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Thomas Locke

Goodreads Author

Born

The United States

Website

http://tlocke.com/

Twitter

tlockebooks

Genre

Fantasy, Thriller, Science Fiction

Member Since

October 2014

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/thomas_locke

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Thomas Locke is an award-winning novelist with total worldwide sales of seven million copies.

His work has been published in twenty languages, and critical acclaim includes four Christy Awards for excellence in fiction and his 2014 induction into the Christy Hall of Fame.

Thomas divides his time between Florida and England, where he serves as Writer In Residence at Regent's Park College, Oxford University. He holds a lifelong passion for epic fantasy, science fiction and techno-thriller stories.

Thomas's screenplay adaption of EMISSARY is under development as a feature film with a British production company.

Contact Thomas at info@tlocke.com ...more

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Where did you get the idea for your most recent book?

Thomas Locke For the past several years I have grown increasingly concerned over the all-pervading darkness that nowadays forms the core of both character developm…moreFor the past several years I have grown increasingly concerned over the all-pervading darkness that nowadays forms the core of both character development and story within the fantasy and science fiction genres.

Last autumn, Publishers Weekly held a global forum on where science fiction and fantasy were headed in New York publishing. Several key elements were brought to light by a panel that included some of the largest publishers and editors in these fields. Here are the four points I found of crucial importance.

First, in this last publishing cycle—from January to June 2014—not one book has been released in either fantasy or science fiction that hearkens back to the classical heroic structure of by-gone days.

Second, both of these genres have become redefined by the electronic game industry, which is soon expected to top Hollywood films in terms of both profit and revenue.

Third, the key impact of e-games on both character and story theme was described as 'grey-scaling'. This means there is no longer room for either heroes or villains. This is important in e-games because the player is offered the chance to take on every role. None are deemed wrong, or bad. All are equally valid.

Fourth, the classical story structure has been deemed passé. This formed the basis for JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings, and for CS Lewis and the Narnia series, and has its roots in the ancient Greek heroic structure, many of which were told as fantasies.

Long before this conference confirmed my growing suspicions, I felt the question these NY publishers overlooked was, What has happened to the readers of classical fantasy and science fiction? Are they all satisfied with the direction that New York has chosen to take?

I do not disagree with the new direction as a concept. But I fundamentally dispute this mind-set of exclusively focusing on the new, the dark, and the hopeless.

Twenty months ago, I began working on a pair of new projects. They were so far removed from anything I had ever done before, I feared there would be no chance of finding a publisher. But the ideas ignited me to the point where I really needed to follow this creative passion.

The first was a fantasy, which follows the original Greek concept of ‘epic’. Nowadays the term has been redefined to basically mean nothing more than, long. Originally, an epic tale was one where the principal character sought to achieve a quest. The hero’s journey, both externally and his need to conquer inner demons, formed vital life-lessons for the audience.

My aim with this fantasy, EMISSARY, was to fashion an epic that would suit modern tastes. I threw out what has become the standard format for fantasy novels, with their long-winded descriptions and elaborate settings. Instead, I used the sentence structure and pacing of a mystery. It is tight, with what I hope will be seen as a smooth and seamless action-flow that leads to a satisfying crescendo.

The second of these projects was what is nowadays referred to as near-time sci-fi. Near-time sci-fi is a story that takes place in today’s world, but one where reality is drawn around the unseen corner. A perfect example is Jurassic Park, where dinosaur DNA is extracted from amber, inserted into frog embryos, and the monsters are returned to a modern earth setting. My near-time sci-fi is TRIAL RUN.

Both of these projects adhere to the original Greek structure of inherent value, what in Hollywood today is referred to as ‘leave-behind’.

In EMISSARY, the principal character rises from nothing to forge an alliance that has profound and far-reaching impact, simply by accepting the challenge of his own self-worth.

The theme of TRIAL RUN is that of hope through love, beyond time and earthly bonds, and finding strength where none exists on a logical basis. As you are no doubt aware, the themes themselves hearken back to the early classics.(less)

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What’s the best thing about being a writer?

Thomas Locke Too often we writers see the current work in the same light as our profession. But most real progress only comes through first drafts. In other words,…moreToo often we writers see the current work in the same light as our profession. But most real progress only comes through first drafts. In other words, to really tackle the issues that need growth and change, you must confront the empty page. Again and again. Redrafting can only take you so far, especially when you are so deeply attached to your current work.(less)

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Combine Editions
Thomas Locke’s books

Average rating: 3.95 · 2,984 ratings · 885 reviews · 24 distinct works • Similar authors

	Emissary (Legends of the Realm, #1) 3.90 avg rating — 912 ratings — published 2014 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Merchant of Alyss (Legends of the Realm, #2) 4.13 avg rating — 298 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Trial Run (Fault Lines #1) 3.87 avg rating — 318 ratings — published 2015 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Recruits 4.04 avg rating — 191 ratings — published 2017 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Flash Point 4.07 avg rating — 156 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Golden Vial (Legends of the Realm, #3) 3.94 avg rating — 145 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Double Edge (Fault Lines #0.5) 3.79 avg rating — 147 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Enclave 3.83 avg rating — 137 ratings — published 2018 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Fault Lines 3.97 avg rating — 101 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Captive (Legends of the Realm, #0.5) 3.79 avg rating — 104 ratings — published 2014 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Thomas Locke…

101 posts
Thomas Locke's Blog

Greetings from Singapore

I thought you might like to hear what’s been happening creatively at my end. Three years ago I was invited to teach at a Singapore conference run by two major Christian publishers, one US and the other UK, intended to help develop the creative, editorial, and publishing work in developing countries. There were three hundred participants from forty-three countries. This month they held it again Read more of this blog post »

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Published on November 06, 2018 17:27

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Series by Thomas Locke

Legends of the Realm (3 books)
by

Thomas Locke (Goodreads Author) (Preface)

3.95 avg rating — 1,459 ratings

Spectrum Chronicles (4 books)
by

Thomas Locke (Goodreads Author)

4.00 avg rating — 424 ratings

Recruits (2 books)
by

Thomas Locke (Goodreads Author)

4.05 avg rating — 281 ratings

Quotes by Thomas Locke (?)

“To be strong enough to know weakness is the greatest strength there is”
― Thomas Locke

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“church should always remain busy pushing out the edge of the balloon. Taking risks. Planting other churches. Organizing missions. Seeking new and unproven fields. The difference is, a church works for the sake of eternity.”
― Thomas Locke, The Delta Factor

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Polls

What book would you most like to read for the January Additional group read? (Jan 15- Feb 14)

- Lizzy and Jane by Katherine Reay

11 votes 32.4%

- The Patmos Deception by Davis Bunn

6 votes 17.6%

- Old Fashioned by Rene Gutteridge

5 votes 14.7%

- The Princess Spy by Melanie Dickerson

4 votes 11.8%

- When Night Comes by Dan Walsh

3 votes 8.8%

The Captive (Legends of the Realm, #0.5) by Thomas Locke

- The Captive by Thomas Locke

3 votes 8.8%

Snow Globe (The Amish of Jamesport #1) by Laura V. Hilton

- Snow Globe by Laura V. Hilton

2 votes 5.9%

34 total votes

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