My science fiction novel
The Great Symmetry is now out in the world.
The intro has a brief description of the book, while the main diary has some philosophy and personal observations.
In the year 2304, seven great families of companies dominate commerce through all of known space. The Seven Sisters compete fiercely for market position, while at the same time working together to maintain the True Story, a set of agreed facts and ideas that create the best environment for mutual prosperity.
When exoarcheologist Evan McElroy makes a discovery about the long-departed Versari race, he thinks he has found some great material to present at upcoming scientific conferences. But his sponsor, the Affirmatix Family of companies realizes that they can make tremendous gains if Evan's findings are kept completely secret. Step one of their plan is to kill Evan and the entire research team.
As Evan flees for his life, his trajectory awakens a long buried struggle. The Infoterrorists, who believe that all information and ideas are screaming to be free, have observed an uneasy truce with the Seven Sisters for decades. In a few places, such as the Untrusted Zone on the planet Kelter Four, the Infoterrorists have been allowed to live in accordance with their heretical beliefs, even while the Pax Commercia has tightened its grip on the rest of civilization.
Suddenly, the truce is over.
Beyond the plot and all the adventuring, I hope that The Great Symmetry means something in our world today.
Here in 2015, we already live with a version of the True Story – the acceptable narrative that pours out of the mass media every day, and that defines who is allowed to be admitted to the leadership club. Nonconforming points of view are labeled as unsuitable for the mainstream conversation. The forces that maintain the True Story come from the largest of the global corporations and the governments that serve them. Each industry is ruled by seven or fewer behemoths, and the consolidation continues.
Dissent, or any action other than instant obedience to authority, is criminalized increasingly each year. Providing information about corporate and government abuses has become the most serious of crimes.
Slowly but surely, the simple act of refuting the True Story is being redefined as an act of terrorism.
Yet – and this is perhaps the most important thing – new ideas, or renewed versions of ancient ideas, somehow grow and take root, becoming more widely understood, against all odds and despite the power arrayed against them. Brave people devote their lives to nurturing and sharing them. Knowledge and ideas really do act with volition to gain their freedom.
Every day on Daily Kos we see powerful works of investigation and advocacy, digging into issues relating to governance, power, and the environment. Citizen journalism, from Daily Kos and other sources, fills the role that has been abandoned by the conventional media channels.
Beyond the facts of each matter, the arts make key contributions in raising awareness. Music, visual arts, photography, and other arts all combine to add to our understanding.
One of the ways to communicate about today’s world is telling stories. The Great Symmetry is such an attempt.
The project puttered along, as something I always imagined I would complete but didn't know exactly when, until the catalyst arrived.
A little over two years ago,
my Dad passed away. We had the emergencies of the moment, as well as having to cope with the cosmic void that was suddenly in the world. But after a few months we had the most important practicalities taken care of, such as getting my mom moved to a safer place without any stairs.
And then the realization started soaking in more deeply, of the cruel fact which I had always acknowledged but never fully understood, that there comes a day when it’s truly over. My Dad was a giant in accomplishment and in everything he did for his family. But I also know of many things he hoped to do, and hoped to experience.
That spring, my wife started saying to me each day – “Write your book.” She had seen my efforts over the course of years, each wave falling short of completion, abandoned to focus on whatever task seemed more important at that moment. There was always something. But now it was different. It was time.
A year to write (not counting the 25 years of prior attempts). A year to revise. And now Volume 1 of The Great Symmetry is complete.
If you have a story inside you that is not yet told, if you have ideas that are screaming to be free, if you have something that would make the world in some way richer in its soul, or kinder, or wiser - now might be exactly the right time to make it happen.
It could be time to write your book.
This diary is offered with gratitude to the Daily Kos community of writers.
The Great Symmetry is available on Amazon * and at Village Books in Bellingham Washington. You can order The Great Symmetry through your local bookstore via the national distributor IngramSpark. For an autographed print copy, order on TheGreatSymmetry.com.
* I encourage people to buy their books through local resellers that are an important part of communities everywhere. If you always buy from Amazon, you'll miss those bookstores when they're gone.
But Amazon is a great place to review your favorite books.
Note:
I pondered whether this book announcement was too self-promotional, and decided whatever just do it. An independently published first novel is a labor of love, and if you choose to buy a copy, that's a cost share from a kindred spirit, not income.