In Dreams and the Remains of Cities
In Dreams and the Remains of Cities was the first novel I actually completed. I started plenty more than that, but this one never ran out of steam like the others did. The story isn’t too terribly original; it’s basically a revenge story, but then again, how many entirely new stories are there under the sun? For a long period of my life I was big into the idea of revenge. I’m not entirely sure why. I still kinda like it a little. It’s also a speculative fiction piece which is just about my favorite genre. It’s not exactly science fiction, it’s not exactly action, but it’s a little bit of both. I was then, and still am now, fascinated with the idea of global destruction and struggle for life in the aftermath. Robert R. McCammon’s Swan Song is arguably one of the best post-apocalyptic novels ever written; Stephen King’s The Stand is also high on that list for me. There are others; this list isn’t exclusive by any means.
I started this story in June of 1997 and finished it two years later in May of 1999. I was elated to say I’d actually written my first novel. With so many false starts and failures it was a sweet success. I’ve never shopped it because I don’t know that it’s good enough to rise to the top of any heaps but it’s a milestone for me and I had fun writing it. That’s ultimately what matters. I was going to school part time and working full time while I wrote this so finding time was difficult. I’d often write early in the morning before my wife awoke so that I would have the time and minimal distraction. I also went long periods without writing anything which made re-entry to the writing process a bit more difficult. I’d have to re-familiarize myself with the story and the characters in order to pick up where I left off. This is where details can easily be mixed up or even dropped altogether. Ideally it would have been nice to sit down and work on it in a more straight-forward fashion but the real world doesn’t always allow for that.
The synopsis:
In a world decimated by a final global war, Alex Dempsey searches for the one-eyed man who murdered his wife and unborn child and ruined his life. Instructed in the old ways by his father he searches until, by chance, he meets a young street girl named Kali. Finding herself unable to go back to her former life, Kali accompanies Alex on his search as his first companion in years. The pair travel across blazing deserts and lush forests, and into the deep mystery-world of the mind. Alex soon finds himself torn between a promise of revenge and the promise of a new life. When he finally catches up with his nemesis he learns a terrible secret that explains everything. Will it now be too late for him?
So here’s my first novel, for your reading pleasure. Feel free to comment on it below and/or rank it there as well. I hope you like it.
In Dreams and the Remains of Cities (737.8 KiB, 25 hits)
©1999, Brian James Jarrett
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