Science fiction • writing • strange ideas
Stories from the edge of time.
The Silent Guardian is a home for science-fiction readers and writers — original fiction, time-travel thought experiments, writing craft, and one guardian’s mission across centuries.
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The Silent Guardian
A vow of silence. A mission across centuries. Enter the world at the heart of the site and read Book One online.
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For readers who look up — and writers who look inward.
Browse essays, craft notes, speculative science, time-travel puzzles, and fiction from The Silent Guardian.
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Science-fiction films, books, ideas, and curiosities worth another look.
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Practical notes on storytelling, prose, revision, and the long work of making fiction.
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Paradoxes, speculative science, impossible questions, and the ideas that make sci-fi irresistible.
Short Stories
Original fiction and shorter journeys for when you want to disappear into another world.
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New from The Silent Guardian
The newest essays, writing guides, speculative ideas, and science-fiction explorations from the blog.
- 40 Time Travel AU Fanfic Ideas for Fix-It Fics, Loops, and Second Chances
Forty time travel AU fanfic ideas for fix-it fics, second chances, alternate timelines, time loops, future characters, and canon-divergence stories. - The Silent Guardian — Chapter 19, Part 2: Philip
Read The Silent Guardian by Dylan Callens online: Chapter 19, Part 2, “Philip.” A serialized time-travel science fiction installment in The Silent Guardian Series. - Could We Detect Alien City Lights? A Technosignature Explained
Could alien city lights reveal a technological civilization? Learn how nightside artificial illumination could act as an exoplanet technosignature. - The Silent Guardian — Chapter 19, Part 1: The ChurchRead The Silent Guardian by Dylan Callens online: Chapter 19, Part 1, “The Church.” A serialized time-travel science fiction installment in The Silent Guardian Series.
- Dyson Swarm vs Dyson Sphere: What Would an Advanced Civilization Build?
Dyson swarm vs Dyson sphere explained: why a swarm of orbiting collectors is more realistic than the solid shell often shown in science fiction. - The Silent Guardian — Chapter 18, Part 2: The AnchorRead The Silent Guardian by Dylan Callens online: Chapter 18, Part 2, “The Anchor.” A serialized time-travel science fiction installment in The Silent Guardian Series.
- Gödel Universe vs Block Universe: Two Very Different Ideas About TimeGödel universe vs block universe: one is a rotating solution to Einstein’s equations; the other is a view about the reality of past, present, and future.
- The Silent Guardian — Chapter 18, Part 1: The CeremonyRead The Silent Guardian by Dylan Callens online: Chapter 18, Part 1, “The Ceremony.” A serialized time-travel science fiction installment in The Silent Guardian Series.
- Closed Timelike Curves vs Wormholes: What’s the Difference?Closed timelike curves vs wormholes: one is a path through spacetime, the other a hypothetical shortcut. Learn how they connect to time travel.
