So for my first review, I’ve chosen She Who became the Sun, by Shelley Parker-Chan. Not perhaps the most obvious choice, but one I consciously decided on for several reasons: … Continue reading Book Review: She Who Became the Sun
Month: March 2022
Beneath the Yoke
Beneath the Yoke
A lot of worlds I’ve read have a huge range of settings and peoples, but I wanted to add a different flavour to Viredia as a fantasy setting. I think everyone’s read the ‘haves and have nots’ in many different iterations, but I’ve not often read of a difference in tech level the way I have written it – as far as I know! I admit, my TBR pile is far, far too large and there could be many gems I am missing out on at the moment.
In March of Last year I mentioned the Stratus Cities, specifically Lia, the capitol of the Lian Empire.
The Stratus Cities of the Empire are filled with wonder and splendour in equal measure, but equality is far away for many within its borders. Those without the gift of magistry find citizenship out of their reach, barred from living within the various Stratus cities except as servant peasantry. For most, this means they are relegated to the world far below.
Those living on Viredia’s soil beneath the yoke of the Empire often toil night and day to provide the luxury goods used by their masters high above…
Chimneys belching smoke, factories packed cheek to jowl full of exhausted workers, row upon row of tiny, cramped houses on cobblestone lined streets choked with smog; this is the life of the hidden and ignored that serve beneath the watchful gaze of the Empire.
Ardux is one such place, a hive of industry lurking directly below the Archon Institute, the greatest university in the Lian Empire. Sitting abreast of four roads and a great river fed by the infinite falls raining down from the Institute above, it grinds away day after day to feed those above, sitting comfortably in their splendour and ignorance.
I hope that you enjoyed delving a little more into this world I’m building. I’d love to hear your feedback! Please do comment below or reach out to me on Twitter!
Talk soon,
Nick
Taking the Next Step
It’s been a while since I’ve written here, which is pretty bad. A lot of things have happened, some good, some bad, all life. Even so, I wanted to set out my vision for the next steps here and what it will look like:
One day, I hope to make this site a fully interactive, dynamic lexicon of all things Viredia, with schwifty graphics, animated maps and databases filled with the errata that sits behind the books I’ve planned and one day will bring to life.
Until then, though, there are a few things I can do…
I’m working on that map myself and may even be able to show some sneak peeks over time before the full reveal in the final novel! I’ve lots of ideas to draw from and am excited to see if my idea of a multi-layered map is of interest to you all; let me know what you think in the comments!
Putting some of the world bible into hidden pages, ready for future publication. I know, it’s mean to say it and not pony up the goods, but think of it as a carefully planned reveal. Much more fun!
It all rather feels like a walk down a road shrouded in mist with a hand-drawn map as a guide! XD
I’ve also thought about posts talking about writing itself, my methods (such as they are), how it feels as an autistic writer to travel on this path and even the odd post on autism. If any of these interest you, please let me know and I’ll explore them.
Lastly I’m going to (slowly) start to post the odd review here and there about books I’m reading or have read, simply because I need to talk to people about the incredibly rich and vibrant worlds people craft that let me just tumble in and become enraptured.
So, I’ll leave it there, but I truly would LOVE to hear from you! Comment or use social media to spread the love!
G’night, Legends.
The Chronicles of Viredia 