Wars have happened throughout human history. They’re usually the result of one country invading another – much as is happening in Europe at the moment. Russia has invaded Ukraine and the Ukrainians are resisting. But sometimes wars can start over silly things.
Hans Island is in the middle of the Kennedy Channel between Greenland and Ellesmere Island, which means it’s between Canada and Denmark (which owns Greenland). Those two countries couldn’t come to an agreement about this bare slab of rock and they’ve been at ‘war’ about it ever since. Periodically, the Canadians leave a bottle of whisky on the island, and the Danes replace it with a bottle of schnapps. It’s all very polite and actually quite funny.
But that’s because the Canadians are unfailingly polite and the Danes have a sense of humour. If either country wanted an excuse for war, then Hans Island could well be a candidate.
It’s that sort of situation at the heart of Crisis at Validor. The planet has two continents, with Humans living on Nestor and the Ptorix living on Dhnizan. Between the two continents lies a chain of volcanic islands which is home to the Berzhani, a species endemic to Validor. Neither the Ptorix nor the Humans own Berzhan Island but some Ptorix live there, supporting a temple to the Berzhani. The creatures themselves just want to be left alone.
All you need to break that fragile neutrality is politics.
There are plenty of intelligent species on Earth ravens, the great apes, dolphins and whales, and others we have underestimated over the years. I’m sure we’ll find plenty more out there amongst the stars. Creatures like that are unlikely to want to build spaceships. They don’t have the appendages to handle tools. Besides, they might just be happy doing their own thing where they are. I reckon dolphins are amongst the happiest critters on Earth.
Way back when this book was little more than a bunny hopping around in my head I’d intended to write a story which included an ancient temple and something like a serpent, only smart. The berzhani have evolved since then. A lot of people don’t like snakes and while I don’t really understand the phobia, I know it’s real for many people. I’d discarded the idea of calling them dragons because this is not a fantasy and if people have preconceived notions about snakes, they have them about dragons, too. Fire breathing, wicked, princess-eating, flying, telepathic, ridden by people, shape-shifters.
None of the above. At least, not many.
About half way through the writing, I took some time off to go through pictures of serpents, serpent temples, dragons and the like, looking for visual inspiration. And I came across Jim Nelson’s fabulous work. The berzhani are rather like snakes in some respects (sinuous and smooth) but they are not snakes. In Crisis at Validor the berzhani live in caves on an island that is an extinct volcano. They’re a bit like Oriental dragons that hunt in the sea. They are very smart, with special powers of their own that come to light in the book.
The berzhani are totally alien, with abilities that both the Ptorix and the humans might equate to magic. But it's just what they can do. I enjoyed working with them and showing really alien creatures in their own environment.
Yes, of course there's a love story. You'll find Crisis at Validor here.
Comments ()