Chris Martin's Blog, page 2
January 23, 2015
Dev Blog 2: The Art of Conflating Fact, Fiction, and Those Things Somewhere In Between
Set in our present but heavily centered on the ideas that will shape combat and spy games -- as well as the world at large in the years to come -- Engines of Extinction is admittedly something of a balance act.
My personal opinion, my hope, and my professional gamble is that it will appeal to both those who are interested in learning more about real-world black ops and modern special operations, as well as those who enjoy richly detailed, grounded science fiction.
Of course, the risk is that the nonfiction types won't want the near-future tech and ideas blended in with the genuine information, and the sci-fit types will find the work a little too real for their tastes. This is especially tricky as the series grows increasingly speculative as it goes, which may require a bit of trust and patience from both sides of the potential readership.
I'll say right up front, the lines separating fact and fiction will be hopelessly and continually blurred. Rather than a handicap, that's EoE's hook.
Today's reality has long since moved into what's typically thought of as science fiction -- after all, our nation's preferred method of waging precision warfare has involved the utilization of flying killer robots operated from the other side of the planet for more than a decade now.
Simple drone strikes don't even make the paper these days. The true leading edge of science and technology is a magnitude crazier than that and already impacting your world on a daily basis... in nearly mundane fashion. Right here at facebook, advanced deep-learning algorithms can identify you in photos with no prompting with 97.25% accuracy -- effectively just as good as humans (97.53%) can. It was a bit spooky the first time facebook recommended I tag a specific person in a photo I was looking at.
As impressive as that trick is, the latest developments in deep-learning AIs go beyond simple identification and actually discern context from photos. The implications of that are far spookier.
As a result, the next step of developments can be believably incorporated into this new reality in such a way that they feel utterly real.
In some cases, sussing fact from fiction should prove nearly impossible in Engines of Extinction, making it all the easier to simply accept as real (or at least, real-ish) -- and that's the goal. Keep your brain turned on, but allow yourself to enjoy the ride.
On a semi-related note… one of the major selling points of the thrillers written by real-deal operators such as former Delta Force officers and current-day NY Times Best Sellers Dalton Fury and Brad Taylor is the understanding that they are able to work in some of their personal experiences into their fiction. This makes the work not just more authentic, but it also provides a glimpse into the sort of classified work that is deemed too sensitive to share in straight-ahead nonfiction.
Clearly, Fury and Taylor's credentials far outstrip mine in this area. However, I will say that EoE's military backing is not merely fueled by the same research that served as the foundation for Shaping the World from the Shadows, Beyond Neptune Spear, a planned third installment about CIA SAD/SOG, FBI HRT, and govt. contractors that was actually absorbed by Engines of Extinction, and Modern American Snipers.
In fact, my extensive interviews of SOF veterans have turned up some previously unreported facts and sentiments from some of America's most decorated warriors -- some of which most definitely fall into that 'too sensitive to share in straight-ahead nonfiction' category.
And some of those nuggets will most certainly find their way to the light in the guise of EoE's brand of military sci-fi. But good luck untangling them from the series' web of fact, fiction, and the shifting state of those things that fall somewhere in between.
My personal opinion, my hope, and my professional gamble is that it will appeal to both those who are interested in learning more about real-world black ops and modern special operations, as well as those who enjoy richly detailed, grounded science fiction.
Of course, the risk is that the nonfiction types won't want the near-future tech and ideas blended in with the genuine information, and the sci-fit types will find the work a little too real for their tastes. This is especially tricky as the series grows increasingly speculative as it goes, which may require a bit of trust and patience from both sides of the potential readership.
I'll say right up front, the lines separating fact and fiction will be hopelessly and continually blurred. Rather than a handicap, that's EoE's hook.
Today's reality has long since moved into what's typically thought of as science fiction -- after all, our nation's preferred method of waging precision warfare has involved the utilization of flying killer robots operated from the other side of the planet for more than a decade now.
Simple drone strikes don't even make the paper these days. The true leading edge of science and technology is a magnitude crazier than that and already impacting your world on a daily basis... in nearly mundane fashion. Right here at facebook, advanced deep-learning algorithms can identify you in photos with no prompting with 97.25% accuracy -- effectively just as good as humans (97.53%) can. It was a bit spooky the first time facebook recommended I tag a specific person in a photo I was looking at.
As impressive as that trick is, the latest developments in deep-learning AIs go beyond simple identification and actually discern context from photos. The implications of that are far spookier.
