"Darwin's Paradox" is my next SF book due out this November by Canadian publisher, Dragon Moon Press. Being a bit of a categorist (I'm a scientist, remember), I originally tried to describe it as a techno-eco-thriller. My son just about vomited when I told him. "That'll just kill it!" he moaned. I guess he's right. By the time you get to the word thriller you've yawned already at least once...not much of a thrill. This speaks to my earlier remark about how we've become category-mad, disdain it, and yet wholeheartedly prescribe to it. So what IS it, you may very well ask? Is it a thriller? Or an ecological tome? Or a techno-whatever? Or just science fiction (which, in the final analysis, is hard to define of itself). Good question. Maybe YOU can help me define it. Here goes:
A devastating disease. A world on the brink of violent change. And one woman who can save it—or destroy it all.
A decade has passed since Julie Crane was accused of murder and causing the worst plague faced by mankind, Darwin’s Disease. When she’s captured by a ruthless Machiavelian visionary with designs for her—and her young daughter—Julie must rely on some unlikely helpers to escape and battle the sinister force intent on recasting humanity. She must race against the menace of those who fear and want to destroy her for what she is and those who wish to experiment on her and her daughter. Ultimately, Julie must face the shattering truth from which she has run for so long. She must confront the will of the ambitious virus lurking inside her to fulfill her final destiny as Darwin’s Paradox, the key to the evolution of an entire civilization.
A novel about a woman’s fierce love and her courageous journey toward forgiveness, trust, and letting go to the tide of her heart.
A novel about a woman’s fierce love and her courageous journey toward forgiveness, trust, and letting go to the tide of her heart.
Okay, so is it an eco-romance-thriller SF with fantasy...Oh, there I go again...
4 comments:
Eeeyouch -- that back cover blurb isn't working for you either! Since there are so many ways to do that novel wrong, a lot of people will just back away from taking the risk unless they already knew and trusted the author. I have a lot of respect for Dragon Moon Press, so I would at least open to the front page to see for myself, but with that cover blurb, first sentence better be a grabber.....
May I suggesta different approach -- an intriguing but completely vague tag line that forces person to pick up the book and read the first page -- that's where the sales are, if they find they are on page 3 already -- once you get 'em to page three, the sale is made. Then fill up the back cover with author intro and with endorsements from well known authors and reviewers
Okay, you got me...this wasn't intended to be the back cover blurb (it was actually an early version of the book description with more detail than I'd otherwise use [more like a synopsis for you folks to figure out what kind of book it is]--obviously you weren't thrilled by it, Robert.) Thanks for the advice, though. It makes a lot of sense. Less is certainly more (good Mennonite practice). Check out the bookjacket photo on this post. It's quite a bit more spare :-)
Nina
The weirdest category I've seen recently is "steampunk". I thought it was music at first. Anyway, what about "biotech horror"?
I've heard of steampunk but I don't know what it is...backroom romance between Avril and her latest?...oh, that was bad, wasn't it? My son thought so too...
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