PRISM - a little background |
PRISM - Exiles can be purchased as a paperback or eBook
from: Where to begin? I have read umpteen books in my time, and have been most attracted by the big, impressive, rollercoaster novells of authors such as Frank Herbert (Dune), or Tolkein (The Lord Of The Rings.) The breadth and depth of such books - tomes, really - how could anyone fail to be impressed? PRISM is science fiction, but with a modicum of fantasy thrown in. It is a tale set in a world that exists somewhere in the universe, though not necessarily in any of the so-called 'known' corners. It started as a few random paragraphs - as all my writing does - but grew over a two-year period until it reached a conclusion over 200,000 words later. I called a halt to it at that point, and gave it the title PRISM - Exiles. Around six months later I began the sequal, PRISM - Natives, and decided that there would eventually be a third, to be called PRISM - Descendants. PRISM is more than just a book (or even series of books.) I created maps, sketches, ideologies, and a history on which the whole PRISM event could be built. I also created a language, Plaq-tîq. It's a rich language, with its' own character set, syntax and structure, and to date there are in excess of 1,300 individual words and phrases identified. The PRISM tales make extensive use of this language; initial instances within the body of the work are referenced with footnotes where necessary. A good tale (if PRISM is a good tale) does not need tricks and gimmicks to justify itself. However, the use of tools like maps, or an invented language, can add a certain extra value, providing enhancement to a readers pleasure. Many people, myself included, have achieved greater enjoyment by being able to emmerse themselves in an environment that is, in effect, a virtual world. When I read Tolkein in particular, the presence of the maps, the judicious use of Elvish, or Orcish, and the linguistic and historic references, really allow me to sink deeply into the realm of faerie (if fans of J.R.R. will forgive the term) and lose myself in the magic. It's wonderful! Anyway, one of the tabs above leads to a page that describes something of the language, and also a little of the invented history. I hope it enhances your own experience.
I am neither an imitator or an equal of Tolkein, nor any other
author for that matter. What I write is influenced, of course, by
the work of those who have impressed me in the past, but I do not
set out to compete or compare. My style of writing is my own,
imperfect but honest. PRISM - Exiles tells the story of Luke Adams, a rather weak individual who is a teacher of English at a secondary school. He has issues, some of which he is not aware. He has, for example, misogynist tendencies, a trait that becomes subtly more evident as the story unfolds. I hope to expand on this in the 2nd book. On Earth, Luke is a somewhat downtrodden character, and this leads (eventually) to a certain megalomania – though again, I will not exploit this until subsequent books. Luke is transported to a different world, along with a few hundred other people. The mechanism for the transportation is a skull-plate he received following a traffic accident. This plate was made from a metal that contained minute fragments of a machine that was destroyed in a war. The war took place on a planet that exists an immeasurable distance from Earth, and far into the past. Particles from the machine were hurled across the space-time divide, to mingle with the broiling firmament of our nascent planet, later to be mined, and form part of the medical plate Luke received. Certain intelligences have an associative affinity with the motes, and it is they who engineer the transportation. The first chapter introduces Luke, as well as one or two other characters, and considers how they arrived (as a group) at their destination. Subsequent chapters in the first part describe: how they cope in their new surroundings; how they develop a community; how they overcome various mundane difficulties (such as living without drainage – note that there is little crudity in the book, and adult language is purposefully kept to a minimum); and how the community eventually splits in discontent at the order the majority wish to impose. The first part concludes with Luke leading an expedition to discover with whom they share the world, and ends with Luke in danger of his life. The rest of the book is the adventure proper. It reveals how Luke is befriended by some of the native people, discovers that he has certain unusual talents, and takes him on a voyage that leads to the beginnings of estrangement from his own kind. He finds an affinity with the indigenous inhabitants, and becomes involved in the political and military exploits of two specific factions. He begins to fall in love with a native woman, aligns himself with one particular faction against the other, and loses any desire he might have had to return to Earth – which sets him directly at odds with Shelley Carver, one of the other main characters. In short, he begins to turn native. The book concludes with a physical confrontation, where Luke must fight a fellow transportee. The fight is a small reflection of a larger conflict that is occurring at a metaphysical level, with (inevitably) the entirety of existence at stake; but the fight is not a resolution. At this point, Luke does not fully understand the nature of the conflict, and, I hope, the reader is left with a sense that there is still much to be done. The bulk of Exiles covers a period of just two weeks in Luke’s life, and is, in effect, an introduction. The second book will explore the growing interrelationship between the exiles from Earth and their hosts; how they become involved with the native population, and the politics that shape the world they now live in. It will look at Luke’s development, in particular his disenfranchisement with his own people, and his growing standing with the resident community. PRISM is my dream. It is my hope for a future as an author. Do read the extracts presented here, and let me know your thoughts, positive, negative, or neutral. Nigel Edwards, 2008 |
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The full PRISM - Exiles novel can be purchased as paperback or eBook from: http://www.lulu.com/nigeledwards Each part of PRISM - Exiles (4 in all) can be purchased separately from Turner Maxwell Books: http://www.turnermaxwellbooks.com/P.htm Please feel free to drop in to my blog at: |
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| You can download the unique 'Prism' TrueType font Here! | |
