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Cimmerian City - Rae Lindley
Cimmerian City
Rae Lindley
Mundania Press
ISBN: 1594263892
Reviewed By Theresa Logan
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
The year is 1999. Raven Blackheart, a twenty-three year-old college student, struggles to make her own way in the world. Uncertain of what lies before her, the only constant in her life is the wonderful Jack Trent, love of her life and steady supporter throughout all the tough times. Regardless of the difficulty of the many unknowns in her life, the strength of Jack's love for her keeps Raven afloat in the midst of life's tumultuous storms...
All that changes in a flash one night, though, as Jack and Raven are ambushed by two villainous creatures in a remote, dark alley. Quickly overpowered and cut off from any outside assistance, Raven and Jack's fates are soon sealed. Powerless as she watches their assailants quickly dispatch of Jack before her own eyes, Raven suddenly - and tragically - abandons her will to live, and refuses to put up a fight of her own when the cold steel blade plunges deeply into her chest…
One might think that's the end of the story - but it's only the beginning: Raven awakens ten years into the future at the behest of the Tech Corporation, a company that has resurrected her as part of a special project conducted to gain advantage in what has become an ongoing war between the races. Two races, in fact: the normal human race and the Dracins, an emergent mutant species that threatens to wipe the face of humanity off the globe - and whose members were responsible for her and Jack's death. After being brought up to speed about the invaluable wages of war currently at stake, Raven is released into greater society, supposedly to fight the good fight for the sake of restoring peace, goodwill, and order...
She soon discovers, though, that not all is as it appears: governments have been replaced by corporations, which means nothing matters more than the bottom line. With this contention comes competition - and, as Raven wends her way through a series of killings, cover-ups, and intrigue, she learns the real truth about why she was brought back to fight - and exactly who & what she's fighting for…
Cimmerian City is a clever, engaging tale with all the trappings of a thriller at its finest. Much like "The Matrix" before it, Lindley's tale does an excellent job of enshrouding the truth within a tapestry of well-constructed lies, forcing you to keep questioning every new development until you finally understand the significance of what lies at the core. With a rich cast of compelling characters and enough action to keep you checking your pulse, this story of deceit, greed, treachery, and ultimate redemption deserves to take its rightful place alongside the best that Tom Clancy or James Patterson could ever offer.
Beneath it all, though, Cimmerian City is a classic tale of the underdog at his/her finest, leaving you no choice but to root for Raven throughout all her many battles against foes of all sizes - recognizing your own daily struggles as they play themselves out in her life before your very eyes. In this day and age of unchecked multi-conglomerate corporate takeovers, Lindley's narrative should serve as a wake-up call to us all that the possibility of such a controlled future in our own time may not be so far-fetched...
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Rae Lindley (Cimmerian City)
Apex Reviews: Rae, thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview. Thanks also for allowing us to review Cimmerian City. We're looking forward to learning more about it.
Cimmerian City has flashes of "The Matrix" and "The Time Machine," but it still has a special uniqueness of its own. Where did you get the idea for the story?
Rae Lindley: Much of my inspiration came from the current news of today but it started with a glimmer of an idea that came to me in my senior year of high school after we read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for the current reading course. I was amazed at how a sci-fi novel of this magnitude could capture a world 60 years into the future so accurately. From this inspiration, I started to imagine what our life would be like if we continued based on what's happening today. The line between government and business is pretty thin as is but based on the current goings on, I started to throw a lot of what if's into the condition and eventually a new world opened up for me to explore.
AR: What inspired you to make Raven the chief protagonist of the story?
RL: I think this girl has been with me since the beginning, nagging me to tell her story. (laughs) Part of Raven came from in me that I kind of consider her my alter ego. It took 5 years to find the voice of the story and after much tweaking with the plot devices it finally dawned on me that it was mainly Raven's story to tell. It became her journey to adulthood and finding her place in the world much like the hero's journey has to face his future head on and be completely ready by the time he reaches that final threshold. Being a young woman growing up in a volatile world, I faced a lot of doubt as to what paths to take in order to reach certain goals and I think a lot of young people face that kind of identity passage from young adulthood into adulthood today. Since that can't happen without overcoming obstacles, I knew that this was very much a coming of age story along with being a contemporary one.
