The Black Company
Grimdark fantasy told through the Company’s Annalist. No map, no magic system, Cook makes up for it through sheer gritty badassery.
Alec Sevan Ohanesian enjoys science fiction, camping, and long walks on the beach. Currently I'm a production manager at Karman Space & Defense, and pursuing an MBA at UCLA. I earned my BS in manufacturing engineering from Cal Poly SLO, which was as awesome as it sounds (go Mustangs). Co-founder of Avalon Aero, an aerospace company developing UAS. We were recently nominated for "Most innovative Airframe Design" at the DARPA Lift Challenge! Big brother to Vaughn Ohanesian. Dancer, mover, shaker. Check out my writing and the Avalon Aero site for more of what I'm up to.
Co-founded aerospace startup developing a swashplateless coaxial UAS targeting a 4:1 payload-to-weight ratio. Competing in the DARPA LIFT Challenge with a novel cyclic pitch control system that eliminates traditional swashplate mechanisms, reducing system weight by 8–12 lbs.
Led deployment of BLUM laser measurement on Makino A99s at Rolls-Royce, automating tool offset correction and broken tool detection.
PLC-controlled real-time eye tracking. Programmed, fabricated, and assembled all hardware independently.
Capstone with Edwards Lifesciences. Ergonomic fixture implemented across multiple facilities to reduce cycle time.
Some thoughts I had when I had too much time to think. A callback to the old Wired article “Birth of a Digital Nation”. Give it a read!
Jul 2025Grimdark fantasy told through the Company’s Annalist. No map, no magic system, Cook makes up for it through sheer gritty badassery.
A fantasy series spanning two opposing true worlds called Amber and Chaos, with thousands of shadow worlds in between. Strong first five books, weaker latter half.
Great genre blend of sci-fi and fantasy. Book 2 nearly broke me with centaur biology. Book 3 redeemed the whole thing.
Picked it up for the cover. A legendary pirate, one final score, Arabian Sea. Surprisingly well-researched fantasy rooted in mythology and Arab culture.
A psychedelic thriller following an undercover cop who becomes addicted to the drug he’s investigating. Set in Orange County with a satisfying, navigable story.
A knight and a girl crossing plague-stricken France. Horror meets historical fiction, outside my comfort zone, but perfectly average seems fair.
Classic Vonnegut absurdity, fate, free will, abuse of power. Short book that felt long.
Reality breaks down, time regresses, Ubik keeps appearing. Provocative questions, unsatisfying narrative. Not where to start with Dick.
Didn’t finish this one. Felt more like a Christian allegory than the alien battles and spaceships I was expecting.