Same book.
Quantum Uncertainty Book 2
326 pages per Amazon. Continues Decatur's story after Quantum Surge. Early drafts used the working title Blockade; the published book is Quantum Uncertainty.
Quantum Zero Prequel Novelette
112 pages (Nov 2020) per Amazon. A prequel to Quantum Surge — not Book 2. Compact origin material set before the revolution; Jankin Decatur does not carry the story the way he does in the novels.
| Edition | Pages | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Quantum Zero (published) | 112 | Legacy prequel Optional reading. Being replaced by the full novel Quantum Effect / Quantum Spark. |
| Quantum Effect / Quantum Spark (WIP) | Full novel | Future series origin. Rewritten prequel; introduces Jankin Decatur at the close. |
Jankin Decatur Reading Order
When Quantum Effect / Quantum Spark is published:
Available now: Start with Quantum Surge (Book 1), then Quantum Uncertainty. Quantum Zero is optional backstory until the full origin novel appears.
Frequently Asked Questions
I own Crucible of a Species. Do I need 99 Mya?
Only if you want the author's preferred edition. 99 Mya is longer, restores cut material, and changes the ending. Your 2016 copy is a legitimate edition of the same novel — not a different book entirely.
What's the difference between the Crucible Series and Cretaceous Station?
Both use GraviDynamics and Jupiter's time portal, but they visit different prehistoric worlds at different times. The Crucible Series (99 Mya, Forge, NullBots) centers on the Argos expedition cast back ~99 million years. Cretaceous Station (Nodal Convergence, Hunter's Moon / Theropod Moon) explores a separate ~64-million-year world. Different planet, different dinosaurs.
Are Nodal Convergence and Forge of a Species the same book?
No — different series. Nodal Convergence belongs to the Cretaceous Station Series (~64 Mya). Forge of a Species is Crucible Series Book 2 (~99 Mya lineage), sequel to 99 Mya. They share future-history DNA but are not alternate editions of one another.
Is Hunter's Moon the same as Theropod Moon?
Same Cretaceous Station story, different stages. Hunter's Moon was published March 2012 (ISBN-10: 147931742X). Theropod Moon (2025 manuscript) is the author's rework — shorter, tighter, new ending. Not part of the Crucible Series.
Why two author names?
Terrence Zavecz on the dinosaur / time-travel / Crucible-universe novels; Philip Nolen on the Kraken Colony / Jankin Decatur series. Both names point to the same writer — a habit picked up when separating two fictional universes for booksellers.
I own Hailey Sharpe and the NullBot Swarm. Do I need NullBots?
Same book, same place in the series (Book 3). NullBots is a light clarity rewrite under a shorter title (360 vs 366 pages per Amazon). Buy it only if you want the revised prose — not a sequel.
Where do NullBots and Screams of the Hype fit?
NullBots is Crucible Series Book 3 (after Forge). Published Feb 2018 as Hailey Sharpe and the NullBot Swarm (ISBN 978-1981804467), then as NullBots (ISBN 978-1720311515). Screams of the Hype is a Cretaceous Station novelette (2061) that connects both lines — read it after Hunter's Moon or alongside NullBots.
What about Ancestry?
A historical science-fiction novel spanning centuries of European history is in progress but not yet published. It does not appear in stores and is not listed in the reading orders above.
Should I read Quantum Zero before Quantum Surge?
Only if you want the early prequel now. Quantum Zero is a novelette, not a full novel. A rewritten full-length origin book (Quantum Effect or Quantum Spark) is in progress and will supersede it — introducing Jankin Decatur in the final pages before Quantum Surge takes up his story as Book 1.
Where do I buy?
Most titles are available through the Books page links (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and direct where noted). Hardcover Quantum Surge is distributed through IngramSpark to bookstores.