The following is an online interview with V.R. Konner and his new book “Oryan’s Pact”. The author does a very great job of explaining the book as it is set about 300 years into the future. I found this vision for a futuristic world still very much involved in issues that have always been with mankind to be quite intriguing especially set 300 years into the future. V.R. Konner does a great job of explaining this from this interview as well as the dangling spider.
Author Bio
Feel free to share a little about yourself in your own words.
My name is V.R. Konner. I’m around 38 years old, though to be honest I’ve stopped counting and am unsure of my exact age. And I like it that way.
How did you get into writing?
I’ve always been creative, whether through drawing, computer graphics, writing, making homemade herbal skin creams and ointments, and or making beautiful deli platters at my previous job as a deli clerk. I’ve always wanted to earn a living through my own two hands, to create something I can then market to other people. As an author, I can do exactly that. I now put the world I’ve created in my mind on paper.
What can you tell us about your daily routines that help you focus and your creative habits? So, for example how do you come up with some of your ideas and inspiration for your book?
First and foremost, coffee. Coffee is a gift from the Heavens; it is ambrosia. Secondly, lots of reading, some video games, walking my dog, and the sci fi shows and movies. Specifically, seeing what other people have done wrong, the little pet peeves and inconsistencies, and wanting to make a world that is more realistic, from the science, to the economy and politics.
Is this book very personal for you? If so, how?
Its personal in the sense that I made it, it is my world, and there is a message I’m trying to convey. Both a warning about today, about the future, and a promise.
Oryan’s Pact
How did you come up with the book title?
Wasn’t easy. All my first attempts at coming up with a title revolved around Friedrich Nietzsche’s quote “He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee.” And even though there is an element of that warning in my novel, it wouldn’t have meshed with my plans for the sequels. It was through the editing process, when reading (and rereading) that it came to me.
Plot and Synopsis
Can you describe what the book plot and give a detailed synopsis of the book, of course without any spoilers of course.
It takes place 300 years in the future. The countries of Earth have been taken over by global political forces and have subjugated the populous with a state sponsored religion. Earth is now governed by a ruthlessly totalitarian, communistic government. There is minimal opportunity to rise above your station at birth. The religion itself teaches people to accept their place, and worship those above them. So imagine if your boss at work was also your priest. It may seem like a ridiculous notion to most people, that a population would willingly go along with this, but what is “normal” to a person is what was in place when they were born. If one is born in a system of government like this, how would they know any different?
During the wars that ravaged earth when this one world government was coming about, a mass exodus to Mars took place. Mars was a haven for the intellectuals and capitalists, and a thriving economy was brought about, with many years of peace. This peace led to an increase in societal compassion, which brings us to the current time, where Earth is raging a war against Mars, and Mars refuses to acknowledge it. Anyone who speaks against the Terrans is stigmatized. The main character, a commander in the Martian Orbital Defense, is such a person.
(Complete side note: while typing the above answer, a random spider decided to dangle in front of my face and say hi….
I killed it.)
Is there any movie, book, or television series that you can somewhat liken your story to? So for example, some books you can say are like Game of Thrones or Star Wars, what mainstream and popular movie do you think your book somewhat “feels” like? Did you want this to be the case?
Yes. The Expanse series of novels, but only superficially. I liked the idea of most of the action taking place in the solar system. That, and the “torch ship” design is about the extent of similarities. (Well, and coffee. Coffee is a wonderful thing).
Other things that inspired me, but NOT in the way one might think, was Star Wars and Star Trek, namely how *HUMAN* all the aliens look. Star Wars is somewhat better, but still.
Although my novel does have aliens, they are not the main focus of the novel, and only appear in the background. In the coming sequel (that I plan to begin sometime this week), there are more aliens, but it is still a story about humanity.
As for technology, I wanted it to be real. With one exception, everything in the world is very much an extension of modern day technology. Do they have warp? Sorta. But its sub-light. So no, I don’t have ships warping to the next star system, because top speed is just one third of ‘c.’
Themes
What themes and can we expect to find in this book if any?
The theme overall is of a political landscape that isn’t much different from our own, in my opinion. There is no infinite energy in my world, and so there is no matter creation. Iron needs to be mined, water needs to be transported, Fusionable fuel needs to be transported, and the people who do those jobs expect to get paid. Those people are in turn taxed, and when the politicians no longer represent the people, issues arise.
Is there any message, deep meanings, or philosophical questions being explored in the book?
In contrast to most of typical Science Fiction, I do not believe the advent of AI will be dangerous, with robots trying to kill us. I also touch on some libertarian philosophies in this novel. Again, I look at Star Trek, and I see slaves. People work for the betterment of mankind? How does the guy cleaning the toilets feel about that? What about the dude cleaning the warp coils? How about those who mine the dilithium. Do they get hazard pa– oh wait, they aren’t getting paid either, huh?
Off the wall question, but would some of the issues being explored in the book relate to us here in the real world?
To quote Margaret Thatcher, “…socialist governments traditionally do make a financial mess. They always run out of other people’s money. It’s quite a characteristic of them. They then start to nationalize everything, and people just do not like more and more nationalization, and they’re now trying to control everything by other means. They’re progressively reducing the choice available to ordinary people.
Also, this era of political correctness. Can’t say this, its offensive. Can’t do that, its cultural appropriation. No one can say a joke anymore, least someone start crying and need a emotional support puppy.
Setting
What can you tell us about the setting that we will be seeing in this book?
As previously mentioned, its 300 years in the future. Space travel is common place. It is possible for people to save up enough money to buy an affordable space ship of their own, for their own business purposes. A recent wormhole-gate has been constructed, allowing mankind to enter the galactic big-picture.
What cultures or societies can we expect to see and can you tell us about how you came up with creating these societies? Was it difficult to get deep into how the societies function?
Mars is broken up into various countries, some old, some new, from Earth. Russia remains as such, the USA is now the Liberated States of America, Japan and Korea have merged into Nichi-han. I looked at what countries on Earth are close to each other or have a history of working together. If countries across the globe had to leave, who would help one another? So I have several new countries, all based on Earth cultures. Iber, for example, is a combination of Spain, Portugal, and France. New Albion is what was Great Britian. Pacifica is Australia and the many Pacific Island nations that they have close trade relations with. A free Tibet, and a proper, original government of China that escaped to Taiwan, among others.
Characters
What can you tell us about some of the main characters and villains in this book?
The Main character has a tragic history, and that has shaped his world-view. He joined the military, giving up a promising career as a history professor. He joined wanting to “Make a difference/get revenge” but due to the political climate, he hasn’t been able to do either. Eventually he is charged as a war criminal after taking an extreme action.
Promotional Links
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/VRKonner
How to buy
Leave a Reply