180,000 sci fi horror. Near future, set in the Sahara. Seeking to round out my beta readership as I gear up for the professional edits.

[Thomas]

Author website in my bio.
Genres: horror, cosmic horror, hard sci fi, cli fi

I have a revised a second draft of a 180,000 word sci-fi horror epic that I am prepping for a professional edit. I have some great beta readers but am always happy to include more.

Where I need a little help is with the accessibility of the "hard science" in the novel. I have a bio/lab research background, and some of this comes through in the prose. It is a little expository in the beginning, and I'd like to soften it a bit, maybe remove some chunks of text that don't further the story. That said, a lot of my readers have no science background and got through it with intrigue and fascination.

So far, feedback has been very positive. Here are a few comments from existing readers:

"Hair raising and alarming."
"Will chill the reader's blood."
"Absolutely terrifying."
"Evocative, visual, poetic."
"Fantastically written."

The novel is very character-driven, so when I get a chance to update the synopsis, it will focus squarely on the main protagonists. While I have not come up with a synopsis yet that I am satisfied with, here is a draft for now:

A group of paleontoloists unearths a revolutionary find in the heart of Africa that renews hope for the revival of dwindling bird populations across the globe.

Cloning technology sows the seeds of de-extinction, ushering a revival of some of earth's most iconic megafauna.

Climate change has become inevitable, prompting people to change their genetic makeup--and that of Earth's ecosystems--in an attempt to hold on to life as we know it as it slips like sand through our fingers.

Far beneath the Saharan sands of Algeria, physicists seek to uncover the mysteries of our universe. Back at the surface, a trio of colossal biodomes form a proving ground for seeding self-sustaining ecosystems beyond our planet.

Feel free to DM if interested and we can see if it's a fit. About 80% of the novel is up. I am currently revising the last fifty pages.

Cheers,
Tom

[Sarah]

Hello Tom,
Your book is right up my alley and I would be honored to beta read for you! I have sent a friend request so I can DM you my email and continue the conversation from there. I'm curious - where did the idea come from and what/who inspired this?

[Thomas]

Great, thank you! The novel started out as a question that morphed into an idea and grew from there. Influences range from the minds of Brian Green, Michio Kaku, and Albert Camus all the way to Stephen King, Michael Crichton, and Jeff VanderMeer. I also use art and music to channel inspiration.

[Thomas]

A big piece of inspiration for one aspect of the book was the Pleistocene Park project in Siberia. The books “How to Clone a Mammoth” and “Resurrection Science” were a great launching pad for me during the research stages. I’m also inspired by the work of scientists ranging from the fields of paleontology to quantum mechanics and engineering, so you’ll see those influences come through in the characters. Mary Schweitzer, Mark Witton, Neil deGrasse-Tyson, Albert Camus, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin, Ben Novak, and Kip Thorne are a few examples of real-world individuals that directly inspired traits of the characters seen in the novel.