Sunday is time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click on the logo above for links to other authors) and Sunday Snippets (click on the logo below.) Both offer a wide variety of genres and states of wiring, from rough drafts to published works.
I am starting at the beginning of a work I hope is almost ready for publication, Rescue Operation. We start in the antagonist’s point of view:
Zhaim scowled at his agent’s report. Horizon was preparing to vote itself out of the Confederation? They couldn’t, of course. The fate of Rakal had put an end to that nonsense, and for once his half-brother had done the right thing. But the vote, once its results reached the Inner Council, was bound to bring questions about his competence as planetary Guardian.
Unless he could get them to adopt his own plan first. Did he control enough votes to do that? Wif, who could be counted on to vote with Roi, was away on a medical emergency.
I should say that some of my characters (the R’il’noids) do not age and are carried forward from Homecoming and Tourist Trap, which are set roughly 250 years earlier. Others will be remote descendants of the characters in the earlier books, and some will be entirely new. Rescue Operation is projected to be the first volume of a trilogy.
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Intrigue and political maneuvering–as always great snippet.
Glad the initial politics (plus starting in the POV of the antagonist) didn’t turn you off.
How fun – a new story in the familiar world! Love it, intriguing beginning. Excellent excerpt!
Familiar world but a couple of centuries later.
As this is the start of a story, presumably we wouldn’t know what “The fate of Rakal” means, but it sounds ominous! This snippet raises all sorts of story questions right out the gate. Good opening.
Rakal gets fleshed out gradually, and finally appears in the third novel of the series.
The ever amazing imagination of Ms. Bowling intrigues me once again with and what happens next beginning. Thanks.
My imagination has been working on this for a long time.
Intriguing snippet. Good thing you shared it was the antagonist’s pov. Not knowing this world I or its characters I would have thought Zhaim’s plan is the one to root for. Definitely raised my curiosity;).
I hope that by the next snippet or two it’s clear he’s not the one to root for.
Sounds like Zhaim is planning some shady dealing! I like how this snippets gives just enough information to raise a bunch of questions, without being confusing.
What happened to Rakal? What medical emergency? Questions that would keep me reading!
Rakal comes in gradually over the course of the trilogy.
I like the setup. Great idea to move the story to a later time–since the R’il’noids don’t age, but to include some of the descendents of the original books. This already inspires questions. I’d read more. Nicely done, Sue Ann.
Oh, I have genealogical tables all drawn up.
Politics must be the same in any universe! Nice writing.
As longs as beings seek power.
The political intrigue draws us all in immediately and as pointed out earlier leaves us with many questions we need and want answered. Well done.
I am amazed at your ability to create such believable worlds (just as you did in Homecoming and Tourist Trap. I’ve never been a fan of Sci-Fi but I honestly believe you are beginning to convert me 😉
Good Sci-Fi forces you to look at your own world through different eyes.
Politics seem to be like death and taxes–always with us. Interesting to start with the antagonist’s POV. Very different. Great 8!
One of the more regrettable parts of life.
It does sound ominous!
It’s meant to.
No problem with me getting he isn’t the one to rout for. Conniving politics at it’s best. Lots of tension already. Great start Sue Ann.
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I think you’ll decide whom to root for pretty fast, even if you haven’t met Roi previously.
Very very intrigued, not just by this, but now I have to go read the other two (especially Tourist Trap) to find out how things played out before.
Horse Power is also before this one. Need to have it free again soon.
Yeah, politics is politics, no matter what eon or which planet. Can we expect a conspiracy, too? Kudos!
Is the Roi he mentioned out Roi? And if so, is this a cameo, or will he feature?
Yes, and he does remain the feature character.
I’m intrigued!
You’ve cast a net and drawn it in…full of wriggling readers : ) Excellent lure with this eight.
I hope so.
Late to the party, but glad I didn’t miss this! A lot of questions raised here I’m anxious to see answered. I’m already getting interested in this story, too. 🙂
Some will be answered right away; some are revealed gradually.