As a result, the next step of developments can be believably incorporated into this new reality in such a way that they feel utterly real.
In some cases, sussing fact from fiction should prove nearly impossible in Engines of Extinction, making it all the easier to simply accept as real (or at least, real-ish) -- and that's the goal. Keep your brain turned on, but allow yourself to enjoy the ride.
On a semi-related note… one of the major selling points of the thrillers written by real-deal operators such as former Delta Force officers and current-day NY Times Best Sellers Dalton Fury and Brad Taylor is the understanding that they are able to work in some of their personal experiences into their fiction. This makes the work not just more authentic, but it also provides a glimpse into the sort of classified work that is deemed too sensitive to share in straight-ahead nonfiction.
Clearly, Fury and Taylor's credentials far outstrip mine in this area. However, I will say that EoE's military backing is not merely fueled by the same research that served as the foundation for Shaping the World from the Shadows, Beyond Neptune Spear, a planned third installment about CIA SAD/SOG, FBI HRT, and govt. contractors that was actually absorbed by Engines of Extinction, and Modern American Snipers.
In fact, my extensive interviews of SOF veterans have turned up some previously unreported facts and sentiments from some of America's most decorated warriors -- some of which most definitely fall into that 'too sensitive to share in straight-ahead nonfiction' category.
And some of those nuggets will most certainly find their way to the light in the guise of EoE's brand of military sci-fi. But good luck untangling them from the series' web of fact, fiction, and the shifting state of those things that fall somewhere in between.
Dev Blog 1: The Tie That Binds Modern American Snipers & Engines of Extinction
We just launched the Engines of Extinction facebook page so I wanted to get it caught up to date with some of the early coverage EoE has received in the press along with a bit of background information.
As some of you may know, my book, Modern American Snipers (St. Martin's Press, 2014), was recently released. It's my first with a major publisher as well as my first real go at a 300+ page tome after nearly two decades focused on shorter form journalistic works.
I've been fortunate that Modern American Snipers has been so warmly received and treated as a pretty legit high-profile release (major promotion from the likes of Barnes & Noble and Apple iTunes, a cover story on the Sunday edition of the New York Post, etc.), which is all pretty cool.
What you're less likely to know -- unless you've read all my press (and I doubt anyone short of my girlfriend and mom has actually done that… Check that. I doubt anyone short of myself has actually done that…) is that Modern American Snipers actually developed out of a relatively modest percentage of the overall research that had already been invested in bringing Engines of Extinction to life. (In particular, the research concerning JSOC's recce operators, arguably the world's most highly-trained, experienced, and versatile warfighters.)
The cool thing about EoE is the same level of research that was transformed into a major nonfiction book has also been carried out in a number of other areas -- geopolitical, technological, historical, and so on. And similarly, a number of leading minds in those respective areas have been kind enough to answer my questions and play an unofficial consulting role the same way the real-deal Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, and Ranger snipers did in theirs for EoE and MAS.
The idea behind Engines of Extinction has existed in its earliest form since… hang on a second, let me look this up… October 18, 2004. I know this because I covered an AMA Supermoto race in San Diego the day before and was driving back home to Chicago on Monday the 18th. Early on in the trip, an idea took hold in my head that was so exciting I literally drove all the way non-stop, fueled only by my imagination, copious amounts of caffeine, and, well, actual fuel, which did require a couple quick pauses along the way, I'll admit.
As soon as I got home, I jotted down a ton of notes. I can't remember exactly how many words that may have been, but I'm guessing it was 40 or 50 pages worth, even though I had no real plans for them, or plans to even move away from motorsports and into the realm of fiction.
Over the years, the idea became more of a thought experiment and evolved considerably -- to the point where the original idea barely even exists at the core of what EoE has now become. But as it evolved, it became stronger and more focused, and eventually I accepted it was something I was going to have to actually turn into a reality, even though I really wasn't yet quite sure how.
It's probably been about five years now that it's been actively pursued, at least on some level. A little more than two years ago, I cracked the nut regarding the story's format (more on that in a future installment), which really kicked things into a higher gear.
And almost two years ago to the day, I reached out to Ben about the possibility of working together (yet another story for another time). And since then EoE has really been my primary focus, allowing for time here and there required to take care of a few other things (motorcycle racing coverage, buying a house, writing another book… yeah, little things like that).
