The Driver's world (small spoiler alert)
If you've been reading, you know that the Driver is a recurring character in the world of Ian Lewis Fiction. However, the Driver's stories to date don't always permit a black and white reading of this world because they are told in first person. Case in point: The Camaro Murders is composed of four characters' inner monologues. Rich, vivid detail takes a backseat in some cases to the force of the characters' thoughts.
Though Lady in Flames exhibits more of a storytelling style, the reader is still limited to the perceptions of the viewpoint characters. So if you were ever left begging for more information, read on! Or perhaps you've stumbled upon this post and want to gauge whether you'd like to read either novella. At any rate, here is the Driver's world:
The Driver is a murdered soul who operates out of ‘The Upper Territory,’ which is the place where murdered souls reside. The trauma of murder splits soul from spirit, and so these souls cannot enter eternity until they find their spirits or ‘ghosts.’ In order to navigate this in-between world, souls are given ‘super-physical’ bodies. These bodies are based on a DNA sample siphoned from their dying/dead physical bodies, so their appearance reflects a semblance of what they looked like in the real world. Those who wish to help newly murdered souls find their ghosts join a group called Abel’s Fold; this group is responsible for constructing new bodies and ushering souls into the Territory.
The Driver is a somewhat wayward member of the Fold. His body, like all others in the Territory, contains no blood, does not need to breathe, eat, or sleep, and retains a limited set of basic sensory functions. Despite this, his body also has advanced properties, most of which are useful in the real world such as the ability to diffuse in and out of the visible spectrum, the ability to observe other people’s consciousness/thoughts, and a somewhat limited ability to manipulate or enhance matter.
Members of Abel’s Fold are the only ones who know how to traverse the ‘sleeves’ between the Upper Territory and the real world. The Driver is unique in his ability to travel in that he drives a phantom car. This is because when he died, the member of the Fold who attempted to grab a snapshot of his body ‘overshot’ and captured a snapshot of the physical world around the Driver, which was a 1985 Camaro IROC Z. The Camaro operates almost like an appendage to him, and maintains similar properties as his body. It also ‘responds’ to his mood, and is therefore capable of making engine/exhaust noises much more guttural, fierce, and wailing than a stock IROC Z, as well as being capable of travelling at a much faster rate of speed than a normal car.
The Territory itself is for all intents and purposes an amalgam of hallucinations. The patchwork of dreamscapes that make up the Territory are based on peoples’ memories. To a certain extent, souls see what they want because they see things as they remember them. Mostly though, peoples’ memories mold the Territory a certain way and hang around after those people move on (though they do fade over time). Because the Territory is somewhat of a dream world, much of it seems like a dream with varying levels of substance. Sometimes, vibrant; other times dull and waxen.
The Driver is a vigilante at heart, and is driven by his thirst for justice. Tortured by the murders he witnesses day in and day out, he becomes obsessed with protecting those he deems innocent. This of course causes strife because he is not supposed to intercede; he is only supposed to gather murdered souls and bring them into the Territory. The first time he breaks the rules is in “The Camaro Murders.” Unseen, the Driver helps a young boy fight off his would-be murderer. This causes an unintended ripple effect years later where Sheriff Hildersham gets roped into an unsolved murder investigation. Still somewhat clumsy and not overly adept at traversing the real world, the rookie Driver does his best to drop hints and lead the Sheriff to the needed evidence to solve the case.
Several years later, the Driver returns in “Lady in Flames,” where he continues to overstep his bounds by saving several people in the small town of Halgraeve who otherwise were supposed to die. His sense of self-righteousness is now deeply rooted, and his actions serve to solidify his status as a rogue member of the Fold.
In the next installment, which I hope to see published sometime in the near future, you will see the Driver begin to understand the disastrous consequences of his behavior, which will serve as a jumping off point for the next two (planned) Driver stories after that.
Though Lady in Flames exhibits more of a storytelling style, the reader is still limited to the perceptions of the viewpoint characters. So if you were ever left begging for more information, read on! Or perhaps you've stumbled upon this post and want to gauge whether you'd like to read either novella. At any rate, here is the Driver's world:
The Driver is a murdered soul who operates out of ‘The Upper Territory,’ which is the place where murdered souls reside. The trauma of murder splits soul from spirit, and so these souls cannot enter eternity until they find their spirits or ‘ghosts.’ In order to navigate this in-between world, souls are given ‘super-physical’ bodies. These bodies are based on a DNA sample siphoned from their dying/dead physical bodies, so their appearance reflects a semblance of what they looked like in the real world. Those who wish to help newly murdered souls find their ghosts join a group called Abel’s Fold; this group is responsible for constructing new bodies and ushering souls into the Territory.
The Driver is a somewhat wayward member of the Fold. His body, like all others in the Territory, contains no blood, does not need to breathe, eat, or sleep, and retains a limited set of basic sensory functions. Despite this, his body also has advanced properties, most of which are useful in the real world such as the ability to diffuse in and out of the visible spectrum, the ability to observe other people’s consciousness/thoughts, and a somewhat limited ability to manipulate or enhance matter.
Members of Abel’s Fold are the only ones who know how to traverse the ‘sleeves’ between the Upper Territory and the real world. The Driver is unique in his ability to travel in that he drives a phantom car. This is because when he died, the member of the Fold who attempted to grab a snapshot of his body ‘overshot’ and captured a snapshot of the physical world around the Driver, which was a 1985 Camaro IROC Z. The Camaro operates almost like an appendage to him, and maintains similar properties as his body. It also ‘responds’ to his mood, and is therefore capable of making engine/exhaust noises much more guttural, fierce, and wailing than a stock IROC Z, as well as being capable of travelling at a much faster rate of speed than a normal car.
The Territory itself is for all intents and purposes an amalgam of hallucinations. The patchwork of dreamscapes that make up the Territory are based on peoples’ memories. To a certain extent, souls see what they want because they see things as they remember them. Mostly though, peoples’ memories mold the Territory a certain way and hang around after those people move on (though they do fade over time). Because the Territory is somewhat of a dream world, much of it seems like a dream with varying levels of substance. Sometimes, vibrant; other times dull and waxen.
The Driver is a vigilante at heart, and is driven by his thirst for justice. Tortured by the murders he witnesses day in and day out, he becomes obsessed with protecting those he deems innocent. This of course causes strife because he is not supposed to intercede; he is only supposed to gather murdered souls and bring them into the Territory. The first time he breaks the rules is in “The Camaro Murders.” Unseen, the Driver helps a young boy fight off his would-be murderer. This causes an unintended ripple effect years later where Sheriff Hildersham gets roped into an unsolved murder investigation. Still somewhat clumsy and not overly adept at traversing the real world, the rookie Driver does his best to drop hints and lead the Sheriff to the needed evidence to solve the case.
Several years later, the Driver returns in “Lady in Flames,” where he continues to overstep his bounds by saving several people in the small town of Halgraeve who otherwise were supposed to die. His sense of self-righteousness is now deeply rooted, and his actions serve to solidify his status as a rogue member of the Fold.
In the next installment, which I hope to see published sometime in the near future, you will see the Driver begin to understand the disastrous consequences of his behavior, which will serve as a jumping off point for the next two (planned) Driver stories after that.
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