Massimo Marino's Blog: The Ramblings and the Rumblings, page 29
September 1, 2013
Book Release - Jade Kerrion's "Perfection Challenged"
Perfection Challenged, the thrilling conclusion to Jade Kerrion's multiple award-winning, bestselling DOUBLE HELIX series, will be released on September 17th and will be available in paperback and all electronic formats. Beta readers have declared Perfection Challenged "the best of the four books...the perfect ending to an amazing series."
If you've never picked up the DOUBLE HELIX series, keep on reading for a special offer on Perfection Unleashed, the book that launched the DOUBLE HELIX series.
PERFECTION CHALLENGED
An alpha empath, Danyael Sabre has survived abominations and super soldiers, terrorists and assassins, but he cannot survive his failing body. He wants only to live out his final days in peace, but life and the woman he loves, the assassin Zara Itani, have other plans for him.
Galahad, the perfect human being created by Pioneer Labs, is branded an international threat, and Danyael is appointed his jury, judge, and executioner. Danyael alone believes that Galahad can be the salvation that the world needs, but is the empath blinded by the fact that Galahad shares his genes, and the hope that there is something of him in Galahad?
In a desperate race against time and his own dying body, Danyael struggles to find fragments of good in the perfect human being, and comes to the wrenching realization that his greatest battle will be a battle for the heart of the man who hates him.
PERFECTION UNLEASHED
Recipient of six literary awards, including first place in Science Fiction, Reader Views Literary Awards 2012 and Gold medal winner in Science Fiction, Readers Favorites 2013.
"Higher octane than Heroes. More heart than X-Men."
Danyael Sabre spent sixteen years clawing out of the ruins of his childhood and finally has everything he wanted—a career, a home, and a trusted friend. To hold on to them, he keeps his head down and plays by the rules. An alpha empath, he is powerful in a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution, yet his experience has taught him to avoid attention.
When the perfect human being, Galahad, escapes from Pioneer Laboratories, the illusory peace between humans and their derivatives—the in vitros, clones, and mutants—collapses into social upheaval. The abominations, deformed and distorted mirrors of humanity, created unintentionally in Pioneer Lab’s search for perfection, descend upon Washington D.C. The first era of the Genetic Revolution was peaceful. The second is headed for open war.
Although the genetic future of the human race pivots on Galahad, Danyael does not feel compelled to get involved and risk his cover of anonymity, until he finds out that the perfect human being looks just like him.
FOR A LIMITED TIME, E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR JUST $0.99 (Discounted from $2.99)
E-books available at Amazon / Amazon UK / Apple / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Smashwords
Paperbacks available at Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository
To be the first to receive news of Jade Kerrion's latest book releases, sign up for her New Release Mailing List. If Perfection Challenge makes it to the bookstores before September 17th, you'll be among the first to know.
Connect with Jade Kerrion: Website / Facebook / Twitter
If you've never picked up the DOUBLE HELIX series, keep on reading for a special offer on Perfection Unleashed, the book that launched the DOUBLE HELIX series.
PERFECTION CHALLENGED
An alpha empath, Danyael Sabre has survived abominations and super soldiers, terrorists and assassins, but he cannot survive his failing body. He wants only to live out his final days in peace, but life and the woman he loves, the assassin Zara Itani, have other plans for him.
Galahad, the perfect human being created by Pioneer Labs, is branded an international threat, and Danyael is appointed his jury, judge, and executioner. Danyael alone believes that Galahad can be the salvation that the world needs, but is the empath blinded by the fact that Galahad shares his genes, and the hope that there is something of him in Galahad?
In a desperate race against time and his own dying body, Danyael struggles to find fragments of good in the perfect human being, and comes to the wrenching realization that his greatest battle will be a battle for the heart of the man who hates him.
PERFECTION UNLEASHED
Recipient of six literary awards, including first place in Science Fiction, Reader Views Literary Awards 2012 and Gold medal winner in Science Fiction, Readers Favorites 2013.
