Thoughtful, near-future science fiction that explores first contact, humanity’s assumptions, and the consequences of discovery. These stories focus on ideas over spectacle, asking how societies respond when long-held certainties quietly fall apart.
Dave has been a lifelong Science Fiction fan, from an early age, when he watched Star Trek: The original series on TV. His father gave him a collection of short stories based on the TV episodes and he was hooked.
Working in the book trade for many years, Dave was fortunate enough to meet many of his hero authors, including the late and sorely missed Iain M Banks.
He started writing his own novels more than ten years ago and learned the hard way, that starting is one thing, finishing is something else.
The Fermi Assumption
In 2026, Dave will publish the first books in a new series, The Fermi Assumption.
For decades, the silence of the universe was taken as proof that humanity was alone.
It wasn’t.
The Fermi Assumption is a near-future science fiction series exploring what happens when humanity realises it misunderstood the universe—and the consequences of acting on that misunderstanding.
Set in a world shaped by geopolitical fragmentation, climate pressure, and expanding space industry, the series follows the quiet arrival of alien civilisations fleeing an aggressively expanding empire. These are not invaders or saviours, but refugees whose existence forces humanity to confront questions it was never prepared to answer.
What responsibility does intelligence carry?
What does cooperation look like at planetary scale?
And what happens when long-held assumptions collapse under reality?
Grounded, thoughtful, and politically literate, The Fermi Assumption is science fiction for readers who value ideas, consequences, and human decision-making over spectacle.
NEW NEIGHBOURS
A Prelude to The Fermi Assumption*
For decades, humanity assumed it was alone.
While investigating suspicious activity in the asteroid belt, an undercover miner encounters something he was never looking for. The contact is deliberate, controlled, and entirely unexpected—not the result of human interference, but the arrival of someone else.
They are not hostile.
They are not hidden.
They have simply been waiting.
New Neighbours is a near-future science fiction prelude exploring first contact, mistaken assumptions, and the moment humanity realises the universe has never been as empty as it believed.
*This is the original short story, written over 10 years ago, but never published and is the inspiration for the full series.
WHEN THE SILENCE ENDS
Book One of The Fermi Assumption
For generations, humanity believed the universe was silent.
That belief shaped everything.
As commercial asteroid mining expands beyond Earth, a routine investigation uncovers something no one was prepared for: intentional contact from an alien civilisation that has been watching humanity far longer than expected.
They are not invaders.
They are not explorers.
They are refugees—fleeing an aggressively expanding empire whose reach will eventually extend far beyond its current borders.
The discovery forces governments, scientists, and strategists to confront a future they are unprepared for. Billions may be coming. Earth is politically divided. And humanity is no longer certain it is alone in its own system.
As the implications of first contact unfold, a message is sent into the darkness—one that will take years to reach its destination. Time, once abstract, becomes unavoidable.
When the Silence Ends is a grounded, near-future science fiction novel about first contact, broken assumptions, and the moment humanity realises that silence was never safety.
When the Silence Ends is due for publication on 28 February, 2026 and is available to preorder on Amazon
WHEN THE WORLD REALISES
Book Two of The Fermi Assumption
More details to follow soon.
For a bit of background to some of the themes in the Fermi Assumption, read this page: A Little Bit of Science History