"What's the point?" asked the refugee, waving a hand at the artwork. "What does the man in the picture represent?"
"Victory over death. Ironic, isn't it?"
Doran leaned against the backrest, looking straight ahead. "Will I really live for a thousand years or more, Kafil? That's a scary prospect."
"Why?"
"On Helia, only those the state deems worthy have access to regen. Decision makers are old. Actors and singers are old. School teachers are old. The young can only resign themselves to a world that refuses to change."
It's the far future, on a distant planet. Human beings have long ago learned how to improve themselves to the point of becoming entirely new species, but they never truly came to terms with their new natures. And now a political refugee comes to hide in an isolated, exotic city, where both the friends and enemies looking for him are equally lost. They will all have to question deeply held beliefs about freedom, society and what it means to be the boss... or else lose everything.
Vryheid (2016) is my first novel, that I took nearly two years to write: a story about freedom, society and leadership, set in an exotic far-future city where transhumanism takes strange forms and outsiders find their values challenged. A story that surprised even me in some ways, and came out richer than expected — the coronation of many years of exploring my favorite themes in fiction. I hope you'll enjoy it just as much.
You can buy it from Gumroad, or from Leanpub. Disclaimer: this book has no connection to the real-world locality of the same name.
Before Vryheid however, there was...
"The first thing any wizard learns is how to detect magic. The second thing any wizard learns is how to dispel magic. But in order to cast any spell at all, you will need to know the language of magic..."
Shipwrecked on a distant shore, with no hope of returning home, Jinx only possesses one thing of value: a unique magical ability. But soon that will make all the difference in the world.
Little Magic (2013) is a planetary romance for the 21st century, a novelette-length story about the power of humanity when alien cultures clash in the background of a war. It was also the first appearance of Jinx, one of the main characters in Vryheid.
You can download it from Smashwords, or read it online right here (plain text version).
Cover art by Westly E. Roanoke. Lettering by me.
"Who am I fooling?" he asked, on the verge of crying. "I can't do this. I don't belong here."
She smiled sadly. "Neither do we."
"But you're good at it! You were guarding the door that evening. How many have you..." He trailed off.
"I'm a mother," Cetri pointed out.
A kingdom in the throes of change. A city of mysteries. A secret, dangerous gamble. In the middle of it all, a young soldier discovers a hidden world literally under his feet... and nothing can ever be the same again.
Kingdom of the Fire River is my third-longest work of fiction as of January 2019, and the first I managed to complete in 18 months. It's based on a previously unused setting I created many years ago, and forgot about until recently. You can read it online right here (plain text version).
The linklog was moved to its own page after growing larger than expected.
