Early last month Futurevision was launched – 20 Australian authors’ visions of the future. Our stories that range from the near future to the far reaches of time; some dark, some bright, some with a future still to be decided. At Oz Comic Con (Brisbane) a couple of weekends ago, Futurevision was a hot item. I’m not surpised, it’s a great and engrossing read (you can read my review here) and it’s a great way to sample a range of Aussie authors. It also has an unbeatable price.
20 stories of the future, most from the perspective of the people of earth (or their victims).
Rendezvous at Alexgaia is set in a different universe – in the future of Nardva and under the light of two moons, millennium after the events related in the Under the Mountain series and the Akrad’s legacy series or Barrakian tales, Broken Promises, Full Moon Rises).
As Nardva’s space age flourishes, new threats and new villains emerge, especially the all-powerful Consortium:
The acolyte looked over his shoulder. ‘Our order doesn’t like rebels. Besides, there are rumours that the Abbess is negotiating with the Consortium, certain concessions for protection and special privileges.’
Dana snorted. ‘Might as well negotiate with a black hole.’
The info-monk shrugged his rounded shoulders. ‘Takes aeons for a star-eater to consume a galaxy. In the meantime, there are perks for those in the know.’
(From Rendezvous at Alexgaia, Futurevision, 1231 Publishing, 2017).
It is the consortium that Dana and her fellow operatives have to defeat, or at least curtail.
Initially, when I looked at the Futurevision brief, I dismissed it. I write other-world fantasy, not science fiction. But then I remembered a flash fiction that came out of a writing exercise last year, Space Junk (published in in Mixed Blessings: Genre-lly Speaking, Breath of Fresh Air Press, 2016), and the ideas took shape.
It was fun writing about plasma pistols, transporters (transmits). spaceships and cyborgs. Dana’s adventures continue in Rendezvous at Alexgaia as she attempts, once again, to out-smart the Consortium.
And, I thought, that would probably be the end of it.
Except it wasn’t. A sequel, taking Jerren’s story, emerged into a longish short story Project Chameleon soon to be released Quantum Soul (currently available for pre-order). The question, what would it be like to be captured by the Consortium grabbed my imagination, and before I knew it I’d written the rough first draft of a trilogy – The Chameleon Protocols (tentative release, late 2018/early 2019).
If you want to read how the adventure begins – grab a copy of Futurevision. And also enjoy 19 other author’s gripping visions of the future.
Paperback copies of Futurevision can be purchased from Amazon or 1231 Publishing for just $10 AUD (plus postage). Electronic copies will be available soon. Or you can purchase them from the individual authors (like Nola, Raelene or me).
If you’d like to find out more about the stories, scroll down the Futurevision page at 1231 Publishing and click on the arrows to read extracts from all contributions.
Last week, writer, poet and editor, Nola Passmore started the blog tour, speaking about how she came to write 100 Words.
Next week, fantasy author Raelene Purtill, the author of Ground Zero, will continue the Futurevision blog tour. You can check out her website here.
Jeanette