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James S.A. Corey explains how The Captive’s War is different from The Expanse

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As a voracious reader and self-proclaimed space nerd, I must say that this interview with Franck has piqued my interest immensely! Having spent countless hours poring over science fiction novels, I can’t help but agree with him on the common pitfalls of the genre – the absurdity of aliens traveling across lightyears to steal our precious resources, or worse, to devour us.

Over the past few months, enthusiasts of “The Expanse,” a grand science fiction tale penned collectively by James S.A. Corey (alias Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck), have experienced quite an exciting time. In August, Corey debuted a fresh series titled “The Captive’s War.” The inaugural book, “The Mercy of Gods, ” presents us with humans on a distant planet who are taken captive by the Carryx, an alien race resembling insects that subjugate intelligent species to power their empire.

In a great kickoff to Corey’s new series, “The Mercy of Gods” set the stage nicely. Recently, Abraham and Franck have released a sequel novella named “Livesuit“, which delves deeper into the world of “The Captive’s War” in fascinating and unforeseen directions. As for the second full installment of “The Captive’s War“, we don’t have a confirmed date just yet, but given James S.A. Corey’s history of releasing books swiftly and steadily, it seems we might be diving back into this captivating world sooner rather than later.

I’ve been deeply immersed in a captivating new science fiction series by skilled authors. This has sent me on a digital quest for any insights about it. I stumbled upon a podcast called SFF Addicts, hosted by Adrian M. Gibson and M.J. Kuhn. The former is the author of “Mushroom Blues,” while the latter penned “Among Thieves” and “Thick as Thieves.” In an intriguing conversation, they spoke with Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck about their latest series. Their discussion unveiled some fascinating insights, particularly on how “The Captive’s War” is situated in a unique part of the genre compared to “The Expanse“. You can watch the full interview below or continue reading for some key takeaways.

James S.A. Corey explains why The Captive’s War feels so different from The Expanse

James S.A. Corey’s popular science fiction series, titled “The Expanse“, unfolds within our familiar solar system and explores the complex political struggles among various human factions as they compete for power, with a distant alien threat hovering ominously at the periphery of consciousness. In essence, it’s the actions and choices made by humans that ultimately propel the narrative. On the other hand, “The Captive’s War ” seems to echo the style of “Mass Effect“, a space opera that showcases an assortment of alien species, ensuring each turn of the page brings unexpected encounters.

In essence, Abraham stated that “The Captive’s War ” is a contrasting genre to “The Expanse“. While “The Expanse ” delves into the scientific and historical aspects of space opera, similar to works by Alfred Bester, Larry Niven, and Arthur C. Clarke, “The Captive’s War “, on the other hand, explores a different realm of science fiction – one that encompasses epic stories set in far-off futures, such as those found in “Dune” and “Left Hand of Darkness“.

As I tuned in to Abraham’s discourse on diverse influences shaping “The Mercy of Gods“, I found myself involuntarily agreeing due to their obvious manifestation within the book. If James S.A. Corey aimed to craft a sci-fi tale that ventured into the more extraordinary, imaginative realms of the genre, then undeniably they hit the mark. They further discussed the inception of the series. Much like “The Expanse“, it originated from a proposal by Franck, whom Abraham referred to as the creative force behind the team.

And he pitched, what if you re-envisioned the biblical Book of Daniel as epic science fiction? If you have this person who is taken by the great empire the way that the slaves were taken to Babylon, and incorporated into the mechanisms of empire. And how you deal with being the functionary of your oppressor, and also maintaining yourself and maintaining your view and maintaining your struggle against oppression in that context. And I thought yeah, that sounds awesome, we should do that.

Daniel Abraham

The Carryx are after the rarest resource in the galaxy: intelligence

Additionally, Franck delved deeper into specific aspects of the book, focusing on the character of the alien Carryx and its motivations. Interestingly enough, he aimed to steer clear of a typical trope often found in science fiction literature.

Franck expressed his view that science fiction often misunderstands certain aspects of space travel. He finds it implausible that aliens would traverse vast distances to steal resources like water or metals, or even to eat humans. Instead, he suggests that the truly rare resource in the universe is intelligence. Isn’t that correct? Intelligence is much less common than resources like water or titanium. So, imagine an alien civilization with such a perspective. They wouldn’t be interested in resources; instead, they would seek out intelligent species to gather knowledge and inventiveness from them. This is the premise behind the Carryx, who collect intelligence and innovative ideas from other civilizations.

In simpler terms, Franck detailed how the Carryx gather the most gifted individuals from newly discovered intelligent species, those who are particularly innovative in their fields, to strengthen their empire. This strategy is vividly portrayed in “The Mercy of Gods“. The story introduces Dafyd Alkhor, a human with an extraordinary ability to empathize and comprehend others’ thoughts, which ultimately earned him the role as the human representative from Anjiin. We’ll learn more about his journey when the sequel is released.

What happened to the other humans in The Captive’s War?

During the interview, a fascinating tidbit from Abraham and Franck stood out to me, something that made me curious about their work, The Mercy of Gods. What particularly intrigued me was the focus on the humans inhabiting a planet named Anjiin. These beings have no knowledge of their past, not even a trace of Earth’s existence. As the conversation progressed in the podcast, they discussed the hurdles they faced while penning The Mercy of Gods, particularly the challenge of creating an authentic human culture devoid of familiar Earthly references, such as quoting Shakespeare or using materials typically found on our planet that might not be available on Anjiin. Intriguingly, Frank hinted at a fascinating aspect of the Anjiin inhabitants: their unique cultural characteristics shaped by their alien environment, distinct from anything we associate with Earth.

He mentioned that it’s important for characters to seem relatable and similar to us, yet avoid making them completely foreign. This is particularly challenging when dealing with characters who have been isolated from humanity for millennia in the story The Mercy of Gods. These individuals would likely hold different religious beliefs, perspectives on life, and philosophies. The question then arises: How much of this diversity can you incorporate without making them appear alien? It’s a delicate balance that must be maintained.

This strongly suggests that there are other human civilizations out there, isolated for possibly thousands of years, unaware of the Anjiin people. It’s a fascinating aspect of the world that I suspect will be further explored in upcoming books. Interestingly, this aligns well with Livesuit, which introduced other humans who are familiar with Earth.

In “The Captive’s War,” there are numerous mysteries left unresolved, and we’re eagerly anticipating the resolution. If you’ve appreciated stories like “The Mercy of Gods” or “The Expanse,” the interview above on SFF Addicts is definitely worth checking out. There’s even a second part to it, which you can find here, where Franck and Abraham discuss their unique approach to collaborative writing.

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2024-10-17 20:42

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