Hi y'all,
I'm in the process of writing a series, and was interested in your thoughts. Here's the gist. Resonics is a Science Fantasy Adventure taking place on Earth, years to the future. In this distant future, our hubris brings about the Reaping, a cataclysm tearing the world asunder, spewing forth silver dust. This silver enables a new breed of sonic tech to rise, everything from lights to hovercrafts to weapons. Meanwhile, two factions wrestle to 'save' what's left of the world, the Paladins and the Rebels.
One of the main themes that will be ever-echoing behind the stories is the double-edged sword of belief. Values, honesty, honor, these are all great, powerful and good things of faith. However, the danger of faith is when one person or organization decides that can take your 'values' and twist them to their own gain, often at the expense of others. Ask a dozen people and you'll get a dozen different answers, but my take on it is that faith occasionally needs some TLC from good old fashioned common sense.
Behind their power struggle, lies a technique re-emerging for those who would listen, the power of Resonation. Resonation is taking the inherent tune and pulse of a living being and using it to affect a separate object. Within Resonation there are two approaches: Untuned and Tuned. Untuned Resonation is the forcing of the object to match your tune. Tuned Resonation is you matching the object's tune.
I got the idea for Resonation and this entire series from a real-world science theory. I'm not going to describe it all hear, cuz my summation would be: lightning is electricity, lightning causes brushfires, why aren't we on fire. Ergo, QED, Therefore, and Henceforth… Fire Pretty. For the real theory (won't link as I'm a greenhorn and not sure if that's kosher) The article's title is Physicists Challenge Notion of Electric Nerve Impulses Say Sound More Likely. This theory is the basis behind sonic anesthesia. I took the theory a step further with my story concept. The human body's nervous system, whether electric or sonic, is insulated at the nerve endings via the myelin sheath. Upon researching this sheath I discovered a couple interesting traits. The density of this sheath is variable, and deterioration of the sheath can lead to madness via alteration of sensory input. So the concept of resonation in my story stems me wondering what would happen if a person could consciously alter this myelin sheath and use their inherent sonic pulses to affect the world. To maintain believability and consistency in my story (as much as possible), I include the downside. Too much Untuned Resonation, like water blasting against a weakened dam, leads to madness. Tuned Resonation, on the other hand, is like a brittle fallen leaf floating on the waves, undamaged because it doesn't resist the flow. To amplify my 'magic' I used another real-world characteristic. I won't give away how I insert it into the story, but silver is a potent conductor of both electricity and sound.
So long story short and for those who like tag lines... Sonic Jedi versus Mechs.
Lastly, in terms of length, the Resonics Chronicles has begun as a series of shorts teasing the coming first novel. The beauty of these shorts proceeding the novel is it gives me a chance to feel out the characters, and see which resonates with my audience.
So let me know your thoughts? Do you think pursuit of consistency is a noble endeavor? Do you think the usage of publishing shorts first as ebooks is a good method to establish my name and make myself a more comfortable plunge for an agent? I like the setup Smashwords has in terms of various formats and the capability to view samples. Thoughts?
Sorry for the windbag post
Joe