Aliens, Legends, and a Galaxy You Can be Part of
The last few newsletters have been packed with serious science, so this time I thought we’d go a little lighter. Let’s take a wander into the weird, the wonderful, and the slightly suspicious.
We’re talking ancient aliens, unexplained mysteries, and UFOs caught on camera.
Let’s start with one of the strangest. The Dogon tribe in Mali have, for centuries, passed down stories of the Nommo, visitors from a distant star near Sirius B. Here’s the odd part. Sirius B is a white dwarf star, completely invisible to the naked eye. The Dogon described it as tiny, heavy, and circling Sirius every 50 years, all of which turned out to be accurate. How? Western astronomers only discovered it in the 1800s. So how did the Dogon know about it long before telescopes existed?
Coincidence? Pure luck? Or did someone... tell them?
Then there are the Nazca Lines in Peru. Hundreds of enormous shapes carved into the desert, including animals, humming birds, spirals, and what looks suspiciously like a runway. The kicker? They can only really be seen from the air. So why did ancient people spend decades carving something they couldn’t even view properly? A gift to the gods, maybe. Or to visitors with rocket wings of their own?
You’ve also got the legendary Area 51, the most famous "secret" facility in the world. Officially, it’s where the US government tests high-spec aircraft. Unofficially? It’s home to every alien rumour imaginable, from flying saucers to reverse-engineered tech and maybe something with a suspicious number of tentacles in the basement.
Back in the 60s, Erich von Däniken kicked off a frenzy with his book Chariots of the Gods, claiming many ancient deities were actually alien visitors. It was dismissed by academics but gobbled up by readers. Millions of them. And the idea still lingers in pop culture today.
And now the modern twist. The US Navy has released videos of craft that defy explanation. One of them, the now-famous Tic Tac, darted around fighter jets, then plunged into the ocean without leaving a ripple. Pilots described it as behaving in ways no known aircraft could.
These sightings are no longer fringe. The Pentagon now logs them as UAPs (Unidentified Aerial Phenomena) and admits it doesn't know what they are. Could be drones. Could be tech from another nation. Or maybe... it’s something older. Something that never left. Something that appears in Book 2.
Which brings us neatly to Reach for the Galaxy, launching July 29.
In Reach for the Galaxy, old legends gain new meaning. Forgotten civilizations, buried tech, and powerful secrets that are not entirely human. The line between science and myth gets blurry. And the stakes climb fast. And we’ll find out what the Tic Tac actually was.
Here is the book description for Reach for the Galaxy -
Reach for the Galaxy
Book 2 of the Multi-Award-Winning Return to the Galaxy series
An Ancient Federation Dies
Recently, Commodore Velal Farn patrolled the frontier commanding a single frigate. Now, she leads a ragtag fleet of overcrowded refugee ships. As her people flee their dying world, Velal must hold the line against relentless alien monsters and rally her fractured Space Marines to defend her new colony or see millions perish on her watch.
Earth Burns
GCHQ analyst Darya Clarke was bored until a flash of intelligence plunged her into a nightmare. Inserted behind enemy lines and fighting beside the SAS in the UK, she races to stop terrorists before nuclear fire consumes Britain. One mistake could doom humanity before the aliens even arrive.
Interstellar War Is Coming
Former SAS captain Ewan Scott has a plan. Reborn by alien tech, he’s building a secret megacorp to arm Earth for the stars. As assassins close in, his next discovery will shake the foundations of human history.
The Federation is dying. Earth is next.
Thousands of readers gave Return to the Galaxy a 4.6-star rating, calling it “better than Scalzi” and “utterly unputdownable.” Pre-order Reach for the Galaxy today and discover why this award-winning series is taking the sci-fi world by storm.
If you enjoyed Return to the Galaxy, Book 2 is up for preorder now:
And if you haven’t started the series yet, Book 1 is still just 99c for a limited time.
Now here’s something even more fun.
You’ve read the stories... now do you want to be in them?
If you preorder Reach for the Galaxy and send me your receipt, I’ll enter you into a character-naming giveaway. One male and one female subscriber will have a character in Book 4 named after them. It can be your real name, a pen name or a nickname. Could be a brave resistance fighter, a rogue trader, or even a high-ranking admiral.
Just forward your receipt to [protected:Hello][protected:bagillies.com] to enter. Winners announced shortly after launch of Reach for the Galaxy.
Warm wishes,
Brian
P.S. What’s your favourite alien mystery? Von Däniken? Area 51? That one time your uncle swears something hovered over his sheep field? Hit reply and tell me. I read every response.