AR: Would you consider Cimmerian City a suspense/thriller, or more of a sci-fi tale?
RL: I'd have to say it was both. A sci-fi thriller or maybe a futuristic thriller. It has the elements of science fiction in that it takes place in the future and there are creatures that, at least for now, can't be created through experiments with pharmaceuticals on humans. It's a suspense thriller because of the magnitude of imminent danger on a global scale. The villain is indeed one man, but the power he represents is a much bigger threat.
AR: The parallels between the corporate-controlled societies in the book and today's corporate-controlled environments are stunning. Are those comparisons intended to be a message to the reader?
RL: They are, yes. It was pretty chilling writing this book because my what if's hit so close to home. I still read the news from time to time and some things I read or see that are new developments in technological and administration policy are things that I saw happening via the events in the book! Even now some people who read it come to me and say how my book is coming to life. It's very flattering to hear but at the same time I'm really hoping that isn't the case simply because it's an unsettling possibility!
AR: The dialogue in the book is both tight and sharp. Was it difficult for you to capture the conversations so realistically?
RL: I don't think it was too difficult since this story was fighting it's way out of me. Usually when I write, it's like I'm watching my characters acting out the scenes in front of me and I'm sitting on the side recording their actions and dialogue. Each of the characters had a distinct personality and that came out in the way they spoke and carried themselves.
I'm really happy that it came out realistically though! As a writer, you work in a solitary environment so you don't get much feedback until the work is done and you're hoping and praying that everything the characters do and say is believable. So it's great to hear that the message and voice came across well.
AR: How hard is it to come up with effective plot twists without getting the reader lost or giving away too much too soon?
RL: I usually write in a linear fashion. I see events happen and then write what happens after that so I'm discovering the story with the characters as it happens to them. In the beginning a character may be underdeveloped yet still hold a lot of secrets that take the story in a totally different direction than I predicted. So I can have the plot in mind for where I'd like the story to go but it's entirely upon how the characters act and what decisions they make that can twist the entire story around. That happened a lot in this book and I was really happy with the outcome. Although I did struggle a bit with the end. The current end was up in the air for a while because I had two possible outcomes and the current ending was the one that felt more real.
AR: Cimmerian City is your first novel. Please share with our readers what your experiences have been like in finally bringing it to print.
RL: Currently at this interview it's on its way to print and I'm so unbelievably excited and anxious for it to be released. I should be receiving a galley version of the book soon. It's really surreal talking about it because the book has been with me in so many incarnations for years and to experience it as a finished story, bound and printed...Wow. I know it will be a completely surreal experience!
AR: In addition to being an author, you're also a poet, artist, and filmmaker. How do you maintain your creativity across such varied lines?
RL: I like to change mediums from time to time based on the structure of the stories I tell. Sometimes my illustrations help bring out a new story because of the subjects within the work. Sometimes a story inspires a visual work that I have to create as in my Raven themed works based on Cimmerian City. I think in visual terms which is where my love for filmmaking comes from. That helps me see the action for the stories that pop up in my head. As far as poetry, it's a very personal medium to me so that helps when I have something personal to say through a character or even myself.
AR: What's next for you?
RL: I'm currently working on the third book in the Cimmerian Series entitled Cimmerian Girl. Last month I finished Cimmerian World, the second book, because the story just wouldn't end! I received some wonderful feedback from that story so I'm really excited to get that out because it's probably the darkest and most challenging book I've written so far. I'm also working on an illustrated sci-fi adventure novella called Marauder Star, a suspense novel entitled Before Dawn Breaks and a few shorter works to help me get a sense of closure because writing books takes a good while to complete from start to finish!
AR: Thanks again, Rae, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!