"Higher octane than Heroes. More heart than X-Men."
Danyael Sabre spent sixteen years clawing out of the ruins of his childhood and finally has everything he wanted—a career, a home, and a trusted friend. To hold on to them, he keeps his head down and plays by the rules. An alpha empath, he is powerful in a world transformed by the Genetic Revolution, yet his experience has taught him to avoid attention.
When the perfect human being, Galahad, escapes from Pioneer Laboratories, the illusory peace between humans and their derivatives—the in vitros, clones, and mutants—collapses into social upheaval. The abominations, deformed and distorted mirrors of humanity, created unintentionally in Pioneer Lab’s search for perfection, descend upon Washington D.C. The first era of the Genetic Revolution was peaceful. The second is headed for open war.
Although the genetic future of the human race pivots on Galahad, Danyael does not feel compelled to get involved and risk his cover of anonymity, until he finds out that the perfect human being looks just like him.
FOR A LIMITED TIME, E-BOOKS AVAILABLE FOR JUST $0.99 (Discounted from $2.99)
E-books available at Amazon / Amazon UK / Apple / Barnes & Noble / Kobo / Smashwords
Paperbacks available at Amazon / Amazon UK / Barnes & Noble / Book Depository
To be the first to receive news of Jade Kerrion's latest book releases, sign up for her New Release Mailing List. If Perfection Challenge makes it to the bookstores before September 17th, you'll be among the first to know.
Connect with Jade Kerrion: Website / Facebook / Twitter
August 11, 2013
Amazon Ranking vs Daily Sales
Based on many data collected.
Is your own experience reflected by these numbers?
Amazon Best Seller Rank 50,000 to 100,000 - selling close to 1 book a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10,000 to 50,000 - selling 3 to 15 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 5,500 to 10,000 - selling 15 to 30 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 3,000 to 5,500 - selling 30 to 50 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 500 to 3,000 - selling 50 to 200 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 350 to 500 - selling 200 to 300 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 100 to 350 - selling 300 to 500 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 35 to 100 - selling 500 to 1,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10 to 35 - selling 1,000 to 2,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 5 to 10 - selling 2,000 to 4,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 1 to 5 - selling 4,000+ books a day.
Is your own experience reflected by these numbers?
Amazon Best Seller Rank 50,000 to 100,000 - selling close to 1 book a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10,000 to 50,000 - selling 3 to 15 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 5,500 to 10,000 - selling 15 to 30 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 3,000 to 5,500 - selling 30 to 50 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 500 to 3,000 - selling 50 to 200 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 350 to 500 - selling 200 to 300 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 100 to 350 - selling 300 to 500 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 35 to 100 - selling 500 to 1,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank 10 to 35 - selling 1,000 to 2,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 5 to 10 - selling 2,000 to 4,000 books a day.
Amazon Best Seller Rank of 1 to 5 - selling 4,000+ books a day.
August 10, 2013
Learning the ropes
Resist the Urge to Explain!
Writers who indulge in explanations commit a very simple, and too common mistake.
This happens a lot in sci-fi, where writers learning the ropes attempt to explain future technology naively thinking they're providing crucial and must have information to readers so the scene becomes 'realistic' and 'plausible'.
Wrong! If it is a well-known technology--in the future sci-fi world, at least--why the need to explain? It amounts to having a contemporary fiction writer who feels compelled to describe what happens when a character gets in a car and leave. Bear with me, now :)
"He rushed to the door and pulled the handle. The door opened on its hinges so he could get in and take place on the front seat, the one with the steering wheel in front.
He placed his feet on the pedals, took out the ignition key, plugged it in and turned it clock-wise. He exhaled with relief when the familiar humming of the engine greeted his efforts.
He needed to adjust the rear visor before leaving because the pilot before him was shorter, and he lost precious seconds.
On his right, the familiar gear shaft invited him to select the drive position and with a grin of satisfaction he pushed the pedal on the right, the one directly connected with the acceleration system. The engined roared and he left the curb."
