Dystopian science fantasy kicked off when my life was in a rut

Post-apocalyptic dystopian science fantasy…wow, that’s one long name for a niche genre work. But it kicked off when I got stuck in a rut.

Back in November 2021, I gave myself a personal ultimatum: Ghostwrite for about 12 hours a day, five days a week, or consider other options. I chose the latter, knowing that the money I banked could take a hit. And to nobody’s surprise, it did.

While I looked for other options, I spent time outlining a series that I knew would take place in this dark, dystopian world. During this time, I was also getting ready to publish Wind Wielder – and be sure to pick up your free copy of the book while you’re at it – and its successor, Wind Master.

Shortly thereafter, I picked up a freelance gig writing about the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and immediately turned into a fanatic of the Blue and Gold…something I didn’t quite think through, considering how bad they’ve been. I also started writing under my own byline in the Star Wars niche, and this is where my then-brewing post-apocalyptic dystopian novel turned into a post-apocalyptic dystopian science fantasy.

One I ended up loosely basing on the Star Wars original trilogy, and one that would ultimately merge with my Elementals of Nordica Series. Yeah, there’s an MCU-like shared universe concept brewing, too.

Star Wars, the Buffalo Sabres, and dystopian science fantasy fused into one…

I initially rolled with Nordic-based names, such as my main character, Ina Kjaergaard. There was also Ren Elkjaer and Ras Svendson, to name a few. But to make the names more Star Wars-like, and to inject a heavy dose of Buffalo Sabres influence, things changed.

Ina Kjaergaard became Sabre Kjaergaard, Ren Elkjaer became Ren Elk-Jaer, and Ras Svendson became Tage Ras-Svendson. Tage’s team of insurgents was also named after then-Sabres players – Vic, Joki, and Tuck. But there was more to come as opposed to just Star Wars and the Sabres shaping up this series.

One book that I read in 2021, Beyond the Wall by Kate L. Mary, set the stage for my post-apocalyptic dystopian society. The apocalypse itself was recalled in Wind Master and shown in my Sentrys of Terrene prequel story cycle, something I’m currently rebranding along with all my other works.

Anyway, the following book review from a reader named Luc summed up the sheer extent of just how much the centrally planned People’s Republic of Vranom controls society. This is the raw, unedited review:

“Controlling the masses has never been a good idea.

As for the Rebellion awakens, the author continues to excel in his craft by creating a story about the aftermath of one of the biggest losses of a nation group referred to as the Sentrys on the planet Terrene.

The Venn like to boast that they have eradicated the Sentrys during the great Purge. In addition, they have created an environment where the citizens are told what, how and, when to do things that a free and democratic people would do without any orders or directions from anyone.

People, including students who go against the directives, are disciplined, ridiculed, tortured and even ostracized by the rest of their community. The punishment can lead as far as death.

The previous era had its heroes and, in this new era, their descendants carry the torch.

From the previous generation heroes, rise Sage and Lars. They have two children Sabre and Tage who, along with Lark, Ras, Tuck, Vic, Torry, Imlach, Ren and Joki, amongst others, with the help of this very gifted author, will take up the torch and, in a very likewise “Star Wars” inspired environment, attempt to disrupt the plans of the Evil masters and help the Representative of the Good succeed.”

Sentrys of Terrene and its anti-statist takes show up early and often

My Sentrys of Terrene rebrand involved ditching my previous covers, one of which was pre-made, and the other two I bought as mere placeholders. Plus, the Inked God and Immortal wordmarks went to the wayside, and for good reason.

Instead, I tapped more into the genre with a sleeker look and even managed to insert a Sentry Sword into two of my images. While it’s a work that takes place with multiple POV protagonists, I rolled only with Sabre’s image on the cover, as her character possesses by far the greatest arc.

She’s the Luke Skywalker of the series, but she’s a city girl looking for explanations on the ins and outs of why Vranommian society operates the way it does. Of course, these questions of forbidden topics led to ridicule from her classmates, teachers, and principal.

Sabre and her classmates are expected to recite and repeat what they’re told without question. They’re to answer any and all questions when called upon without hesitation. They’re to be present at all predetermined activities, dictated by a schedule that an imperial department issues them daily.

They’re to eat food at a certain time and must eat the exact types of food and portions that their schedule dictates. Even their showers last a predetermined number of minutes, and their watches immediately let those enforcing these policies know if they’re even a second late for their next activities.

I know I’m rather vague here, but don’t worry. I’ll be hitting hard and going into some fine detail of how things came to be in Vranom.

I’ll also share some lore of why the word Sentrys is spelled the way it is as opposed to Sentries. I’ve gotten a few inquiries on that, but it stems from a typo I made in real life that looked more memorable to the eyes after I made the correction, so I switched back.

Still, as with Mace Windu’s purple lightsaber, there was a real-life reason that had to work its way into the series’ backstory.

It’s not always a bind when life’s in a rut