Action & Adventure
Psychological and political thriller series that asks the question “what would have happened if Jason Bourne got into therapy and his dissociative amnesia was resolved from the very start?”
Science Fiction
The Future Prometheus Series and the Intelligent Design Series create worlds where a military matriarch rules the post-apocalyptic world, artificial intelligent people become sapient, aliens inhabit our own solar system, and minds far greater than our own look upon our world with envious eyes.
Anthology
Time is for Dragonflies and Angels is a collection of short stories and novellas that combine both the strange and the familiar into science fiction dystopia and action/adventure fantasy.
Independent Fiction Writer
Erickson started writing when he couldn’t find any books, especially science fiction and adventures, that were both original and held his interest.
What sets his books apart are probably the characters. They are textured people (or AI’s or aliens) driven by tenable motivations, difficult situations and are as flawed as they are talented. All his characters come from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, various intellectual and socioeconomic levels, and differing gender and racial identities. Their worlds range from the familiar to the fantastic. Nearly all his stories have strong women who do not shy away from confrontation and challenges while my lead characters are dynamic and have issues such as post-trauma, depression, anxiety and deal with addiction and autism.
Style Evolution
- The Early Years (2014–2017): Focused heavily on high-stakes thrillers and tactical realism (Birds of Flight). The orientation was more political and action-oriented.
- The Contemporary Phase (2018–Present): A shift toward Metaphysical Sci-Fi. Works like Endless Fall of Night and Heavy Weight of Darkness show a writer more interested in the “inner space” of the mind and the ethical implications of immortality and digital afterlife.
Erickson’s work resonates with Melville, Hemingway, and Shelley because he shares their obsession with the “shadow side” of progress and the isolation of the individual.
Herman Melville: The Obsessive Quest
Like Melville in Moby Dick, Erickson’s protagonists are often driven by an all-consuming duty or vengeance that blinds them to their own morality.
- Similarity: In Heavy Weight of Darkness, Captain Bennett’s hunt for Cassandra Kurtz is deeply “Ahab-ian.” He is a man obsessed with a “monster” (a revolutionary) only to realize the real whale is the corrupt system he serves.
- The “Sea” as Space: Erickson treats the Martian subterranean wilds and the vacuum of space much like Melville treats the Pacific—as a vast, indifferent wilderness that strips men of their societal masks.
Ernest Hemingway: The “Iceberg” Prose
Erickson adopts Hemingway’s “Theory of Omission.” His writing is sparse, focused on action and dialogue, leaving the heavy emotional subtext beneath the surface.
- Similarity: The Birds of Flight series mirrors Hemingway’s “Hard-Boiled” style. There is a grit and a “manly” stoicism to the characters—they don’t talk about their feelings; they act, they suffer, and they endure. It is a prose of “grace under pressure.”
Mary Shelley: The Promethean Warning
This is the most direct link (explicitly referenced in Future Prometheus). Shelley’s Frankenstein is the blueprint for Erickson’s sci-fi.
- Similarity: Like Victor Frankenstein, Erickson’s scientists are often horrified by what they have created. He shares Shelley’s romantic-period skepticism: just because we can create life (or AI) doesn’t mean we have the moral right to do so.
- The Monster’s Perspective: Just as Shelley gave the Monster a voice to critique humanity, Erickson uses AI characters like Aletheia to highlight the “human stupidity” and cruelty of the caste systems in his novels.
Next Steps…
To find out more, check out my book and publishing websites at www.jmericksonindiewriter.com and www.jmericksonindiewriter.net