I have removed from public view all the old "Downloads" announcements so people wouldn't see an old one and assume that the count is lower than it really is.-) The most recent one as of now is from January of this year (2026) coming in at 50,000. rjb

Total downloads, that we have been able to track, of the books in the Green Comet trilogy have reached fifty thousand. The rate is not what it once was, but it’s encouraging that it continues to be of interest. Thank you. Pass it on. It would be interesting to see what the numbers look like in the “illegal” downloads area. Funny, too.

The Prime doesn't seem to want to pursue them, so what is it up to? This reading is chapter nineteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. No one on either comet can believe that the scout didn't try to destroy them. After the way the Visitor destroyed their entire solar system, that reserve was far out of character. rjb Link.

They learn about the thing attached to the big light sail, and it learns about them. This reading is chapter eighteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. They can see that they are aging, if only at a slow rate. They're trying to guess what this big vessel will do next, when it sends one of its scouts after them. rjb Link.

The Okanagan Reader, Green Comet's YouTube channel, is approaching 3,000 "views" of the audio and video that I have uploaded. There are the recordings of short stories by authors like Kelly Link, as well as the popular Quantum Shorts flash fiction. Lately I've been uploading readings of the chapters in my Green Comet series, along with video introductions for each upload.

The Ball is halfway to their old star, and they've successfully completed the flip. This reading is chapter seventeen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. Their light sail has picked up the beam from Orange Comet and they begin braking for their destination. Buzzard makes a new friend who can understand him. They need to change course slightly after discovering that foreign object in the outer system. rjb Link.

The year of testing is nearing its end, and they're getting anxious to go. This reading is chapter sixteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. They're hoping to hear the Singer once more before they go. The Francesians begin cutting their hair into an idiosyncratic tonsure. Fran has to plead with Elgin and Stanton to not overreact. The mission is a go. rjb Link.

The Ball has reached the point where it needs to flip over to begin braking. Today's reading is chapter fifteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. Halfway into the mission to go back and explore their old solar system, they spot something strange. It would seem to suggest something too implausible to accept. Nothing unusual about that. rjb Link.

Elgin and Fran and Stanton spend some time looking at the Ball, which is under construction and nearing completion. Today's reading is chapter fourteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. We drop back to the last days before they set out for their old star. We see the Ball before it's in use. We see the three friends contemplating the Doctor's recent discovery that they are getting older very slowly. And we hear the Singer for the first time. rjb Link.

As they near their old star, they can see the dust kicked up by the Visitor. Today's reading is chapter thirteen of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. All the old familiar orbiting planets are casting shadows in the dust. They are traveling back there in one of their Balls - spheres of ice towed by giant light sails. rjb Link.

They send a message to the Visitor, then have to wait twenty minutes to find out if it recieved it. Today's reading is chapter twelve of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. Everyone on both comets was out of hibernation for this event. Nobody wanted to miss it. They figured out the machine's simple language and told it that it had to stop destroying worlds. The Visitor didn't listen. They didn't even know if it could, but they had to try. rjb Link.

Finished plundering their solar system, the Visitor is coming their way. Today's reading is chapter eleven of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. With Orange Comet watching through the window, Green Comet is preparing to send a message to the approaching Visitor. Will it listen? Let's find out. Here we go, then. rjb Link.

When the Visitor is finished with their world, it will certainly move on to the next star. Today's reading is chapter ten of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. After the statue ceremony, the eight go back down to finish their hibernation. Meanwhile. the two comets, Green and Orange, continue to diverge and get further apart. What will they do if the Visitor follows them? rjb Link.

The cleanup completed, the citizens of Green Comet prepare for a celebratory event. Today's reading is chapter nine of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. There is a big celebration going on in the Square. Elgin and Fran fly down to the center of it where the statues are. They're pleased with the new one representing Laika. rjb Link.

Thanks to Laika, they were able to figure it out and clean up the comet. Heroes deserve statues, right? Today's reading is chapter eight of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. The Five call up three more from the Hibernarium and the Eight are reunited. They get the ball rolling and recovery is underway. rjb Link.

They find out why Green Comet appears abandoned. Heroism often pairs with grief. This reading is chapter seven of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. The Five accept that they aren't going to find anyone to ask what happened. Then they discover why. I find this chapter to be emotional, so if you're prone, get a hanky.-) rjb Link.

It looks like the only place on Green Comet that has air and warmth is the room they woke up in. Today's reading is chapter six of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. The Five use a makeshift airlock separating their room from the rest of the comet. They know that they aren't going to learn anything staying there, so they set out into the darkness. They want to find out why the big hatch is open to the void. rjb Link.

When all five of them are up and about, they find signs of frantic activity. It looks like someone is trying to tell them something. Today's reading is chapter five of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. Reading the signs, they decide that they have to explore the apparently abandoned comet. You can help them find their answers by Liking this video. I recommend it. rjb Link.

This time when they come up out of hibernation, something is different. Something is wrong. There's nobody there. Today's reading is chapter four of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. They are far out in interstellar space. Far from any planetary system. Far from Orange Comet. And something is terribly wrong. Please Like and Subscribe if you want to help Elgin and his friends.

They make adjustments in the comet to take them across the great void with a smaller population. And they learn how to improve communications with Orange Comet, the only others of their species in the universe. Elgin and Frances expect to wake into a thriving community. They're surprised by what they find. Today's reading is chapter three of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. rjb Link.

They're up and about now, and feeling good. It looks like Fran's health problems might be solved, and there's plenty of work to do on the comet as it steadily works its way through the Oort Cloud. The friends sit on their balcony with tea and biscuits and think about how good it is to be there. Today's reading is chapter two of Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. rjb Link.

With today's reading we begin the novel Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. Several thousand years after the end of the first book, Elgin and Frances and their friends are brought out of deep hibernation. In this brief first chapter we see them leaving their hibernation world and ascending toward their life on the comet. Just the introduction and a short chapter to ease us into it and to get reaquainted with the flavor of the trilogy.

Now that I have uploaded the last story from the Quantum Shorts anthology to YouTube, I have to move on to something new. I have Quantum Shorts Volume 2, but I haven't recorded it yet, so I'm going to upload Parasite Puppeteers, the second book in the Green Comet trilogy. I'm planning on using the same format as I used for Quantum Shorts: a brief video introduction and the audio for each chapter. Please let me know what you think of this in the comments below this post. rjb

What if you had the power to destroy all the other multiverses, and decided to do so before they did? Today's reading is Acceptable Loss by Przemysław Zańko. Przemysław Zańko is a Polish speculative fiction writer who lives in Warsaw with his fiancée. He has published several short stories, won some awards and is busy writing novels. His hobbies include video games, “Doctor Who”, psychology, exploring strange corners of the Internet and swimming. The quantum concepts in Acceptable Loss are decoherence, information, many worlds, probability and the uncertainty principle. rjb Link.