Day 01–Marnal of Undercity from my novel “Mentor”
Marnal is one of the main characters in my current Science Fantasy novel “Mentor“. Mentor has been brewing on the back burner of my imaginative processes for at least two decades, perhaps longer. This will be my sixth novel.
Imagine a small world out on the Far Rim where human dependency on computers is absolute. If you are not “connected” then you no longer exist, and without connection you cannot access anything that would sustain your life. Food, shelter, clothing. All are replicated by the Artificial Intelligence machines only at personal request over the Grid. No Grid, you soon die of exposure and/or starvation. And perhaps even die of grief over the loss. But accidents happen, though people turn a blind eye. Corruption in the code, metal fatigue in an ancient machine, great over-ruling System, MAICS, can drop a person off the Grid faster than the engineers and their trained apprentices can locate and repair any damage. And once a person is gone.. they are not even mourned. They have ceased to exist. But do some mourn regardless..?
This is the story of one person on one of the ancient Rim Worlds, who so far is surviving the terrible loss of connection, and of another who naively plots to be removed from the perceived restraints of the Grid. It is the story of those they encounter and gather around them on their disparate journies–one desperately trying to get home; the other with equal desperation trying to get away. Woven through out is the story of the plight of the artificially created servants of the ruling classes–the caregivers and the mentors. As well as the story of another lost people, Marnal’s people, who are born off the Grid with only comforting distortions about it that have been handed down through too many generations. It is an adventure story of the ever present struggle between the Haves and the Have-nots, and it is a journey of both enlightenment and redemption.
It is also the novel I’m writing for NaNoWriMo this month. Wish me luck!
Category: 2011, Drama, Fantasy, Scifi, Uncategorized
About the Author (Author Profile)
Writer/Artist for "Aedre's Firefly" graphic novel webcomic and "Wheeler's Orbits", Science-fantasy webcomicSubscribe
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Awesome! Will you be doing more characters from your NaNoWriMo for the 30 Characters challenge? I’d love to see this world more expanded.
Thanks, Micah! Yes indeed, as the characters enter the story I will be sketching them and uploading them here.
You novel idea sounds really awesome! Can’t wait to see more prose and characters!
Thank you, Omar! I’m looking forward to then, too. :`) Hope I won’t disappoint.
Great idea for a novel, Jande! I’m really looking forward to see how it develops. It will be fascinating to see how Marnal and her people survive disconnected in a world where networking is all. Could this be the dark future of Facebook? o.O
Thanks Mal! I was thinking today I could call this “A Tale of Two Cities” But it’s already been taken. ;`)
Stay tuned. It’s going to get interesting. <3
This should be good. You are going to be very busy this month it looks like.
Thanks for dropping by Bo! Much appreciated.
Busy! Yeah. lol The worst part of this is not being able to meet my social obligations. My readers/commenters on Aedre’s Firefly (like you!)come first, then there are the people in my World of Warcraft Nanowrimo Procrastinator Guild and my nanowrimo writing buddies, and lots of wonderful people here, all of whom I want to chat with! I’ll just do the best I can. So. Yeah. Busy! lol