Ridiculous, right? You would question the writer's sanity in getting into this kind of details.
Well, it happens in mediocre sci-fi books. And it shows naive writers :)
Writers who indulge in explanations commit a very simple, and too common mistake.
This happens a lot in sci-fi, where writers learning the ropes attempt to explain future technology naively thinking they're providing crucial and must have information to readers so the scene becomes 'realistic' and 'plausible'.
Wrong! If it is a well-known technology--in the future sci-fi world, at least--why the need to explain? It amounts to having a contemporary fiction writer who feels compelled to describe what happens when a character gets in a car and leave. Bear with me, now :)
"He rushed to the door and pulled the handle. The door opened on its hinges so he could get in and take place on the front seat, the one with the steering wheel in front.
He placed his feet on the pedals, took out the ignition key, plugged it in and turned it clock-wise. He exhaled with relief when the familiar humming of the engine greeted his efforts.
He needed to adjust the rear visor before leaving because the pilot before him was shorter, and he lost precious seconds.
On his right, the familiar gear shaft invited him to select the drive position and with a grin of satisfaction he pushed the pedal on the right, the one directly connected with the acceleration system. The engined roared and he left the curb."
Ridiculous, right? You would question the writer's sanity in getting into this kind of details.
Well, it happens in mediocre sci-fi books. And it shows naive writers :)
August 3, 2013
Desperately seeking for Time
It's a common thing to hear from non-writers: I would write a book, but I simply have no time to write. Usually they also give you "the look" as in "you have too much free time for yourself. Jobless? No family? No kids?"
This is where you have to be honest with yourself. A day has 24 hours. We have enough time in our lives to do whatever we like to do with it. If we choose NOT to write, we have to acknowledge that it is a choice we have made, and time has little to do with it.
Are we after so much money that we have to slave extra jobs to support it? People are quite content (and *truly* happy) earning far less than what we believe is the threshold to happiness.
Have you chosen to take on extra volunteer jobs, or to take a job that is far from home? Yes, it's great to feel productive and it's great to have numerous hobbies, but again, we have that 24 hours allotted time with each day and if we feel the urge to write it needs to have a slot in there. We may choose to do other things instead, then those other items will have priority, but time is not an issue.
Many famous writers had full time jobs, had families and parents to care for. They sat down, looked at their schedule for the week, and set aside time for their writing. It was important to them - to ease their urge.
In airplanes they say to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, right? Your own mental state needs care just as much as other things do. If you become overly stressed and worn down, you can't help others properly. Every hour you spend is less effective. To be fully helpful to others, you must meet your own needs, too. Also as a writer.
So sit down and go through your schedule. Look at all the things you've chosen to do. Fit in an hour for writing. And then DO it. Put up a "do not disturb" sign. This is your time. The more you make this an important part of your normal schedule, the more others will respect your efforts, support you, and your dreams will become a reality.
This is where you have to be honest with yourself. A day has 24 hours. We have enough time in our lives to do whatever we like to do with it. If we choose NOT to write, we have to acknowledge that it is a choice we have made, and time has little to do with it.
Are we after so much money that we have to slave extra jobs to support it? People are quite content (and *truly* happy) earning far less than what we believe is the threshold to happiness.
Have you chosen to take on extra volunteer jobs, or to take a job that is far from home? Yes, it's great to feel productive and it's great to have numerous hobbies, but again, we have that 24 hours allotted time with each day and if we feel the urge to write it needs to have a slot in there. We may choose to do other things instead, then those other items will have priority, but time is not an issue.
Many famous writers had full time jobs, had families and parents to care for. They sat down, looked at their schedule for the week, and set aside time for their writing. It was important to them - to ease their urge.
In airplanes they say to put on your own oxygen mask before helping others, right? Your own mental state needs care just as much as other things do. If you become overly stressed and worn down, you can't help others properly. Every hour you spend is less effective. To be fully helpful to others, you must meet your own needs, too. Also as a writer.
