David Selby was born and grew up in Berkeley, California. He taught elementary school in California, Mexico, and New Mexico for thirty-six years. He and his wife live in Northwest New Mexico.  He has written many short stories including the Joe the Man with Gills series. Mica is his first novel.

Mica, an expert navigator, uses the currents of the Darkstream to pilot his ship across the galaxy to join his love, Olivine. On the way, he befriends Ronnie, a stowaway who can look like a coat or a first aid kit, the mysterious Vuud, and the translucent “Slight People”. They experience the savage planet of Carnage and the whirling destruction of the Moon of 10,000 Drones before they even reach Olivine in the brand-new city of Garner in the midst of an unknown world.


Mica

Rogere invited Olive and me to a dinner. After his extreme rudeness, especially at the Bizeat, I was rather surprised. But Olive and I had rescued his brother---. Anyway, we went. We were not the only guests; there must have been 300 people, all in very fancy clothes which made me look pretty dull I think, but nobody seemed to notice much.


I think I need to explain; I have this problem, This difficulty. I have a hard time with great excess, opulence, waste. I do enjoy a small taste of it, but more that sample just feels wrong to me. The idea that I would have more meats, sweets, and other rich foods, beers, wines, and spirits; sparkling glasses, serving dishes, shining cutlery, all of which if not used or consumed by guests to be destined for the trash packer, seems fairly horrible. And then the clothes! Chosen for the occasion with great care and expense and worn only once to avoid the possibility that someone might recognize them as previously worn.


Chapter 27: At Rogere's Party, Part 1