Compass Reach - by Mark Tiedemann & Mark W Tiedemann (Paperback)

About the Book

Fargo owes nothing to the Pan Humana. He turned his back on them long ago, when he was stripped of his identity, his class, his position, and all the other ties to human civilization enjoyed by its billions upon billions of citizens. Fargo joined the ranks of the Freeriders. To themselves, Freeriders are interstellar gypsies, the disinvested and therefore the truly free. To most of the rest of society, to the Invested, they are parasites, freeloaders, bums.

But now Fargo finds himself caught up in events that are dragging him back into the folds of human culture and forcing him to choose sides in a struggle to determine the future of humanity in the galaxy. The aliens have come to make treaties, to interact with a paranoid humanity, to bridge the gaps that separate them. They do not understand the resistance they encounter and enlist aid where they can. Among those they pick, Fargo is their most unlikely choice. He is also their most dangerous choice.

To the humans opposed to embracing the new future offered, Fargo is representative of everything they reject, a threat to everything they hold important and fear to lose. He is an outsider, unwanted, unwelcome, in many ways a barbarian, yet indispensable to both sides.

For himself, Fargo has his own reasons for going all the way to Sol, to Earth, into the heart of power.
Fargo has touched an alien mind.

Book Synopsis

Fargo owes nothing to the Pan Humana. He turned his back on them long ago, when he was stripped of his identity, his class, his position, and all the other ties to human civilization enjoyed by its billions upon billions of citizens. Fargo joined the ranks of the Freeriders. To themselves, Freeriders are interstellar gypsies, the disinvested and therefore the truly free. To most of the rest of society, to the Invested, they are parasites, freeloaders, bums.

But now Fargo finds himself caught up in events that are dragging him back into the folds of human culture and forcing him to choose sides in a struggle to determine the future of humanity in the galaxy. The aliens have come to make treaties, to interact with a paranoid humanity, to bridge the gaps that separate them. They do not understand the resistance they encounter and enlist aid where they can. Among those they pick, Fargo is their most unlikely choice. He is also their most dangerous choice.

To the humans opposed to embracing the new future offered, Fargo is representative of everything they reject, a threat to everything they hold important and fear to lose. He is an outsider, unwanted, unwelcome, in many ways a barbarian, yet indispensable to both sides.

For himself, Fargo has his own reasons for going all the way to Sol, to Earth, into the heart of power.
Fargo has touched an alien mind.

About the Author

Mark W. Tiedemann's journey as a creative began with a passion for writing, though his path took an unexpected turn in high school when he discovered photography. While neither writing nor photography had dedicated instruction at his school, Tiedemann excelled in photography, a discipline that allowed him to connect with an audience through a visual medium. His pursuits across art, music, and literature reveal his love for public expression-- he readily admits to enjoying a bit of "showmanship" but maintains a modest view of his abilities. This duality reflects his deep commitment to the creative process itself. In 1988, Tiedemann attended the prestigious Clarion Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers' Workshop, a transformative experience where he honed his writing skills and built lifelong friendships with fellow writers Kelley Eskridge, Nicola Griffith, Daryl Gregory, Brooks Caruthers, and Peg Kerr. Clarion, he reflects, imparted a decade's worth of wisdom in six short weeks. Central to Tiedemann's accomplishments and happiness has been his partner, Donna, whom he credits with grounding him and enriching his life in countless ways.