So sit down and go through your schedule. Look at all the things you've chosen to do. Fit in an hour for writing. And then DO it. Put up a "do not disturb" sign. This is your time. The more you make this an important part of your normal schedule, the more others will respect your efforts, support you, and your dreams will become a reality.
August 1, 2013
Hall of Fame Finalist
This is just in, and always a pleasure to see own work recognized by independent groups.
Dear Massimo,
A warm welcome and congratulations to our 2nd Annual Hall of Fame finalists.
Your book "Daimones" is a finalist for "Best Science Fiction".
To visit the book expo, please go to http://orangeberrybooktours.com/expo/
To visit all Hall of Fame finalists, please go to http://orangeberrybooktours.com/expo/... Voting officially starts on 2nd August 2012.
How did we get the list of finalists? These are books that have toured with Orangeberry Book Tours from 1 July 2012 to 31 July 2013 and were then shortlisted by members of the Quality Reads UK Book Club. Author resources and bloggers were nominated by readers.
How can you promote your nomination? You can share the attached button on your site and share the above links on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
When does voting close? 2nd September 2013.
All our best
- The Orangeberry Team
- orangeberrybooktours.com
Dear Massimo,
A warm welcome and congratulations to our 2nd Annual Hall of Fame finalists.
Your book "Daimones" is a finalist for "Best Science Fiction".
To visit the book expo, please go to http://orangeberrybooktours.com/expo/
To visit all Hall of Fame finalists, please go to http://orangeberrybooktours.com/expo/... Voting officially starts on 2nd August 2012.
How did we get the list of finalists? These are books that have toured with Orangeberry Book Tours from 1 July 2012 to 31 July 2013 and were then shortlisted by members of the Quality Reads UK Book Club. Author resources and bloggers were nominated by readers.
How can you promote your nomination? You can share the attached button on your site and share the above links on social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus.
When does voting close? 2nd September 2013.
All our best
- The Orangeberry Team
- orangeberrybooktours.com
July 1, 2013
A writer's blessing
I want to share this message I've just received from a reader who I met with Daimones and
continued with Once Humans.
I profit also to thank Rebecca, my editor who helps me in becoming a better writer.
In a sense, the heartfelt message from this reader, after he read the second volume of the "Daimones Trilogy" is a fine example of what I consider my highest reward from writing.
Yes, I write for myself, a story kicks and pushes, haunts my dreams, and wants to be told, but to what purpose if not that of touching readers' minds and hearts?
The first question a writer should find answers to is not "How will I sell more books?" but "How can I touch my readers' hearts more?". This should be our motivation, and we will be pleased to know that finding the answer to the second question will provide an answer to the first one too...
Via email, June 30th 2013
----------------
"I am not sure if you are from this planet now, or if you are nuts, or both:) I am no critic by any means, just a long time SF reader. I don't know where you get your inspiration from, but I am deeply impressed. The book shows your erudition, along with a great writer style, specific to a very few, gifted writers that everybody admire. I could not leave your book down, once I started, it's so easy to read and the plot, the flow of events keeps the reader on his/her toes. While the first book was awesome, with this second one you have raised the bar to an incredible level. The expectations for the next book are way high, with Moirai-s... I can't wait for the next events, next book!
P.S. of course you got me in troubles, I could not do my chores once I started reading:) and, by the way, interesting choice of characters names:)"
----------------
Blessed be
continued with Once Humans.
I profit also to thank Rebecca, my editor who helps me in becoming a better writer.
In a sense, the heartfelt message from this reader, after he read the second volume of the "Daimones Trilogy" is a fine example of what I consider my highest reward from writing.
Yes, I write for myself, a story kicks and pushes, haunts my dreams, and wants to be told, but to what purpose if not that of touching readers' minds and hearts?
The first question a writer should find answers to is not "How will I sell more books?" but "How can I touch my readers' hearts more?". This should be our motivation, and we will be pleased to know that finding the answer to the second question will provide an answer to the first one too...
