Space Magic

When I was around the age of, say, 8 to 11, I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to hear my dad watching TV down the hall from my room. He always waited until I went to sleep to watch movies like Alien, Dark City and Event Horizon. You know, the grownup shit too scary for little kids. I'd look through the cracked door into a dark room to glimpse things that gave me a sense of wonder, fear and mystery like nothing else. It became a habit, when he was away or the TV was unattended at 3 in the morning, for me to sneak into that room and put forbidden VHS tapes into the player. Soon I had seen every movie in the closet. But it wasn't enough. I needed more of that storytelling that made it seem like magic was hidden somewhere just outside my grasp, hidden in a dark cold place that would open to me if I could just peer into it more deeply. So I read books. I grew up searching for that one thing that ticked all the boxes. 

I delved into science fiction. Into fantasy. Then I found scifi-fantasy. Dune, Starwars, Destiny, maybe even the Matrix falls into that category. They were so close to what I wanted. But still, something was missing. It was like I was reaching, stretching but failing to scratch an itch. The lore behind Destiny came close. It was the first time I'd seen scifi-fantasy with hints of horror, but it held itself back and became confused with what it was or was trying to say. I needed something coherent. Direct. Sharp. And ultimately darker or more brutal than what is currently out there. 

That's why I started writing. Like many authors, the reason I write is to read what I've always wanted. To experience that universe where things are just as bizarre, terrifying and magical as they seemed when I was a little kid watching movies with my nose pressed up against a doorjamb. When doing the world-building, I kept those things in mind.  Where it led me was a place that's ancient, deadly and alien. Where the only source of light comes from synthetic stars formed by an information-hoarding Cult. In a short while, I will be introducing one of the most powerful forces in that universe: Lensing. More philosophical than magical, it is a power that allows the user to manipulate reality by forcing their will upon it. The risk? Well. I can say that Lensers don't meet with the prettiest ends. Reality, as it turns out, loathes being tampered with. 

​Until next time!