The IX Series - World Building Part 8

This time around, we're starting to look into the facets that helped Exordium - the planet from which the Horde emerged - come to life. Those of you who who have already read Exordium of Tears will no doubt remember how one of the main characters from the series - Chancellor Calen - described how it was believed the great enemy (Or as the Ardenese call them, the Kresh, came into existence).

Here's an excerpt from the book:

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“These are the colonies,” he began, “with Arden, represented by the crimson beacon, partway along the Pessian Spur. From what I am led to believe, the plague broke out here, on Exordium.”

One of the dots along the Ularan Spur winked on and off.

“Once the problem was recognized, the infection quickly spread to Latinus Prime and Illumina . . .” two more lights began blinking, “for they were the first to respond to calls for aid. You will note how tightly clustered that region is. This is no coincidence, for each of those planets was devoted to highly classified research and development projects. They were protected by the Verianda Nebula, an area saturated with rogue black holes. You must understand, we were at the height of our power; the sciences we delved into there were extremely vigorous. The very latest of engine designs. Weapons that could shatter worlds or destroy suns. Devices that could alter structures at the molecular level, or mutate DNA. Ah, the ignorance of the self-absorbed and mighty.”

Each of the highlighted green discs started pulsing.

“What you see here is a rearguard action fought over fifteen months. Twelve thousand years of civilization gone.” — he snapped his fingers — “just like that.”

Calen’s eyes came back into focus as he turned to face the sub-commander. “You asked for numbers, Shannon De Lacey, and an assessment of the threat they represent. Our best guess would be that less than a hundred Kresh survived on each planet, if that; by now they would have stripped all life bare and starved. In addition, as the war dragged on, certain protocols were put in place to ensure any remaining technologies were drained to the point of depletion. We did what we could to assure that the enemy couldn’t use them as a source of sustenance.”

Shannon wasn’t satisfied. “Buuut? I can tell by your face there’s something else.”

Calen’s eyes narrowed. “Very well. Because of the nature of the experiments undertaken on Exordium in particular, and the speed with which the Kresh spread to Latinus Prime and Illumina, no clear picture ever emerged as to their actual strength or deployment on those colonies. As I mentioned, that area is protected by the Verianda Nebula. Time dilates throughout the whole region. Simply put, while the enemy may have withered and faded elsewhere, it is entirely plausible they remain numerous at those particular locations...”

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I think that sets the scene rather nicely. So, lets work our way in:

Welcome to the Verianda Nebula...

What do you think?

The Verianda Nebula was inspired by actual science. How so? 
Well, areas where black holes exist generate a lot of warped physics. Remember, you can't see a black hole, but you can see what they create - accretion discs - halos of interstellar dust and debris crushed by the immeasurable gravity of their parent celestial body.

They also produce a lot of heat, electromagnetic radiation, and a thing called "redshift" whereby light is bent toward the red end of the visible spectrum. So, while the interior of such a giant gas cloud would be a tribute to photonegative shock, (as you'll see in a future blog), the outside would be a glorious tribute to deep ruddy colors. Thus, after a great deal of searching, I selected my inspiration from the example above.

Initially, its beauty catches your eye and draws you in, and it isn't until you look closer that you notice the darker, more menacing details. Exactly what I wanted.

You'll get to know the Verianda Nebula well during Exordium of Tears, because half of the book is set within its confines. But what lurks within?

Ah, for that, you'll have to pop back next time.

The IX Series - World Building Part 7

As I mentioned in previous blogs, Exordium of Tears was never originally going to be written. The IX was a one-off story about a group of heroes snatched from Earth at the moment of their deaths to go and fight someone else's battle on the far side of the galaxy.

When I realized my publishers were serious in their desire to see an extension to this tale, I had to revert to my Plot Book - (A catalog I compile for each novel containing a list of characters, descriptions, archive and traits, maps, sketches, background history, etc) - for help.

Each of my Plot Books is quite detailed, as I usually spend many months researching the histories of the peoples I'll be writing about, along with the setting in which the story will take place: Eg, where they are in the universe; what kind of sun do they have; the size and composition of the planet; what flora and fauna do we find there? And of course, who are the people that populate it.

Remember, I was fortunate with The IX in that our heroes had fantastic enemies - the Horde - and I'd managed to develop quite a background story for them too. BUT - you never really got to witness that in The IX, as the information was for my benefit and something I could dip into when I needed a little extra substance for their scenes.

So, once I knew for certain the Ninth's story was going to expand, I spotted a wonderful opportunity to delve into Arden's history and culture that little bit deeper. In doing so, I could reveal more about the Horde themselves. Where they came from and how they came to be.

By blending the two points together, we'd have an evolving story where our survivors come to a realization that the battle isn't over.
Remember the blurb for Exordium of Tears?

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Fight or die.

That simple yet brutal reality is the tenet by which the refugees from Earth – including the fabled lost 9th Legion of Rome; the 5th Company, 2^nd Mounted Cavalry Unit; and the Special Forces Anti-Terrorist Team – were forced to live by while the Horde menace existed. Believing that the threat is over, the survivors now yearn to settle down, start families, and reclaim the lives stolen from them.

But such aspirations might remain beyond their reach, for a shadow looms on the rose-tinted horizon of new beginnings.

The release of the re-genesis matrix has done much to foster a restoration of exuberance across Arden. Along with a resurgence in floral and faunal diversity comes the results of splicing the Ardenese and human genomes: transmutation. A metamorphosis of stunning magnitude that not only affects the living, but those still is stasis as well.