Via email, June 30th 2013
----------------
"I am not sure if you are from this planet now, or if you are nuts, or both:) I am no critic by any means, just a long time SF reader. I don't know where you get your inspiration from, but I am deeply impressed. The book shows your erudition, along with a great writer style, specific to a very few, gifted writers that everybody admire. I could not leave your book down, once I started, it's so easy to read and the plot, the flow of events keeps the reader on his/her toes. While the first book was awesome, with this second one you have raised the bar to an incredible level. The expectations for the next book are way high, with Moirai-s... I can't wait for the next events, next book!
P.S. of course you got me in troubles, I could not do my chores once I started reading:) and, by the way, interesting choice of characters names:)"
----------------
Blessed be
June 27, 2013
Daimones Trilogy, #2 - "Once Humans"
Vol.2 of the Daimones Trilogy is out and at a special introductory price of $1.99 during before the official promo launch next week.
Vol. 2 of the Daimones Trilogy.
Vol. 1 of the Daimones Trilogy.
Vol. 2 of the Daimones Trilogy.
Vol. 1 of the Daimones Trilogy.
June 1, 2013
Promotional period on award winner novel, Daimones
Daimones 28 5-stars reviews, 15 4-stars reviews
$0.99 Promotional price down from $3.99 during the release period (starting 1st June) of the volume 2 of the Daimones Trilogy, "Once Humans". Price will raise again as soon as Once Humans goes live. Profit while it lasts.
Daimones (Daimones Trilogy, #1)
http://www.amazon.com/Daimones-Trilog...
2012 PRG Reviewer's Choice Award in Science Fiction
Awesome Indies Seal of Approval
indiePENdents.org Seal for Quality Writing
"Long live the freedom of those who dreamed the future and made it our present."
- 'Dan Amenta' in Daimones (Daimones Trilogy, #1)
http://www.amazon.com/Daimones-Trilog...
A post-apocalypse whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind.
Read how everything starts in "Daimones", when the extermination of the human race begins and an ancient power controls the planet. Continue to see the conflicts unfold into "Once Humans" released soon this month of June
http://animoto.com/play/xXh43M3HZlovz...
$0.99 Promotional price down from $3.99 during the release period (starting 1st June) of the volume 2 of the Daimones Trilogy, "Once Humans". Price will raise again as soon as Once Humans goes live. Profit while it lasts.
Daimones (Daimones Trilogy, #1)
http://www.amazon.com/Daimones-Trilog...
2012 PRG Reviewer's Choice Award in Science Fiction
Awesome Indies Seal of Approval
indiePENdents.org Seal for Quality Writing
"Long live the freedom of those who dreamed the future and made it our present."
- 'Dan Amenta' in Daimones (Daimones Trilogy, #1)
http://www.amazon.com/Daimones-Trilog...
A post-apocalypse whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind.
Read how everything starts in "Daimones", when the extermination of the human race begins and an ancient power controls the planet. Continue to see the conflicts unfold into "Once Humans" released soon this month of June
http://animoto.com/play/xXh43M3HZlovz...
May 14, 2013
Dystopian, Utopian, and Cacotopyan
The word dystopian comes from the ancient greek with δυσ-, "bad", and τόπος, "place." Alternatively it can also be called cacotopia, or anti-utopia. The word dystopia represents a counterpart of utopia.
Many dystopias described in fictional works present a utopian society, where good-life seems to have been achieved, but suffering by at least one fatal issue. Whereas utopian societies are founded on aspiring to the general well-being, a dystopian society’s dreams of improvement are overshadowed by a repression of any sort and origin, at times even one benevolent repression.
These kind of society appear particularly in stories staged on a speculative and visionary future. Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian rules, ecological and environmental disasters—post-apocalypse scenery, like in my work “The Daimones Trilogy”—or other events associated with a cataclysmic decline in the society fabric.
