One of the novelties of posting stories on the blog is that I get feedback.
I am soliciting your input regarding characters who merit following. Who, in your estimation, is likely to have a story that will interest you? It could be their back story. It could be their story going forward.
You don't have to find this post to make a comment. Just sometime in the next two weeks write "I want to hear fill in name 's story."
Thanks.
The main reason I look forward to each new installment of The Shrewd King is because it is great reading. The kind of fiction where you can't wait to turn the page and find out what happens next. I have read scores of dystopian novels, and most of them are not very good, and a lot of them are downright tedious to read. I believe the best of the genre is the One Second After trilogy by William Forschten. There is an author who knows how to develop characters and how to tell a story. The Shrewd King approaches those novels in quality and readability.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I enjoy about The Shrewd King is that it is very thought provoking. Many times while reading it I have thought, "Holy cow, I never thought about that. What would I do if faced with that problem?".
I would like to know more about Gimp. How did he get his injury that causes him to limp. Was it service related? And what about Quinn's girlfriend, the one who was shot in the face? Does she still want to become a fighter, or does she now see her role as becoming Quinn's wife and the mother to his children?
And what about the guy (cannot recall his name) who saw the Ebola epidemic coming a year ahead of time. We have not heard much about him? What is he up to? What about his son and daughters who knew from him when it was time to bug out and join him in rural Michigan? We haven't heard much about them since then?
And what about the three main farmers in the community? What are their stories. Are any of them prior service? For that matter who else in the community is prior service, and how might their military experience turn out to benefit them and the community?
And how about the Amish? There is probably much they could teach our protagonists. Are there any characters in their community who would be worth developing?
And finally there is Benecio. He came to be the top drug lord in his part of Michigan by being a ruthless, stone cold murderer. He knowingly sends his own men to their deaths by ordering them to ransack Ebola ridden houses. He lost something like two hundred men in the failed attack in May. And he feels no sorrow or remorse over their deaths. Of late he has adopted a hands off policy towards our community. He probably realizes they are far more valuable to him being left alone so they can produce the food that he needs to maintain his position of power. But is there perhaps a spark of humanity within him? Is he going to realize that true friendship and loyalty and love are the most valuable things on Earth? More valuable than possessions and power? Or is he irredeemable, destined to always be a sociopath?
ERJ - I echo George's comments. I would be pleased to see the story continue in any direction. I do like Quinn and Kate and the stories surrounding them. I also want to see what happens to Chernovsky long term.
ReplyDeleteI enjoy dropping by your page in the morning when I sit down at my desk with a cup of coffee. Great way to start the morning.