onwriting Archives - Greta van der Rol Books

Humanoid Aliens Are Boring. Meet the Ptorix.

A discussion about the decidedly non-humanoid Ptorix and their origins and culture.

An image of a Ptorix conical in shape, covered in short blue fur, with arms ending in tentacles

I’ve always had a problem with humanoid aliens. So many ‘aliens’ in SF stories look an awful lot like us. Star Trek was full of them – Romulans, Vulcans, Gods and Goddesses. At least in Star Wars some aliens were downright weird – but an awful lot of them had the same basic body shape as us – one head, two legs, two arms.

Opening scene – To Die a Dry Death8 March 2026
1629. The Dutch ship Batavia is sailing along the west coast of Australia, heading for the city of Batavia on Java. It never made it.
Opening scene – The Thunder Egg26 February 2026
the opening scene from The Thunder Egg, a science fiction romance novella. Afra takes a short cut through the mist and encounters a strange creature which leads her to a man who has been beaten up and left in an alley.
Opening scenes – the Search for the Crimson Lady23 February 2026
In this scene Tara attends a deceased estate sale and finds an artefact she thinks comes from the legendary ship the Crimson Lady
Opening scene – Drarkghon’s Hoard23 February 2026
In this scene Dru is interrupted when on a raid. He's chased and hides in asteroids orbiting a planet. That's when he discovers that the legend about the hoard left by mythical pirate, Drarkghon may actually be true...
Opening scene – White Tiger22 February 2026
White Tiger, the sequel to Black Tiger, takes place in the US where thousands of tigers are bred in captivity and kept in less than wonderful conditions.