Monday, November 16, 2015

Spinward Fringe: Big Duality in Broadcasts 10-12

Writing every novel is a different journey. While every Spinward Fringe novel has similarities to others in the series, I can remember how each book felt to write. No two felt the same. Every novel was its own journey.

There are no spoilers in this post for anyone who has read Spinward Fringe Broadcast 9: Warpath.

Good, now that the non-spoiler announcement is there, I can keep writing this post. Spinward Fringe Broadcast 10: Freeground is a journey on two simultaneous paths.

Alice has entered an Advanced Officer Training Program with Triton Fleet. The learning curve is steep, made even more difficult because she's tying to discover who she is without framework technology and the limitations it placed on her. So far, writing this journey has been a pleasure, and I'm almost finished the portion that will appear in Freeground. So far I've written forty days of her journey into and inside the program, and I'm happy with it so far.

The other side of this book happens light years away in the Iron Head Nebula, where the Triton and Revenge attempt to assist Freeground as it tries to leave the nebula and survive the space beyond. There are no guarantees as the Order of Eden are in hot pursuit, using an entire fleet of ships to search the nebula and watch its borders. This is the side of the book I'm about to start writing.

What's interesting about the writing of this book is that it is a small part of the Order War which will run as the main story of several books. Alice's training is not completed in Broadcast 10, but the feeling from test readers is that her journey is interesting because the reader is learning with her (but only the really fun and interesting stuff). All the while, there is a war going on, and her class is keenly aware that they are going to have their chance to serve in the new Triton Fleet.

Meanwhile, the Revenge has to cope with a crew that has little experience on the ship, and the stakes couldn't be higher. I feel the next few books you'll have a chance to read are the ones you've been looking forward to all this time. I love what I did with Warpath, and the reception couldn't be better, but for everyone who has been reading or will start reading the whole series, the upcoming books are the culmination of the ten behind them. Now is the time to get off the fence if you've been holding off on reading Broadcast 0: Origins, because I feel like I"m tossing doubloons into the pot of gold at the other end every day.

While every book was a different journey in the writing, I would say that I enjoyed every one, and I'll enjoy revisiting all the books again next year.

RL

[What was your favourite Spinward Fringe Broadcast or moment in the series? Spoilers are encouraged in the comments, anyone who hasn't read up to Broadcast 9: Warpath should avert their eyes.]

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I think for me, when Oz, Frost, Agameg, et al stay behind to defend the Triton -- and end up hopping to an adjacent enemy ship and take that one, too.... could sense the fear in the bad guys, and also thought the respect Oz shared with the enemy's commander was a nice touch....

Anonymous said...

Hi, I am a gigantic fan of this series. I loved it from the 3rd page in the 1st book. I am currently reading the 10th. I had a question if you don't mind answering. Can you clarify the difference between citadel and sol defense and what the two organizations do. Thank you for your time. I am eagerly waiting for your next book.

Randolph Lalonde said...

Thank you for your question, Anonymous!

Sol Defence is the main military arm for the Sol System, home to Earth, Mars and many other outposts of human civilisation in the Spinward Fringe timeline. Within Sol Defence you have an army, special forces, interior rescue and support force, a space bound navy and rescue force. It's a catch-all term.

Citadel was originally conceived as an invisible oversight group that would watch for corruption, and the formation of sub-factions in the military and government of the Sol Solar system (essentially). They took it upon themselves to expand their mandate to the prevention of religious fanaticism, maintenance of civil liberties and the assurance of a government that served the purpose of keeping civilians from interfering as the military began an agenda of slow exploration and expansion.

Citadel also assigned themselves the task of overseeing the status of humanity in the galaxy, and the corruption started there. Several leaders set their eyes on taking control of territory outside of the Sol system, and they began to manipulate politics and military assets to work towards that goal. It wasn't long before Citadel started to become known to more Sol system residents, and once they were put on display, they faced opposition. Through events that I can't detail here, Citadel was pulled from their position of Oversight, but the remaining leadership made off with resources and manpower that enabled them to continue operating away from the Sol system on their own. It is rumoured that the organisation is led by people with advanced mental powers, and that they are using their clandestine methods to seize positions of power around the Galaxy. Their new purpose is unknown.

Unknown said...

Thank you for quickly clarifying for me. I just finished broadcast 9 and can't wait to read the next one. Good luck going forward.