Rae Lindley
Mundania Press
ISBN: 1594263892
Reviewed By Theresa Logan
Official Apex Reviews Rating:
The year is 1999. Raven Blackheart, a twenty-three year-old college student, struggles to make her own way in the world. Uncertain of what lies before her, the only constant in her life is the wonderful Jack Trent, love of her life and steady supporter throughout all the tough times. Regardless of the difficulty of the many unknowns in her life, the strength of Jack's love for her keeps Raven afloat in the midst of life's tumultuous storms...
All that changes in a flash one night, though, as Jack and Raven are ambushed by two villainous creatures in a remote, dark alley. Quickly overpowered and cut off from any outside assistance, Raven and Jack's fates are soon sealed. Powerless as she watches their assailants quickly dispatch of Jack before her own eyes, Raven suddenly - and tragically - abandons her will to live, and refuses to put up a fight of her own when the cold steel blade plunges deeply into her chest…
One might think that's the end of the story - but it's only the beginning: Raven awakens ten years into the future at the behest of the Tech Corporation, a company that has resurrected her as part of a special project conducted to gain advantage in what has become an ongoing war between the races. Two races, in fact: the normal human race and the Dracins, an emergent mutant species that threatens to wipe the face of humanity off the globe - and whose members were responsible for her and Jack's death. After being brought up to speed about the invaluable wages of war currently at stake, Raven is released into greater society, supposedly to fight the good fight for the sake of restoring peace, goodwill, and order...
She soon discovers, though, that not all is as it appears: governments have been replaced by corporations, which means nothing matters more than the bottom line. With this contention comes competition - and, as Raven wends her way through a series of killings, cover-ups, and intrigue, she learns the real truth about why she was brought back to fight - and exactly who & what she's fighting for…
Cimmerian City is a clever, engaging tale with all the trappings of a thriller at its finest. Much like "The Matrix" before it, Lindley's tale does an excellent job of enshrouding the truth within a tapestry of well-constructed lies, forcing you to keep questioning every new development until you finally understand the significance of what lies at the core. With a rich cast of compelling characters and enough action to keep you checking your pulse, this story of deceit, greed, treachery, and ultimate redemption deserves to take its rightful place alongside the best that Tom Clancy or James Patterson could ever offer.
Beneath it all, though, Cimmerian City is a classic tale of the underdog at his/her finest, leaving you no choice but to root for Raven throughout all her many battles against foes of all sizes - recognizing your own daily struggles as they play themselves out in her life before your very eyes. In this day and age of unchecked multi-conglomerate corporate takeovers, Lindley's narrative should serve as a wake-up call to us all that the possibility of such a controlled future in our own time may not be so far-fetched...
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Rae Lindley (Cimmerian City)
Apex Reviews: Rae, thanks for taking the time to join us for this interview. Thanks also for allowing us to review Cimmerian City. We're looking forward to learning more about it.
Cimmerian City has flashes of "The Matrix" and "The Time Machine," but it still has a special uniqueness of its own. Where did you get the idea for the story?
Rae Lindley: Much of my inspiration came from the current news of today but it started with a glimmer of an idea that came to me in my senior year of high school after we read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for the current reading course. I was amazed at how a sci-fi novel of this magnitude could capture a world 60 years into the future so accurately. From this inspiration, I started to imagine what our life would be like if we continued based on what's happening today. The line between government and business is pretty thin as is but based on the current goings on, I started to throw a lot of what if's into the condition and eventually a new world opened up for me to explore.
AR: What inspired you to make Raven the chief protagonist of the story?
RL: I think this girl has been with me since the beginning, nagging me to tell her story. (laughs) Part of Raven came from in me that I kind of consider her my alter ego. It took 5 years to find the voice of the story and after much tweaking with the plot devices it finally dawned on me that it was mainly Raven's story to tell. It became her journey to adulthood and finding her place in the world much like the hero's journey has to face his future head on and be completely ready by the time he reaches that final threshold. Being a young woman growing up in a volatile world, I faced a lot of doubt as to what paths to take in order to reach certain goals and I think a lot of young people face that kind of identity passage from young adulthood into adulthood today. Since that can't happen without overcoming obstacles, I knew that this was very much a coming of age story along with being a contemporary one.