A famous dystopian novel is Fahrenheit 451, where the state burns all books out of fear of what they may incite in the individuals, and the more recent The Hunger Games, where a government holds control of its people by maintaining a constant state of fear through annual fight to the death competitions, the Hunger Games, where two young members of the various districts the world is divided in—after a global war that brought the planet on the bring of annihilation—are selected as ‘tribute’.
Dystopias have taken the form of a multitude kind of speculations and create very compelling stories that touch on issues of our own society: corruption, poverty, violence, pollution, political repressions. They offer their writers lots of freedom and inventive. Even if placed in the future, technology may, or may not be more advanced than in the present. In some cases, humanity has been brought to face a total collapse of the world as we know it and the fights for survival set in.
Some dystopian fictions emphasize the pressure to conform to a flattened society, as a requirement not to excel. In these fictions, the society is ruthlessly egalitarian, in which ability and accomplishment, or even competence, are suppressed or stigmatized as forms of inequality. Again, in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the dystopia represses the intellectuals with a particular brutality and subverts pillars of our society like the concept of family, a clear case of dehumanization dystopian organizations.
Both the principles of utopian and dystopian societies can be idealistic, with the goal of attaining positive stability for its members, but on dystopian fictions the foundations have such defects that ultimately result in oppressive consequences for the inhabitants of the planet. The oppression and repression can be subtle and the perception of a utopian society lingers instead, at least for a certain duration of the story, until a Hero becomes aware of the flaws and decides, against all odds, to intervene. Some fine examples come from such films and stories as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Brazil.
In dystopia, characters are at the mercy of the controlled society even if, at epidermic level, they might have the impression to live the good life; people enjoy much higher material living-standards in exchange for the loss of other qualities in their lives, such as independent thought and emotional depth. Humanity lives in a glorious state of comfort, but has given up what gives life its meaning.
The fictional society construction often has a backstory of a disaster, a war, a critical global climatic change, or an encounter of the third type, introduced early in the narrative and that create the stage for the story evolution. The historic events triggered the shift from previous systems of society organization and social norms to a changed society and new, often disturbing, social norms.
Unlike other fictions where an improbable, outcast main character evolves through the typical Arc of the Hero, often dystopias feature a prominent personality of the new society as the protagonist who senses, sometimes intuitively, that something terribly wrong is going on, despite the ‘utopian’ outlook. The hero's point of view clashes with the others' perception, and reveals to the readers that concepts of utopia and dystopia are tied to each other and the only difference between them lies on a matter of opinion. The hero attempts to either change the system or bring it down.
The story is often—but not always—unresolved even if the hero manages to escape or destroy the dystopia. That is the individual who are unsatisfied, and rebel, ultimately fail to change anything. Dystopian works may convey a sense of hopelessness in contrasts with much fiction of the future, in which a hero succeeds in resolving conflicts or otherwise changes things for the better.
All we said about dystopian, and its duality with utopian fictions and visioned societies, can also be told about my work in progress, “The Daimones Trilogy”. Book one, “Daimones”, is released in both ebook and paperback, and the volume 2, “Once Humans” will hit the virtual and real shelves by the end of May of this year.
The trilogy describes a post-apocalypse world whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind.
“Daimones” places a few survivors in a world having experienced a planetary culling of humankind, one with no immediate or apparent cause. The Apocalypse has arrived yet the 'why' and 'how' remain unknown in a frustrating and fearful reality for Dan Amenta and his family.
Dan and his family awake one day in a world where everyone is dead but no evidence points to a cause. Initial searches for survivors yield nothing and, in panic, the family turns their house into a stronghold. Eventually, they find Laura, a survivor who manages to win their hearts...and leads Dan to temptation. Laura reveals her panicking encounter with strange entities which Dan recognizes in his childhood hallucinations. He forces himself to find and confront them: An older power controls the fate of men.
The story, on purpose, starts with the confusing life--and manifest lack of information--of characters that, as with the vast majority of us, live their life focusing on a very little world around themselves. Then something happens, and the "heros" arch starts :)
The novel describes what our world is: we focus on money, we are not looking at what happens around us, we already live in a spiritual apocalypse.