Recognizing the emergence of a new hybrid species, the Architect – the arcane AI construct tasked with the preservation of the Ardenese race – responds by unlocking previously hidden and inaccessible areas of the city. It also releases an archive of sealed state secrets. Such revelations are eagerly perused, whereupon a shocking discovery is made.

Prior to the fall, it was common knowledge amongst the Senatum (the highest levels of Arden’s government) that not all the rabid Horde had joined in the rampage across the stars toward Arden.

Realizing that the peril still exists, the newly reformed administration elects to respond in earnest. Existing resources are utilized, suitable candidates are chosen, and a flotilla of ships is sent out to secure, quarantine, and reclaim the outer colonies.

A mammoth and hazardous undertaking. And nowhere more so than at the planet from where the outbreak was known to have originated – Exordium – for there, the ancient Horde are not only supremely evolved and highly organized, but are capable of a level of lethal sophistication, the likes of which has never been witnessed before.

It is into this kiln of incendiary potential that the cream of Arden’s fighting forces is deployed.

Worlds are torn asunder, suns destroyed, and star systems obliterated. Yes, tragedy is forged, in a universe spanning conflict which proves once again that…

Death is only the beginning of the adventure.

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That's the concept that immediately sprang out to me, and the building block for what takes place. Now, some parts we've already discussed: 
(The Avenger Class dreadnought - Shadow of Autumn - That was a great module to develop, as much of the action is based on or around that ship). However, there's much more to the story.

Here's a clue:

Next time, we'll start to delve into the different facets that led to Exordium itself - the planet from which the Horde emerged - and the startling environment in which the Horde grew to power. See you then.

Staying On Your Toes

The life of the IX Series has experienced some ups and downs this week - thankfully, with a positive ending. One of my readers spotted a formatting error, (every writer's nightmare),
and all the more so as the master template was error free when submitted for printing.

(I'm sure I'm not the first author to have experienced such hiccups when delving into the world of hi-tech production - and I won't be the last).

The more frustrating thing was, eBook versions were unaffected. The gremlins involved in knocking things out of key seemed to like the taste of the paperback versions. And even then, just the words hidden within one particular chapter? (Spooky with a capital spoooo)

I know - I had visions of Skynet infiltration myself. Especially as some examples produced whole chunks of bold italics. Another just four words...or one word...or none? (I never knew printing machines had to be caffeinated to work properly).

In any event - thank you to AsISeeEm (he or she must be shy) for spotting the glitch and letting us know so quality could be maintained.

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And a special thank you goes to Terry Crotinger.
After reading The IX, Terry was good enough to leave a review on Amazon and made a comment about how much he'd like to see what happened to the other/previous 8 intakes to be selected from Earth and taken to Arden.

Ever since reading it, I've been giving the idea serious consideration.
(Terry - if you read my blogs, stay in touch, I may have news for you in the future)

That's it for this week,
and remember

Stay on your toes...Skynet is watching

The IX - Exordium of Tears

This past week has been rather encouraging.

The series managed to pop into the top ten on a couple of occasions in the USA, UK and Australia, and two recent reviews were rather spectacular.

Take a look to see what I mean:

For The IX:

Wildly Inventive

For Exordium of Tears:
Best Science Fiction Book In Years

If you'd like to find out what all the fuss is about, you know what to do:

The IX

Exordium of Tears

The IX Series Competition

Hi everyone, I'm glad to say the competition is over

And we have a winner!

Congratulations to:
Kimball Nilsson

I will be contacting Kimball today to arrange the sending of a signed copy of Exordium of Tears, as well as notifying the runners-up of their impending ebooks

Thank you to all who entered.

And dont forget:

If you want to find out more about the world of the IX. 

Just stay tuned to this blog or tune into the Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/TheIXbyAndrewPWeston/ 

Fight or Die!

The IX Series Competition

Those of you who are new to The IX Series - or those who have read the first installment of this epic saga - might be wanting to get to know the a little bit more about the men and women who take the battle to the Horde.

Well now you can. (But you'll need a Kindle to do it)

All you have to do is send me a message through the comments section at the bottom of this post - OR - a message through my website - between now and March 26th.

Your message will need to contain you name AND your kindle address.

The 1st person selected from the list will win a signed trade paperback version of Exordium of Tears.

The runners-up will get a Kindle version.

It's as simple as that.

Good Luck

The IX Series

This time around, I thought I'd share some of the responses received during the week. 

As you'll see, they've been very encouraging.

For example:

The IX and Exordium of Tears have been in the Amazon top 10 in Canada, New Zealand & Australia, peaking at #2 in Canada itself.

Thank you so much to the fans out there for making that possible.

On top of that, both books continue to dominate the Goodreads charts in their categories.

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Here are some brief excerpts from recent reviews:

Suffice it to say, Andrew Weston and The IX are ranking as my find of 2016

A book you need to read

Fascinating subject matter and guaranteed to make you think. Highly recommended!

A stunning effort by Weston

I love it when an author has the courage to step outside the box and try something different. This is exactly what you get here with Weston's, The IX

Excellent concept and gripping story. Awesome!

Impossible to put down

It follows the same crisp and beautiful writing style of its predecessor

Andrew P. Weston has given us yet another stellar masterpiece from his epic arsenal

 Take the step, and find out why the IX Series is proving so populat