The Author | Richard N Philip
The Author

Richard N Philip

Richard N Philip writes intelligent science fiction shaped by curiosity, science, history, and the bigger questions behind human progress.

Read Biography → Author’s Note
About the author

Engineering experience meets speculative imagination.

Richard’s background and curiosity-driven approach bring a unique perspective to his storytelling.

Richard N Philip is an internationally experienced engineer, having worked across consultancy and industrial roles from Asia to the Americas. Before turning his focus to fiction with Jimbo’s Assumption, Richard’s writing primarily catered to technical and academic audiences.

His wide-ranging interests include the history of science, statistical methods, and cutting-edge astronomical research. Currently, he resides in Worcestershire, nestled in the heart of the English Midlands.

His diverse background and curiosity-driven approach bring a unique perspective to his storytelling, blending scientific insight with imaginative exploration.

Interests and influences

The ideas behind
the imagination.

Jimbo’s Assumption draws energy from Richard’s technical background and his fascination with the scientific, historical, and cosmic questions that shape human civilisation.

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Engineering

International consultancy and industrial experience inform the practical intelligence behind Richard’s fiction.

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Science History

The people, discoveries, and turning points of scientific progress are woven into the wider world of Jimbo’s Assumption.

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Astronomical Research

Cutting-edge astronomical research and cosmic scale help shape the novel’s sense of wonder and possibility.

Author’s note

Writing Jimbo’s world.

A personal reflection from Richard on the creative journey behind Jimbo’s Assumption and the wider stories still to come.

With Jimbo’s Assumption now beyond lift-off and accelerating towards escape velocity, and a sequel and threequel almost ready to roll out, now is a timely moment to pause for breath and take stock of the journey.

The initial creative phase consumed about 1,200 hours, spread over six months. Typically, Richard writes in the afternoon, sometimes extending into the early evening, usually seven days a week when time allows.

Some writers plan in detail before composing anything. For Richard, the opposite is true. When he began, there was no clear view of where the narrative was heading, nor much clue about the characters and their personalities. This can be hair-raising if deadlines must be met, but it also means the projects become adventures. Joyous adventures. His hope is that readers find similar pleasure.

The principal players in the narrative have developed personalities that will continue to evolve in the subsequent two works. On morning walks, Richard ruminates on these characters, conscious that, at least for him, they are becoming real people. That sense of reality adds authenticity to the storytelling.

These future tales follow the formula laid down in Jimbo’s Assumption: Jimbo begins his career as a tidal-energy researcher, seemingly leading a humdrum life, but complicated by 221, the nebulous computer sharing his brain and linking him to a galactic presence known as the Intelligence.

Criminality emerges, prompting the introduction of the enigmatic Mr North. Along the way, readers meet more of the wizards who built the modern world. They will also meet Wenny, a golfer, violinist, geophysicist, and the love of Jimbo’s life.

I hope you enjoy these stories. — RNP

Jimbo

A tidal-energy researcher trying to live an ordinary life while carrying extraordinary connections.

221

The nebulous computer sharing Jimbo’s brain and linking him to something far larger.

The Intelligence

A galactic presence that widens the story from personal adventure to cosmic scale.

Wenny

A golfer, violinist, geophysicist, and the love of Jimbo’s life.

Jimbo’s Assumption

A philosophical
sci-fi adventure,
reimagined.

Part philosophical odyssey, part sci-fi adventure, Jimbo’s Assumption follows Jimbo, an unassuming student whose ordinary life is transformed by an extraordinary encounter with a galactic Intelligence and its curious envoy, 221.

Set against Edinburgh and the vast reach of the Milky Way, the story explores science, consciousness, civilisation, humour, discovery, and the possibility that humanity’s greatest assumptions may only be the beginning.

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