Super Red is the follow up to my first book The Vast and
Gruesome Clutch of Our Law. This post apocalyptic novel and romantic sci-fi book, was based on a dream; a very mysterious and
interesting one, that involved dying and being reborn. The dream was recorded
in my dream diary:
162. Passing through the Gates of Heaven and Hell.
I
was due to arrive at a great hall, some way off into the future. I was there
with hoards of people, who gathered there with each other, eating, drinking and
socialising. After some time, I walked across the great hall, whose size was
enormous. The biggest building I have ever seen. Across the hall, were
chambers, equally as big, as any building I have seen, in their own right. As I
passed one chamber the people there were predominantly Chinese, with some of
other nationalities. They were watching huge screen, and on it was a Chinese
epic film, shown in black and white. On the screen it showed a battle scene.
The scene was panoramic; wider and taller than most cinema screens.
As I walked across the chamber
and into an eating hall I sat down with my wife and several others. We spoke
together, and although friendly, for a wife who I had just married she showed
me no affection at all. She tried to explain, but I did not understand our
marriage and why she refused to show me affection. I kissed her hand, and she
smiled, but I felt it was insincere.
I then went with her, as we
walked with others, heading for a third chamber. The inner most chamber, was
just as huge. Inside were seats on rows. Each seat had a reclining back. We
adjusted the seats and waited a couple of minutes as a Chinese waiter served as
tea. It was a delicate tea, served in bone china. As he served the tea to each
of us on a serving table, he dropped a poison into it, and explained what would
happen as we drank and smiled. We then sat back and waited.
Everyone in that room died, and
were reborn. We woke up in another reality and walked, as if nothing had
happened, to meetings, in a red and brown landscape, where the sky was always
clear and the temperature always moderate. Soon afterwards we returned again to
Earthly reality.
We all met up again and had
another meal. I sat next to three other people, as we debated and talked
amongst ourselves. We discussed a certain type of dog that I had access to.
Once we’d finished talking we went into a covered garden, and I went to the
back of the garden, and brought out a dog. It was rare breed. It had been bred
for strength. Bred to kill, with large jaws and long teeth. It looked vicious,
and was large enough for a human adult to sit on. I sat on it and strode round,
its muscles rippling. It had a finely tuned body for speed and strength. The
other looked amazed as I rode the dog, its teeth glistening and its mouth,
running with fluid, drooling, its dark red sunken eyes, looking as if it could
easily tear you to pieces but remaining calm, at all times. A killing machine,
totally loyal to its owner.
My book, Super Red is based on some aspects of the dream
and follows a young couple, who at the end of the Earth’s life are sent by their
local chieftain, to the Great Hall. The Great Hall is there to help people die,
as the death that awaits them is much worse. The Sun is coming to the end of
its life, and it is expanding into a Super Red Giant.
Kiren and Vernon travel to the Great Hall unaware of what
secrets they have for the religious leaders that live at the Hall.
This post apocalyptic novel, is a multi-faith book, drawing on Islamic, Christian,
Jewish and Buddhist eschatological thinking, and is about the resurgence of
faith after a very long period of atheism. The people rediscover religion when
they face this big threat, but many of the rituals and interpretations of faith
have been lost to history. The book follows the couple to a convergence of
faith, as humanity breathes its last breath. Although predominately Christian
in its theological construct, the books attempts to suggest that faith, given
the fullness of time, might come together; especially as many of the great
faiths draw from the same origins.
However, the religion in the book, is secondary to the
science fiction fantasy theme. It isn’t a hard-line Christian book, that is
attempting to convert or explain religious beliefs. It just deals with the
issues, of the afterlife and heaven, and the end of the world and how
eschatological texts describe that end, and describe what might follow. I hope
you enjoy it, should you pick it up.
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