I
was finishing the second novel of my History
of the Universe. I remember the rain pelting against the window pane and
the wind trying to break in, my modem desperately scrambling along the window
sill, whimpering about the loss of signal. :-)
You
just can’t imagine how much can happen in one year. These days my Internet
connection is rock solid in any kind of weather and book shops are storing my Phantom Server - the first novel of the
trilogy of the same name. But that early December morning, I had no idea that I
might take on a new project.
When
the rain finally subsided for a while, my modem had a signal. I checked my
emails and noticed a letter from Alex Bobl, a fellow sci fi author and literary
agent with Magic Dome Books.
A new series? Space Online? I was quite skeptical at first: LitRPG and hard
science fiction were unlikely bedmates. I could feel the two cast wary glances
at each other, as if asking: aren’t we just too different to be happy together?
You
might not believe it, but as days went by, I warmed to the challenge. My imagination
began offering me scenes of ancient space stations, of planets inhabited by
xenomorphs, and of human players. I imagined them logging in, asking myself
what kind of development branches would be appropriate in this world?
The
action in Phantom Server takes place
in deep space and is ruled by future-day technologies. But what kind of devices
would such technologies produce?
A
concept of a new universe unlike anything I’d created before took some time to
gestate. Phantom Server revealed
itself to me gradually.
Although
admittedly interesting, the project was also difficult in many respects. The
classics of LitRPG are all set in the time-tested traditions of fantasy worlds
where most characters and situations are already familiar to the reader. An
online space world was something entirely different. The convention-defying
alien civilizations, the heroes’ numerous abilities and skills, the complex
relationship between humans and xenomorphs and the semantic gulf separating
them - all this demanded some serious groundwork. But every evening as I would
finish another installment and read it out aloud to Lana (Andrew’s wife, his
untiring supporter, critic and inspiration) I saw her eyes light up with
genuine interest.
She
offered her fair share of critique too, of course. Sometimes she’d say
something that would fit the manuscript so well, allowing me to submerge deeper
and deeper into this first-person account where the hero was bound to borrow
some of my own character traits - not all, but only certain ones.
Halfway
through the book, the two genres were already lounging together on the couch,
strangers no more, rooting for the heroes - especially Charon who will
hopefully become one of the readers’ favorites despite his fearsome looks and
his seemingly alien nature.
The
first book’s ending proved an even bigger challenge. When finally I thought
that it worked, I sent the manuscript to Alex. A few days later, I received it
back with a healthy dose of constructive criticism.
At
first I got so angry I refused to change anything. But once I’d cooled down and
reread the whole book, I began reworking the last chapter.
It’s
up to you to decide whether the book works or not. I really liked combining the
two genres; this was a truly valuable experience which I tried to develop and
hone in the following books, The Outlaw(Phantom Server Book #2) and The
Black Sun (Phantom Server Book #3).
One
thing I can tell you for sure: the trilogy is complete and self-sufficient. All
the story questions have found their answers, leading the plot to its logical
denouement.
As
for December 2015, it has proven to be remarkably warm. :-)
Happy
reading!
Sincerely,
Andrei
Livadny
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