AR: Would you consider Cimmerian City a suspense/thriller, or more of a sci-fi tale?
RL: I'd have to say it was both. A sci-fi thriller or maybe a futuristic thriller. It has the elements of science fiction in that it takes place in the future and there are creatures that, at least for now, can't be created through experiments with pharmaceuticals on humans. It's a suspense thriller because of the magnitude of imminent danger on a global scale. The villain is indeed one man, but the power he represents is a much bigger threat.
AR: The parallels between the corporate-controlled societies in the book and today's corporate-controlled environments are stunning. Are those comparisons intended to be a message to the reader?
RL: They are, yes. It was pretty chilling writing this book because my what if's hit so close to home. I still read the news from time to time and some things I read or see that are new developments in technological and administration policy are things that I saw happening via the events in the book! Even now some people who read it come to me and say how my book is coming to life. It's very flattering to hear but at the same time I'm really hoping that isn't the case simply because it's an unsettling possibility!
AR: The dialogue in the book is both tight and sharp. Was it difficult for you to capture the conversations so realistically?
RL: I don't think it was too difficult since this story was fighting it's way out of me. Usually when I write, it's like I'm watching my characters acting out the scenes in front of me and I'm sitting on the side recording their actions and dialogue. Each of the characters had a distinct personality and that came out in the way they spoke and carried themselves.
I'm really happy that it came out realistically though! As a writer, you work in a solitary environment so you don't get much feedback until the work is done and you're hoping and praying that everything the characters do and say is believable. So it's great to hear that the message and voice came across well.
AR: How hard is it to come up with effective plot twists without getting the reader lost or giving away too much too soon?
RL: I usually write in a linear fashion. I see events happen and then write what happens after that so I'm discovering the story with the characters as it happens to them. In the beginning a character may be underdeveloped yet still hold a lot of secrets that take the story in a totally different direction than I predicted. So I can have the plot in mind for where I'd like the story to go but it's entirely upon how the characters act and what decisions they make that can twist the entire story around. That happened a lot in this book and I was really happy with the outcome. Although I did struggle a bit with the end. The current end was up in the air for a while because I had two possible outcomes and the current ending was the one that felt more real.
AR: Cimmerian City is your first novel. Please share with our readers what your experiences have been like in finally bringing it to print.
RL: Currently at this interview it's on its way to print and I'm so unbelievably excited and anxious for it to be released. I should be receiving a galley version of the book soon. It's really surreal talking about it because the book has been with me in so many incarnations for years and to experience it as a finished story, bound and printed...Wow. I know it will be a completely surreal experience!
AR: In addition to being an author, you're also a poet, artist, and filmmaker. How do you maintain your creativity across such varied lines?
RL: I like to change mediums from time to time based on the structure of the stories I tell. Sometimes my illustrations help bring out a new story because of the subjects within the work. Sometimes a story inspires a visual work that I have to create as in my Raven themed works based on Cimmerian City. I think in visual terms which is where my love for filmmaking comes from. That helps me see the action for the stories that pop up in my head. As far as poetry, it's a very personal medium to me so that helps when I have something personal to say through a character or even myself.
AR: What's next for you?
RL: I'm currently working on the third book in the Cimmerian Series entitled Cimmerian Girl. Last month I finished Cimmerian World, the second book, because the story just wouldn't end! I received some wonderful feedback from that story so I'm really excited to get that out because it's probably the darkest and most challenging book I've written so far. I'm also working on an illustrated sci-fi adventure novella called Marauder Star, a suspense novel entitled Before Dawn Breaks and a few shorter works to help me get a sense of closure because writing books takes a good while to complete from start to finish!
AR: Thanks again, Rae, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!