Fan fiction. The Magnificent Log is an unofficial, non-commercial tribute set in the Expeditionary Force universe created by Craig Alanson. Skippy, Joe, and the ExFor setting are his. This is a fan work — not affiliated with or endorsed by the author, and no infringement is intended. If you have not read the originals, start there: craigalanson.com.
About the book
The Magnificent Log is a memoir, narrated — of course — by Skippy the Magnificent, who feels that Joe's version of history has not given him nearly enough credit.
It takes place in the quiet window when the Flying Dutchman first comes home to Earth and Joe is stuck on the ground briefing presidents and prime ministers. Officially, Skippy spent the whole visit in orbit "monitoring communications." Unofficially, the most advanced intelligence in the galaxy got bored, got onto Earth's networks, and got into exactly the kind of trouble he swears was not his fault: a grieving kid in a garage radio shack, a Nashville songwriter who never got his royalties, a lawn-obsessed man who stole his username, and a buried Elder fragment quietly counting down to something much worse.
Underneath the jokes it is about one thing — the loneliest being in the galaxy learning to trust ordinary "monkeys," and finding out that a dead man's pencil, a harmonica bend, and a kid's plastic recorder can matter more than god-tech.
A taste
You have probably heard the story of what happened when the Flying Dutchman came home to Earth. You have heard it from Joe. Joe is a nice monkey. Joe is a brave monkey. Joe once tried to open a door by pushing on a sign that said PULL, and when I pointed this out, he said "I knew that," which is how you can tell he did not know that.
In Joe's version, I spend the whole Earth visit sitting in orbit, occasionally saying something clever. That's it. Skippy the Magnificent, the most advanced intelligence in this galaxy and quite possibly several others, reduced to a baby monitor.
That's the point of this log. I am setting the record straight. Every word here is true, except for the parts that would get me in trouble, and those parts have been improved.
You're welcome.
Status
A novel in progress, written for fun as a fan tribute. More of the log to come.