The Cyborg's Crusade:
Day of the Deus Ex Machina
by Benoit Lanteigne
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GENRE: Science Fiction
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BOOK BLURB:
How did it come to this? My life used to be so simple. Back then, I hated it; I found it boring. Let me tell you: boring’s good. Boring’s great! I should’ve been thankful…
It was supposed to be a date like any other for James Hunter, a simple convenience store clerk. Nothing more than watching a movie in the town of Moncton. A place as unknown and unimportant as he considered his own existence to be. And yet, while walking to a cinema, James teleports to another world. There, a hostile crowd surrounds him, including various mutants with strange deformities.
Before he can even gather his wits or make a dash for it, a lone ally presents herself in the form of a winged woman named Rose. An important cultural figure in the country where James appeared, she offers him both protection and a home.
Soon, James learns that this new world is divided by a cold war. On one side is Nirnivia, home to Rose. The other, Ostark, led by a mysterious cyborg. James is unaware that the cyborg has him in his crosshairs, thinking of him as the Deus Ex Machina that will end the war in his favor.
But, the cyborg is far from the only potential threat to James. Soon after his arrival, BRR, a terrorist organisation, kidnaps him.
What would a rogue group out for revenge seeking to turn the cold war hot want with someone like James? Is there anyone also aware of this other world who will try to find him? Or is he on his own? If so, how is he supposed to escape? If that's even an option...
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EXCERPT TWO:
The world whirled around James. Soon, all distinct shapes vanished, superseded by a haze of colors. Shades of green, red and blue filled his vision. An agonizing pain flared across his body, and James screamed. His stomach floated up to his throat, while his intestines… he preferred not to think about them. Then, at last, the forms returned, though muddled. The sensation lasted only a few seconds, but it brought James to his knees as he gagged and vomited on the pavement. Once done, he wiped his mouth and coughed. Revolted screams erupted around him.
James almost mumbled an apology for the mess, but then he realized: who was yelling? He and Nadia stood alone and yet… wait, those dark figures surrounding him on the ground… shadows? And over there, feet and legs… where had these people come from?
Perplexed, James tried getting up, but he wobbled and fell. His new position gave him a view of the trees he had scrutinized before the incident, except they had morphed into a yellow brick building. James’s heart raced and his body tensed. Trying to relax, he took a few deep breaths through his nose and scowled. That stench, a mix of decayed food, feces, and puke, permeated the air. Of course, his own actions explained the last odor, but still, Moncton never smelled so bad. No wonder, with all the garbage littering the street. However, the road he’d strolled along had been so clean just moments ago.
As he pondered the change in scenery, James’s vision cleared. He took it as a good sign and attempted to stand up again. Though he swayed, he remained on his feet. Perhaps because of his movement, the confused chatter around him intensified. Bronze-skinned people glanced at each other and recoiled, a few pointing at him. James scanned the crowd in search of Nadia. Unable to locate his lover, he found his attention drawn to a stranger in the distance instead. The man held a leash, but without a dog at the end. A pink glob of goo replaced the expected canine. The horror waved its many tentacles, sometimes caressing passersby. James gasped. Covered in perspiration and shaking, he averted his gaze and spotted a young boy with a miniature leg sticking out of his belly through a hole in his shirt.
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GUEST POST:
That's Just Not Realistic
In fiction, there’s a complaint I’ve always disliked. It’s common in all media and I’m sure most of you are familiar with it. Here are the famous words: “It’s not realistic.” This game sucks. You have to shoot the enemy soldiers in the head three times. It’s not realistic. I didn’t like this book because the characters were unrealistic. The guy hid in a fridge to survive a nuclear bomb. That’s unrealistic. Now, when someone says that, it’s often true. The thing is, more often than not, that’s not the actual problem. The people who say it think they want realism, but they don’t. Well, some do, but they are the minority.
Let’s look at the whole nuke and fridge fiasco from Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull as an example. Of course, the scene is ridiculous, and I disliked it too, but not because of a lack of realism. I mean, the first three Indiana Jones movies are filled with ludicrous events that could never happen in real life. For crying out loud, the second one has Indiana Jones jumping off a plane in an inflated boat and he survives. And that’s not even the most insane moment of that movie. So yes, Crystal Skull was flawed, but being unrealistic was the least of its problems.