The trilogy will explore the apocalypse from the physical death of humankind, the rebirth of the society, dystopian or utopian, and a larger conflict tensions with the second and third volumes.
Our real life world though tells us we have a spiritual death apocalypse already in place.
Many dystopias described in fictional works present a utopian society, where good-life seems to have been achieved, but suffering by at least one fatal issue. Whereas utopian societies are founded on aspiring to the general well-being, a dystopian society’s dreams of improvement are overshadowed by a repression of any sort and origin, at times even one benevolent repression.
These kind of society appear particularly in stories staged on a speculative and visionary future. Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization, totalitarian rules, ecological and environmental disasters—post-apocalypse scenery, like in my work “The Daimones Trilogy”—or other events associated with a cataclysmic decline in the society fabric.
A famous dystopian novel is Fahrenheit 451, where the state burns all books out of fear of what they may incite in the individuals, and the more recent The Hunger Games, where a government holds control of its people by maintaining a constant state of fear through annual fight to the death competitions, the Hunger Games, where two young members of the various districts the world is divided in—after a global war that brought the planet on the bring of annihilation—are selected as ‘tribute’.
Dystopias have taken the form of a multitude kind of speculations and create very compelling stories that touch on issues of our own society: corruption, poverty, violence, pollution, political repressions. They offer their writers lots of freedom and inventive. Even if placed in the future, technology may, or may not be more advanced than in the present. In some cases, humanity has been brought to face a total collapse of the world as we know it and the fights for survival set in.
Some dystopian fictions emphasize the pressure to conform to a flattened society, as a requirement not to excel. In these fictions, the society is ruthlessly egalitarian, in which ability and accomplishment, or even competence, are suppressed or stigmatized as forms of inequality. Again, in Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, the dystopia represses the intellectuals with a particular brutality and subverts pillars of our society like the concept of family, a clear case of dehumanization dystopian organizations.
Both the principles of utopian and dystopian societies can be idealistic, with the goal of attaining positive stability for its members, but on dystopian fictions the foundations have such defects that ultimately result in oppressive consequences for the inhabitants of the planet. The oppression and repression can be subtle and the perception of a utopian society lingers instead, at least for a certain duration of the story, until a Hero becomes aware of the flaws and decides, against all odds, to intervene. Some fine examples come from such films and stories as Fritz Lang's Metropolis and Brazil.
In dystopia, characters are at the mercy of the controlled society even if, at epidermic level, they might have the impression to live the good life; people enjoy much higher material living-standards in exchange for the loss of other qualities in their lives, such as independent thought and emotional depth. Humanity lives in a glorious state of comfort, but has given up what gives life its meaning.
The fictional society construction often has a backstory of a disaster, a war, a critical global climatic change, or an encounter of the third type, introduced early in the narrative and that create the stage for the story evolution. The historic events triggered the shift from previous systems of society organization and social norms to a changed society and new, often disturbing, social norms.
Unlike other fictions where an improbable, outcast main character evolves through the typical Arc of the Hero, often dystopias feature a prominent personality of the new society as the protagonist who senses, sometimes intuitively, that something terribly wrong is going on, despite the ‘utopian’ outlook. The hero's point of view clashes with the others' perception, and reveals to the readers that concepts of utopia and dystopia are tied to each other and the only difference between them lies on a matter of opinion. The hero attempts to either change the system or bring it down.
The story is often—but not always—unresolved even if the hero manages to escape or destroy the dystopia. That is the individual who are unsatisfied, and rebel, ultimately fail to change anything. Dystopian works may convey a sense of hopelessness in contrasts with much fiction of the future, in which a hero succeeds in resolving conflicts or otherwise changes things for the better.
All we said about dystopian, and its duality with utopian fictions and visioned societies, can also be told about my work in progress, “The Daimones Trilogy”. Book one, “Daimones”, is released in both ebook and paperback, and the volume 2, “Once Humans” will hit the virtual and real shelves by the end of May of this year.