My experience working with St. Martin's on Modern American Snipers has been extremely positive and it's a relationship I'd like to expand upon in the future. That said, it's always been our intention to self-publish Engines of Extinction. This is a very personal project, it's a bit atypical in some (cool) ways, and we want to retain 100% control and 100% of the rights. I feel very confident that there would be significant interest from publishers, but we have not shopped it around. That's a bit of a gamble, but one we plan to make pay off for ourselves and for our readers.
Of course, that means we have to be a bit more grassroots in getting the word out and we appreciate all the help any of you out there are willing to do to spread the word.
Anyway, the above is my typically long-winded way of explaining that Modern American Snipers owes a significant debt to Engines of Extinction regarding its genesis. And for that reason, EoE has come up a handful of times during interviews and other press regarding MAS.
Here are some of those stories:
http://thegazette.com/subject/life/bo...
http://www.thehistoryreader.com/conte...
http://sofrep.com/38945/chris-martin-...
http://sofrep.com/39015/wrote-modern-...
As some of you may know, my book, Modern American Snipers (St. Martin's Press, 2014), was recently released. It's my first with a major publisher as well as my first real go at a 300+ page tome after nearly two decades focused on shorter form journalistic works.
I've been fortunate that Modern American Snipers has been so warmly received and treated as a pretty legit high-profile release (major promotion from the likes of Barnes & Noble and Apple iTunes, a cover story on the Sunday edition of the New York Post, etc.), which is all pretty cool.
What you're less likely to know -- unless you've read all my press (and I doubt anyone short of my girlfriend and mom has actually done that… Check that. I doubt anyone short of myself has actually done that…) is that Modern American Snipers actually developed out of a relatively modest percentage of the overall research that had already been invested in bringing Engines of Extinction to life. (In particular, the research concerning JSOC's recce operators, arguably the world's most highly-trained, experienced, and versatile warfighters.)
The cool thing about EoE is the same level of research that was transformed into a major nonfiction book has also been carried out in a number of other areas -- geopolitical, technological, historical, and so on. And similarly, a number of leading minds in those respective areas have been kind enough to answer my questions and play an unofficial consulting role the same way the real-deal Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, and Ranger snipers did in theirs for EoE and MAS.
The idea behind Engines of Extinction has existed in its earliest form since… hang on a second, let me look this up… October 18, 2004. I know this because I covered an AMA Supermoto race in San Diego the day before and was driving back home to Chicago on Monday the 18th. Early on in the trip, an idea took hold in my head that was so exciting I literally drove all the way non-stop, fueled only by my imagination, copious amounts of caffeine, and, well, actual fuel, which did require a couple quick pauses along the way, I'll admit.
As soon as I got home, I jotted down a ton of notes. I can't remember exactly how many words that may have been, but I'm guessing it was 40 or 50 pages worth, even though I had no real plans for them, or plans to even move away from motorsports and into the realm of fiction.
Over the years, the idea became more of a thought experiment and evolved considerably -- to the point where the original idea barely even exists at the core of what EoE has now become. But as it evolved, it became stronger and more focused, and eventually I accepted it was something I was going to have to actually turn into a reality, even though I really wasn't yet quite sure how.
It's probably been about five years now that it's been actively pursued, at least on some level. A little more than two years ago, I cracked the nut regarding the story's format (more on that in a future installment), which really kicked things into a higher gear.
And almost two years ago to the day, I reached out to Ben about the possibility of working together (yet another story for another time). And since then EoE has really been my primary focus, allowing for time here and there required to take care of a few other things (motorcycle racing coverage, buying a house, writing another book… yeah, little things like that).
My experience working with St. Martin's on Modern American Snipers has been extremely positive and it's a relationship I'd like to expand upon in the future. That said, it's always been our intention to self-publish Engines of Extinction. This is a very personal project, it's a bit atypical in some (cool) ways, and we want to retain 100% control and 100% of the rights. I feel very confident that there would be significant interest from publishers, but we have not shopped it around. That's a bit of a gamble, but one we plan to make pay off for ourselves and for our readers.
Of course, that means we have to be a bit more grassroots in getting the word out and we appreciate all the help any of you out there are willing to do to spread the word.
Anyway, the above is my typically long-winded way of explaining that Modern American Snipers owes a significant debt to Engines of Extinction regarding its genesis. And for that reason, EoE has come up a handful of times during interviews and other press regarding MAS.
Here are some of those stories:
http://thegazette.com/subject/life/bo...
http://www.thehistoryreader.com/conte...
http://sofrep.com/38945/chris-martin-...
http://sofrep.com/39015/wrote-modern-...