Fiction isn’t reality and isn’t meant to be. I’d go further and say it shouldn’t be. Real life isn’t a story or a constrained narrative. If I wrote a book about my life with great accuracy and taking no liberties, it’d end up disjointed. The end would have nothing to do with the beginning. Characters that seem important would vanish without a trace. A bunch of plot threads would be abandoned. Many major plot points would hinge on coincidences. A large part of it would be uneventful and downright boring. New characters would be introduced late in the game with little reason for them being there. And so on… None of this would make a good story, but it’s all realistic. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so common in real life.
So then, if I’m right about this, why do many demand realism? Because what they want isn’t realistic, but believable fiction, and those two things are very different. If I wrote a book where a character survived 20 gunshots, I’m sure most would feel it’d be farfetched. Yet, this happened in North Carolina, so by definition, it has to be realistic. It’s still unbelievable though. There are countless examples like that. That is where the expression “suspension of disbelief” comes from and that’s why someone can argue a plot twist in a fantasy book is unrealistic when there are dragons around. Impossible things can be believable if they are possible in the context of the created world. As long as your world and characters have consistent rules they follow, you can get away with being unrealistic. It’s when you break these rules you get in trouble. For instance, if I write a gritty spy thriller set on present-day Earth and the main character beats the villain by casting a fireball spell, people will cry foul. However, the same would be acceptable in a sword and sorcery-based fantasy.
One major area of concern is the characters. You can create a crazy world and make it believable, but readers are demanding of characters. For some, a single action that feels off can ruin the entire story. Again, this is tricky because some real behavior can be unbelievable on the surface. I’m part of a book club, and often someone complained a character was unrealistic when I’ve met people in real life who behaved in similar ways. How to avoid this issue? Unfortunately, I don’t have a simple solution. It helps to keep characters consistent, and always asks if this was an actual person, would they act this way? If the answer is no even for you, then I suggest either you change the plot, or you change the character, so it fits. Answering that question yourself might be difficult, though. That’s why having others read your writing and giving their opinions can be useful.
So in most cases, it’s more important to make your setting, story, characters, and so on believable rather than realistic. Don’t use what people expect from the real world as a base, rather use what they expect from fiction for your particular genre. But what about those who demand extreme realism? That’s up to you. If they are your target audience, then yes, go for realism. If they’re not though, then I’d say don’t worry about it unless you want realism or are writing in a genre that requires it. Sure, that subset of the population will dislike your work, but you shouldn’t try to please everyone. That’s an excellent way to either never finish, or end up with something bland and lackluster.
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AUTHOR BIO:
So, my name is Benoit Lanteigne and I’m a French Canadian (outside of Quebec) who’s trying to write in English. That can be tricky. I’m a computer programmer and I enjoy it. I see many inspiring writers who hate their jobs and hope to quit someday, but that’s not my case. Mostly, I’ve worked on websites and web applications.
Back in school, I enjoyed writing and according to my teachers and classmates; I had a talent for it. Well, not so much for grammar and spelling, but they liked my stories. Once I went to university, I dropped writing as a hobby. There were other things I wanted to focus on, such as my career. Then, in the early 2000s, around 2006 I’d say, I had a flash of inspiration. At first, it was a single character: a winged woman with red hair. I didn’t even know who she was, but the image stuck with me. From there, I began figuring out details about her origins and her world, but I only started writing for real in 2009.
It’s been roughly 10 years now, and it’s not yet finished. That’s in part because I write in my spare time, and in part because the scope of the project is huge. Maybe too much so. Still, I’m getting close to the point where I could release something. The question is what’s next? Self-publishing? Attempt traditional publishing? Nothing? I don’t know the answer yet, I’m trying to figure it out. Frankly, sharing my writing is difficult for me, and whatever I end up doing, as long as I make it available to people I consider the experience a victory no matter what comes out of it.
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AMAZON BOOK BUY LINK & BOOK SALE INFO:
The Cyborg's Crusade: Day of the Deus Ex Machina eBook is on SALE for ONLY $0.99 during the tour.
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GIVEAWAY INFO:
Benoit will award a $25 Amazon OR Barnes and Noble Gift Card (Winner's Choice!!!) to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter during the tour.
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