Эндрю Маккей: Star Cat: War Mage

He hoped she wouldn’t point the gun at him, “March tenth, twenty-one-twelve.”

“Yes, it’s you all right,” she said.

Jamie blinked, frozen on the spot. He didn’t dare move a muscle , “What do you want?”

The woman shifted her behind across the seat the van and patted the vacant space next to her, “Get in.”

Hey, gang!

I’ll admit, I struggled a bit with Star Cat 3. It wasn’t because I didn’t have any ideas, but because I know how expansive the story is getting – and is going to be. Keeping a tally of the sheer numbers of characters involved and places and events, and when they happened requires its own encyclopedia (if you’re under the age of thirty, an encyclopedia was like a big book with the history of everything in it. They took all the info and put it where you go to do your last-minute homework; Wikipedia.) I’m sure reading the series is exhausting. Try carrying it around in your head! And we’re only half way there lol

I mentioned in the author notes for Pink Symphony that the series is inspired by the sci fi movies I saw in the 80s when I was growing up. Some of the more seasoned film fanatics among you may well have clocked the Alien, Aliens, Robocop, The Thing, 2001: A Space Odyssey references. These are all deliberate. It’s clear to me now that we’re up to book 3 that Star Cat is playing out like a greatest hits mix tape of all the sci-fi I love. Especially the titles that affected me when growing up. The real test of the series will be whether or not I can juggle everything that is happening in space and back on Earth.

I think there will be six books in this series unlessit’s a super sell-out mega blockbuster. In which case, I’ll explore the idea even further. Time will tell, but I have three more books in mind after War Mage.

War Mage is somewhat beyond sci-fi in my eyes. I mentioned last time that, in my view, good sci-fi raises more questions than it answers. In addition to this I’ve decided sci-fi needs to be way, way more than just fiction regarding science. Sure, all the Poz and Neg Bass / Death Drone / Individimedia / Decapidisc technology is fun, but it’s the characters where we find ourselves really hooked.

This time, for War Mage, the theme was really about identity and conformity. Jelly is the equivalent of a full-grown woman by the end of War Mage. It was an area of drama I really wanted to explore; specifically, the aspect of an animal trying its utmost to conform to the expectations of her crew, and failing in most cases. I refer exclusively to the part where Wool trains Jelly to not do something – knock the cups off the desk. It’s a part that foreshadows Bonnie’s death. Jelly technically murdered Bonnie Whitaker – but, if you think about it, did she really ? She was only playing to her instincts. At that point, being little more than a jumped-up adolescent, it’s hardly fair to say Jelly murdered her. Therein lies the quandary.

This idea of cats acting on instinct came about from a conversation I had with my mum about twenty years ago when I still lived at home. We had a number of cats over the years. Usually two at a time, swearing blind that once they’d passed away, that would be the end of it. The heartbreak when the inevitable rolled round was too much to bear. Anyway, I asked my mum what would happen if Sooty (our black cat at the time) were to outgrow us. Could he be trusted? My mum said she didn’t think so. I am sure we all like to think our pets wouldn’t turn on us if they were to outgrow us in size. But in our heart of hearts, I think we all know they would. Hell, even if they were being friendly and slapping us around for the lolz, they could do irreparable – even fatal – damage.

I wasn’t especially conscious of the conversation while I wrote War Mage. By the time I got to the part where Jelly awakens from hyper-sleep at a whopping seven feet in height, and tells Jaycee to bow down, it all came flooding back. I don’t know about you, but I find that stuff fascinating. I find people and their behaviour in certain situations fascinating. I guess that’s part and parcel of having been a screenwriter and a teacher for most of my adult life – before turning to writing novels. I hope, further, that you as a reader have found the areas I’m exploring just as fascinating.

Incidentally, I’d like to say sorry to all of you who loved Bonnie, Tor, Baldron, Manuel, and Wool. War Mage was a bit of a bloodbath. But, when my characters die, they stay dead, I’m afraid. There’s no point hiding the fact that people, and animals, die. I think it’s a part of the reason why we get pets in the first place. They’re cute and cuddly and great, but the very end does set in stone a principal – especially for children – that all things come to an end. Some of the best works of fiction deal with loss in an appropriate way. We all need to be reminded to not take what we have for granted once in a while.

At the very crux of it all, War Mage has taken us on a journey a billion miles from the starting point. Remember when Jelly Anderson was just a little kitty with her friend, Jamie? Whoa, look at her now… also, before you ask, I am well aware of the things that have not been explained. Perhaps I should tell you now that everything you’ve read in all three books so far has been important. But I would never, ever presume to spell things out for you – and certainly not in this genre. If you’re still wondering how Jelly got pregnant then I’m afraid you’re asking the wrong question. Think along the lines of why and you’ll reach the answer a lot quicker. For those of you who “get it” – then I am glad. I’ve received a lot of communication since Pink Symphony’s release thanking me for not treating them like idiots. It’s been my pleasure.

Now, we move on to Star Cat 4: Killer Instinct. If you thought War Mage was rough… prepare yourselves. It’ll still be Harry Potter / PG-13 levels of violence. But by now you know I’m ruthless. So adjust your expectations accordingly, boys and girls. Don’t worry, there’ll be many OMG and fist pumping moments. Every book needs to up the ante. Killer Instinct will blow your cotton socks off.

Just as the next move as been unpredictable (in most cases, anyway) from one book to the next – so, too, will Killer Instinct. It’ll be a completely different departure. I can only write – and you can only read – a bridge connection exploding between two spaceships so many times, and people unmasking themselves as villains and/or good guys before I start to belabor the point. The title may give the direction away, but I can assure you that the themes will be fresher than a recently-picked dandelion. Also, the events on Earth (if you haven’t figure it out yet with War Mage’s ending lol) is really starting to ramp up. I’m sure the more astute reader may see where all that stuff is heading. I cannot resist satire. If you’ve read any of my other works, then you’ll know this. But, you know what they say – it’s not the being there, but the getting there that’s the most fun.

My family can eat and wear shoes because readers such as yourself are good enough to buy my books and provide me with a living. I must entertain you, and provide you with compelling stories. I will continue to not let you down. If anything, the opposite. Because Star Cat is enjoying considerable success, it’s forcing me to write faster and better. As you’ve seen up until this point I’m trying to cover a number of bases and give you something you haven’t seen before. Sure, it’s silly sci fi nonsense – but is it, really? If you Google “Saturn Moon as All the Ingredients for Life” you’ll find a new story dated June 28th that suggests NASA has found evidence that Enceladus could contain life. I wrote Star Cat: Infinity Claws two months before this story broke. How strange is that?