 Hi booknerds, I wanted to share a little bit about my WIP, “Resistor”, with you today and what makes it different from other books in its genre. What is Resistor’s genre? Well, it’s an adult cyberpunk fantasy with science fiction elements! Sounds cool, right? I hope so. Resistor takes place on a world similar-ish to Earth, except that many of the denizens have magic, and there are two humanoid type species—humani (which are what they sound like) and the seersha which are a mash up of the Qunari (from dragon Age) and elf/Drow (like DnD). And while there are plenty of animals and weapons that are similar to Earth, there are plenty that are unique to the world of Resistor—called Eerden.  I think the fact that there’s actual magic in a cyberpunk world is fairly unique to the genre, but it’s the creatures that I think really make it stand out. For example, I’ve created a beast that consumes magic. So if a caster happens to stroll into their territory, this beast will hunt them down and eat them, but will leave non-magical things alone. Since the people of Eerden can harness magic within some of their technology, you have to be very careful what, and who, you bring near these creatures. Which, by the way, look like the stuff of nightmares. These magic eaters are not born, they are made. When enough magical run-off and discarded bio-technology come together in landfills and the like, the magic creates life. It takes all those discarded pieces and absorbs any dead matter nearby and creates this new monster. But there isn’t enough magic to give it much of a conscience, which is why it is constantly hunting and devouring anything magical, to try and fill a void that it can’t possibly fill. In a similar vein, there is another magical creation that is a bit of this monster’s opposite. It has so much magic within the discarded pieces and parts it’s collected, that not only does it have a childish conscience, but it has enough raw, magical ability to serve as a battery for its magic type. There are four types of magic in Eerden: water, air, earth, and fire. So this friendly being will boost one, or two, of those magic types exponentially. And while they are friendly, they aren’t always cute, they can be pretty weird looking given they are a mix of organic and inorganic material all formed over left-over pieces of technology.  Cyberpunk is one of those hot genres right now, it seems like, given the new game Cyberpunk 2077 and shows like Altered Carbon. But usually cyberpunk is one of those genres that gets lumped into science fiction and can be easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it specifically. Resistor isn’t all that different in that regard, my world does use science fiction when it comes to body modifications, weapons, and even creating AI housed within various kinds of robots. But my cyberpunk is also very atmospheric, it’s used to show a mild dystopian. A world with a thriving criminal underground run by the most powerful, long-lived, seersha casters who peddle in illegal magic based weapons and technology. Which, is a bit typical for cyberpunk; it’s all very dark with splashes of neon and a seedy underground, but mine is also literally magical.
I’ve read plenty of science fiction and fantasy throughout my life. Science fiction that use fantasy creatures without magic (al la, Dragonriders of Pern), science fiction that creates crazy living experiments (al la Borne), or sci-fi with sentient AI, and plenty of science fantasies that are like Star Wars where there is “science” but it’s hand waved away and doesn’t even come close to realistic, unlike things such as Star Trek. I’ve read a few cyberpunk books as well, and so far, I haven’t come across any that really feel like my story and what it brings to the genre. The closest I can come to thinking of a similar book or series, is the graphic novel “Saga”, but even that doesn’t feel right. But there are so many wonderful books out there, it’s possible I haven’t discovered a book like mine yet. So tell me, friend, is there a book out there that reminds you of “Resistor”?
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