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Interview with Phoebe North!
Why did you decide to write dystopian fiction/post-apocalyptic fiction?
I'm a science fiction author first and foremost--but cataclysmic events are a common feature in far-futuristic sci-fi. It's a convenient way to wipe the slate clean in order to make room for a society far different from ours. Starglass has dystopian elements as well, but it was never my intention to write a dystopian--I wanted to write about a space rebellion (a la Star Wars!) and in order to give my main character an opportunity to rebel, I had to set her up in a restrictive society, first.
What, or who, has been the biggest influence in your writing?
Without a doubt, soft sci-fi writer Anne McCaffrey is my biggest influence. I cut my teeth in Pern role-playing clubs, and I suspect her novels--from Dragonsdawn (which also deals with a nascent extraterrestial colony!) to the wonderful Brainship books have a bigger impact on me than I'm even fully aware.
Tell us about your upcoming novel, Starglass.
Starglass is the story of Terra, a fifteen-year-old botanist on the generation ship Asherah, which fled the solar system 500 years ago after an asteroid was spotted on a collision course for Earth. Her ship is about to land on the long-promised planet, but rebellion is brewing. Terra, still grieving over her mother's death years before, is tapped by the rebels to poison the ship's rising captain. But she has to contend with the spectre of her past--and strange dreams about the future--before she decides to go through with the deed.
What do you think our future is going to be like? Can you see any similarities in the world that you’ve created and our world today?
The world of the Asherah is one where the Earth's been destroyed by an asteroid, so I sure hope not!
More seriously, Terra grapples with some questions of identity and purpose which I hope will resonate with readers today, questions like "Who should be allowed to get married?" and "How much social mobility do the lower classes really have?"
What will you be doing come December 21st? And if you survive? (Assuming, of course, it’s the end of the world!)
My husband and I have a solstice party every year, so we'll be enjoying a yule ham and watching Flash Gordon, as usual!
What would be your favourite dystopian/post-apocalyptic novel?
My favourite post-apocalyptic yarn is Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker. It's a very unusual novel--told in the voice of an illiterate young man in the far future. If you've seen (or read) Cloud Atlas, Hoban was one of David Mitchell's inspirations. It's a beautiful book, immsersive and very real--you know, for a story where dogs frequently eat humans.
Author Links:
Starglass -
Phoebe North
Released: July 23, 2013
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Phoebe North
Released: July 23, 2013
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Know that I never would have left the Earth if it hadn't already been doomed. . .
The generation ship Asherah coasts through space, bound for a planet its passengers have never even seen. On the eve of their arrival, sixteen-year-old botanist Terra discovers that her orderly society has fractured. Walking home one night through the long-abandoned engine rooms, she witnesses the murder of an innocent man. Now, called on by the Children of Abel, a group of rebels intent on destroying the High Council, Terra must prove her mettle--assassinate the ship's rising captain. In order to carry out her task, Terra must betray her father, deceive her teacher, and challenge everything the Council has ever taught her was true.
The rebels think that Terra has nothing left to lose. But when she falls for Silvan Rafferty, the boy that she's meant to kill, Terra learns that "doing your duty" isn't always as easy as it seems.
Win an ARC copy of Starglass! US Only!
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ReplyDeleteFantastic interview and thanks for the giveaway! :)
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