Having survived Hurricane Ian and continuing to struggle
through the aftermath, I’ve become aware of the ‘tempest tossed’ as a theme in
sci-fi romance and space opera romance. All begin with a cataclysmic
event—natural disasters, battles or invasions, deep-space disasters— and then
the story focuses on surviving the aftermath.
Cara Bristol explores this theme in her Alien Castaways Series where a group of advanced aliens escape the destruction of their home world and end up stranded on modern future earth. Each book features one of the aliens struggling to adapt to their new reality while grappling with the grief of their loss.
Veronica Scott’s Escape from Zulaire is a classic space opera where surviving the attack is only the beginning. The main characters' flight toward safety takes them on a harrowing journey through hostile and alien territory.
Anna Hackett’s Hell Squad books explore a dystopian earth where the survivors of an alien invasion battle to rescue others while clinging to hope for a better future.
The stories are as different as the authors’ writing styles,
but the heroes and heroines share similar traits. All of them are resilient,
tenacious, and determined to endure while retaining their moral compass, compassion,
and hope for a better future.
In The Twelve Systems Chronicles, The Cartel opens after
Lilian has survived the threat of execution. In the aftermath, she will
struggle to rebuild her life and future, ultimately altering the fate of her
galaxy.
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*** Excerpt from The Cartel ***
The amphitheater that is the Associates’ Hall is an archaic
remnant of the founding days of Serengeti when armed servitors gathered for
battle training. Known for its reverence of tradition and strict adherence to
protocol, the Serengeti Group’s commitment to ancient formality serves as a
reminder that in these modern, civilized times, commerce remains conflict.
Serengeti associates are expected to excel in all forms of commercial warfare.
Lilian enters warily as the thirty or so occupants focus on
her. Honor acts as duty commands.
A handful of associates arrayed in the finest of commerce
couture are seated in the first of the tiered rows designed to accommodate five
hundred. These are the protégés. Two months gone she expected to have an
honored place in this elite group. Instead, the elegant crowd greets her with
sneers. “Coward. Shadeless twist. Demon shit. Doxy.”
As she reaches the middle rows, twenty or so associates
garbed by the better merchants join in the hostility, the murmurs swelling in
volume as she passes. Chin high, eyes forward, pace even, she continues on,
refusing to acknowledge her tormentors. She should be accustomed to insult and
able to ignore it by now. This day. There is
only this day.
EG
Manetti
Where duty and passion collide
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Thanks for the mention of Alien Castaways!
ReplyDeleteGreat books!
DeleteGreat examples of "tempest tossed." That theme almost guarantees plenty of conflict and struggle between characters as they attempt to claw their way back to a hopeful future. Excellent post!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the mention! I do love writing disasters, although I'm not usually so much about the aftermath phase, which of course is equally important and traumatic in its own way. Glad you came through the hurricane ok!
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job with Zulaire and the whole 'we survived the attack but now we have to run for our lives'!
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