Science, Sorcery and the Familiar Unknown

        When it comes to fiction, be it fantasy, sci-fi, or anything in between, the eternal question of both writer and reader is always the same: What kind of a world would I want to get pulled into?  More often than not, I think we could all agree that the answer would be anything besides the one that we’re already in, am I right?  Why else would we delve into the realms of the gritty and fanciful, losing ourselves to the striking down of dragons and demons, imagining ourselves as a pilot in an epic space battle?  In one way or another, our minds are always on the hunt for a worthwhile adventure, hoping that at least some small portion of that awesomeness can translate over to our otherwise mundane everyday lives.  We hunger for conflict, not necessarily in our own affairs, but in the dealings of others, subconsciously learning from their struggles and mistakes so that we can know how to conquer them for ourselves should the need ever arise. 

For that reason, it should come as no surprise that almost all good stories boil down to the same formula.  A protagonist gets pushed into a journey of internal and/or external growth, obstacles rise to a climax (in Hollywood, this is where we see lots of fire and ‘splosions), then comes the triumphant (or tragic) resolution.  Lessons are learned, lives are changed, and the heroes (or villains) ride off into the sunset.  We’ve all seen this at least a thousand times before, so what is it that keeps us coming back for more?  Which stories are the ones that grab our attention the most, distinguishing themselves as being worthy of our time?  Let’s explore a couple of theories, shall we?

The first angle, and perhaps the most difficult, is the originality factor.  How unique is the premise of a given story?  As human beings, we all have a latent thirst for new knowledge, even if it comes rather passively for some of us.  There’s something about untread ground and freshly fallen snow that we just can’t seem to resist.  It’s that urge to boldly go where no one else has gone before.  We yearn for new places and ideas to explore, but the trick is having the right compass to get you there.  In our day and age, things like alien spaceships and magical kingdoms are fairly commonplace.  Pretty much any trope you can think of has been done to the point of cliché.  With over seven billion people on this planet, you can bet someone somewhere has thought up virtually any scenario imaginable.  Does that mean that they’ve already presented it in an exciting or coherent way?  Not necessarily.  Does it mean that there’s no way to present it with a unique and equally intriguing flavor?  Heck no.  

Case in point, let’s look at Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game.  The universe of that book depicts a boy genius and his contributions (intentional or not) to an interstellar war in which humanity becomes the morally ambiguous aggressor.  Now then, would this story have been the first ever to depict a boy genius, aliens, interstellar war or the protagonist belonging to a morally ambiguous faction?  In terms of each individual component, not even close.  In terms of all components combined?  Not in such an award-winning blend.  It looks at a human invasion through the eyes of a child, illustrating the horrors of detaching war from its grizzly results by viewing it as a game.  Thus, we have a story that not only frames a unique vision of the future, but also offers a powerfully fresh metaphor we can apply to the real world.  A somewhat original premise but with a hugely original story.  At the end of the day, originality can come in many forms, be it presentation, concept or point of view, but one thing you can be sure, the less people have seen it before, the more likely it is to catch their eye.  Testing the limits of imagination can sometimes be its own reward.

That said, it may or may not come as a shock that the exact opposite angle can be just as appealing.  Is the world I’m reading about so familiar that I can actually see myself in it?  When I imagine the protagonist, am I looking into a mirror?  Now, I know what you’re thinking.  “But Ben, didn’t you just say originality is key?  Aren’t we trying to escape the real world?”  Hear me out.  Novelty is important, no doubt about that, but which of the following characters is more relatable: The one debating whether or not they’re the “chosen one” in some mystical prophecy, or the one toiling over whether or not to stand up against their own friends and family to do what they know is right?  Whether we realize it or not, the closer a story hits home emotionally, the easier it is for us to engage with it.  We’re able to better empathize with the protagonist because we’ve felt that same kind of pain, suffering or embarrassment.  We don’t just laugh or cry for them, but with them, and in doing so, grow to love them as well.  That’s how they’re able to jump off the page and become a part of us, empowering us with their strength, courage and wisdom.  This is why the most successfully crafted worlds of our time are not merely unique or relatable, but forged from a perfect marriage of the two.  

Consider the stories of Harry Potter or The Chronicles of Narnia, Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code or even the Twilight saga.  These and so many more have enthralled fans of all ages by taking the boring old world that we know, the people and places we all can relate to, and then sets them one owl-dropped letter away from the extraordinary realm just beyond our reach.  It’s not like J.K. Rowling was anywhere near the first to write a story about wizards and orphaned boys, but the way she presented it, taking an average kid from his flat on Privet Drive and throwing him headlong into a school of witchcraft and mortal danger.  It’s that perfect blend of reality and unreality, the mundane and the fantastical crashing together, making us wonder if we ourselves could fly if only we could believe.  

These are the worlds we crave, the strange yet familiar, and are precisely the sort that Red Nova Books strives to deliver.  If you haven’t had the chance, I invite you to check out the sample chapters under “Featured Books”.  Each offers a glimpse of the novels currently in development.  If you would like to get your hands on the completed versions, give some feedback, or get updates on upcoming releases, please subscribe and feel free to reach out.