The trilogy describes a post-apocalypse world whose dystopian roots are million years old. Ancient aliens, a galactic struggle, the control of unique resources, meld to dictate the fate of the humankind.
“Daimones” places a few survivors in a world having experienced a planetary culling of humankind, one with no immediate or apparent cause. The Apocalypse has arrived yet the 'why' and 'how' remain unknown in a frustrating and fearful reality for Dan Amenta and his family.
Dan and his family awake one day in a world where everyone is dead but no evidence points to a cause. Initial searches for survivors yield nothing and, in panic, the family turns their house into a stronghold. Eventually, they find Laura, a survivor who manages to win their hearts...and leads Dan to temptation. Laura reveals her panicking encounter with strange entities which Dan recognizes in his childhood hallucinations. He forces himself to find and confront them: An older power controls the fate of men.
The story, on purpose, starts with the confusing life--and manifest lack of information--of characters that, as with the vast majority of us, live their life focusing on a very little world around themselves. Then something happens, and the "heros" arch starts :)
The novel describes what our world is: we focus on money, we are not looking at what happens around us, we already live in a spiritual apocalypse.
The trilogy will explore the apocalypse from the physical death of humankind, the rebirth of the society, dystopian or utopian, and a larger conflict tensions with the second and third volumes.
Our real life world though tells us we have a spiritual death apocalypse already in place.
May 13, 2013
Today I'm blessed
Today I'm blessed again.
Isn't these words the reasons a writer goes on, "opened his veins and bled until words came out" ?
"In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood. Take the tale in your teeth, then, and bite till the blood runs, hoping it's not poison; and we will all come to the end together, and even to the beginning: living, as we do, in the middle."
- Ursula K. Le Guin
Today I'm blessed again, as I read these words from a reader and my guts scream out "share, share the love with everyone."
Blessed be.
"Mo, I'm [...] from the [...] Amazon thread. I don’t usually write and semi lurk but was blessed this morning and felt I needed to contact you regarding your book Daimones. My gut screams out “Tell MO DON’T STOP WRITING” . My husband bought me a book from my wish list for mothers day, and it happened to be yours. While waiting for my father this morning I started it and have been compelled to read/re-read then contemplate and read parts again. No I have not finished and am actually taking my time getting through it, which is unusual for me. You had captured me within the first 10 minutes of reading! Rarely do I not speed read through a book, but I do not want to miss anything and have been going back and rereading and stopping to absorb what I have read – to consider the future story line! I LOVE IT!
Please don’t stop writing, your gift is too precious.
Thank you for sharing your gift with us! I look forward to completing this book and anticipating future offerings!
Excitedly,
[...] "
Daimones
Isn't these words the reasons a writer goes on, "opened his veins and bled until words came out" ?
"In the tale, in the telling, we are all one blood. Take the tale in your teeth, then, and bite till the blood runs, hoping it's not poison; and we will all come to the end together, and even to the beginning: living, as we do, in the middle."
- Ursula K. Le Guin
Today I'm blessed again, as I read these words from a reader and my guts scream out "share, share the love with everyone."
Blessed be.
"Mo, I'm [...] from the [...] Amazon thread. I don’t usually write and semi lurk but was blessed this morning and felt I needed to contact you regarding your book Daimones. My gut screams out “Tell MO DON’T STOP WRITING” . My husband bought me a book from my wish list for mothers day, and it happened to be yours. While waiting for my father this morning I started it and have been compelled to read/re-read then contemplate and read parts again. No I have not finished and am actually taking my time getting through it, which is unusual for me. You had captured me within the first 10 minutes of reading! Rarely do I not speed read through a book, but I do not want to miss anything and have been going back and rereading and stopping to absorb what I have read – to consider the future story line! I LOVE IT!
Please don’t stop writing, your gift is too precious.
Thank you for sharing your gift with us! I look forward to completing this book and anticipating future offerings!
Excitedly,
[...] "
Daimones
