L. Neil Smith
L. Neil Smith (also known by his nickname El Neil) is a libertarian science fiction author and political activist. He was born on May 12 1946 in Denver. His works include the novels Pallas, The Forge of the Elders, and The Probablity Broach, each of which won the Libertarian Futurist Society's annual Prometheus Award for best libertarian novel.
His six books constitute the Confederacy series.
- The Probability Broach is an alternate history novel in which history has taken a different turn because a single word in the Declaration of Independence was changed. The United States has become an anarchic society in this parallel universe, also known as the Gallatin Universe.
- The Venus Belt is the next novel from the Gallatin Universe, which takes place in outer space and discusses other settlements in our solar system. The Federalists are attempting to base a new civilization in outer space, with a plan to someday return to take over the government.
- Their Majesties' Bucketeers is the third novel from the Gallatin Universe. The story tells about the Lamviin, strange people on the far-away planet of Sodde Lydfe.
- The Nagasaki Vector is about a time traveller who is shifted into the Gallatin Universe by the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki which ended World War II on August 9 1945.
- In Tom Paine Maru, the continuation of The Venus belt, the Federalists are scattered over the whole universe and shifted through time during their escape from the solar system. Federalist ships, such as the Tom Paine Maru, scour the universe searching for survivors.
- In The Gallatin Divergence, a time-travelling federalist woman wants to change history but is opposed by other members of the federalist community. As these two forces clash, history is once again altered and a third timeline is created.
L. Neil Smith should not be confused with J. Neil Schulman, another Libertarian Science Fiction writer.
