Paul Evans

CHARACTER · Engineer · Valles geothermal districts

Paul is John’s father, an engineer who inspects geothermal routes, emergency conductors, and old industrial sites on Mars. His technical ability and steadiness under pressure earn respect.

Character and perspective

Duty shapes his life and his relationship with John Evans. Love and repeated absence sit alongside each other. Paul’s recurring principle, “Keep one hand free,” links practical preparedness with the emotional capacity to respond.

A recurring idea

Keep one hand free.

Explore further

• Character directory
• 39 Minutes
• Themes

Reader’s companion to John Evans: 39 Minutes, introducing the published story.

In The Divide

Paul is the central character of The Divide, working as Outside Operations Lead at the Valles geothermal plant. The earlier story brings his work with Anika and Hawksworth into the same frame as his life with Caitlyn Evans, John and Jennifer. The crisis asks what duty means when the people at home need his presence too.

In The Two-Body Problem

In The Two-Body Problem, the focus shifts to Caitlyn’s work and experience. Paul’s place in the household brings their marriage and the ordinary acts of being present into view. The book approaches family life from a different perspective than The Divide.

The person on the diagram

The opening of The Divide places Paul beside John’s schoolwork before taking him into the plant. His son’s picture of the household gives personal weight to the question of who keeps a system running.

His colleagues have expertise and duties of their own. Anika, Venn and Tessa Brandt help readers see the wider working community around a man whose responsibilities can otherwise seem to fill every part of the picture.