So first of all the where. In The Empty Places was an anthology I co-edited back in 2016 with the aim of raising funds and awareness for Bantuan Coffee, a charity that helped the victims of child prostitution in Indonesia. It brought together writers and artists from around the world, some translated into English for the first time. I’m proud of that book, and the small contribution it made to an issue too big to properly comprehend. It sold out completely (I can’t remember the print run, but it was enough to make me worry that we’d have boxes of the stuff kicking around) but we never managed to have any actual launch events which was a shame. It was a good experience that I’d like to repeat now I’m older, wiser, and have a bigger address book. I love anthologies. Many of the writers I’ve been posting about in my monthly “reads” articles I discovered in short story or essay anthologies and followed up on them, Porochista Khakpour being the latest. It’s a shame the book isn’t still available but also that’s kind of the point of these anthologies - they are snapshots of a time and place.
Apr 27, 2022·edited Apr 29, 2022Liked by Iain Maloney
Hi Ian. What a fascinating start to what will surely be a great SF story. I also love SF. I've explored the genre mostly through the visual media, but I have enjoyed reading some books by Philip K Dick. He wrote so many SF classics which have become great movies. You can read more here:
I've also read SF stories by Richard Matheson, my favorite being I Am Legend. The movie was awesome. While I love the idea of a post-apocalyptic world, I'm not at all interested in zombies though. World War Z was okay, because it was so well done, but zombies leave me cold.
Like you, I'm more interested in human interaction, and scenarios in which characters are faced with particular obstacles to overcome, etc. How would this antagonist react to that challenge? The Stand, by Stephen King, is probably my favorite book in this genre. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy was rather bleak, but intriguing, and mostly character based.
I saw Waterworld, but what you wrote sounded more visually appealing (to a reader) - a world without water. i.e. The oceans have dried up and you're left to wonder what one would find on the vast ocean beds. Imagine the canyons and caves, ridges and mountain peaks. Atlantis? Who knows? Sunken cities for sure. I read recently about a Spanish town that re-emerged from a lake during a drought.
One thing I'm working on, similar to you, is an SF novel involving a bunch of characters from different countries. One of the ideas I had was also massive drought (bizarrely based on the cover of an album by Midnight Oil - an Aussie band, which showed an empty Sydney Harbour next to the ruins of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House). Hence the quest to find water was a daily one. My mind keeps on working over different options for how that could work. Check out my blog on this topic (of a drought-stricken Sydney in a post-apocalyptic world) here:
Hi Ian. What a fascinating start to what will surely be a great SF story. I also love SF. I've explored the genre mostly through the visual media, but I have enjoyed reading some books by Philip K Dick. He wrote so many SF classics which have become great movies. You can read more here:
https://cjryall.com/author-blog/the-man-in-the-high-castle
I've also read SF stories by Richard Matheson, my favorite being I Am Legend. The movie was awesome. While I love the idea of a post-apocalyptic world, I'm not at all interested in zombies though. World War Z was okay, because it was so well done, but zombies leave me cold.
Like you, I'm more interested in human interaction, and scenarios in which characters are faced with particular obstacles to overcome, etc. How would this antagonist react to that challenge? The Stand, by Stephen King, is probably my favorite book in this genre. The Road, by Cormac McCarthy was rather bleak, but intriguing, and mostly character based.
I saw Waterworld, but what you wrote sounded more visually appealing (to a reader) - a world without water. i.e. The oceans have dried up and you're left to wonder what one would find on the vast ocean beds. Imagine the canyons and caves, ridges and mountain peaks. Atlantis? Who knows? Sunken cities for sure. I read recently about a Spanish town that re-emerged from a lake during a drought.
One thing I'm working on, similar to you, is an SF novel involving a bunch of characters from different countries. One of the ideas I had was also massive drought (bizarrely based on the cover of an album by Midnight Oil - an Aussie band, which showed an empty Sydney Harbour next to the ruins of the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House). Hence the quest to find water was a daily one. My mind keeps on working over different options for how that could work. Check out my blog on this topic (of a drought-stricken Sydney in a post-apocalyptic world) here:
https://cjryall.com/author-blog/category/postapocalyptic-sydney
Anyway, great to read this latest piece from you, and to hear about your ideas. Have a great week. Best regards, Chris