If every story has been written before, isn’t it the same for the worlds we create in our books? If life is universal, does it develop everywhere in the same pattern? Of course, not. There is also the possibility of worlds and beings so outrageous that they are impossible for us to conceive or imagine. They could even be invisible to us. But then, would they be relatable to the reader?
When we consider Star Trek’s original thinking, it’s about exploration, and the main characters are still human and relatable… like the Vulcans, the Klingons, or the Romulans… even the Borg. Their motivations, although different from ours, are still within our comprehension.
Then, there are entities of pure evil, destructive, without empathy... but although they affect the lives of the crew, they are impossible for us to fathom.
Star Wars main characters are from different worlds, but mostly human as well with human flaws, like the diverse patrons of some outpost bars with weird Jazz music and alien fringe clientele. Even the robots display human feelings.
When Frank Herbert wrote DUNE, he lived in Egypt and took his inspiration from the Tuaregs, a desert tribe of the Sahara. There are so many diverse cultures in this world, that one needn’t go very far to find interesting societies with different sets of rules… especially if you consider the past.
Cultures like the Greeks, the Romans, the ancient Egyptians, the Vikings, the Mongols, the Samurai, the mid-eastern tales of a thousand and one nights, the ancient Silk Road, all can inspire us to create new worlds, slightly similar yet different.
In CHI WARRIOR, Book One of the PROTECTORS trilogy, scheduled for release this November, I created a medieval post-apocalyptic world, where simple communities survived far apart, separated by wide deserts, high mountains, vast steppes, and uncrossable rivers with dangerous rapids.
As for the culture, it would be basic, simple, but lawless, and the strongest leaders would fight for supremacy, oppressing the weak to gain power in the name of peace.
On such a planet, imagine an oasis of harmony, a self-sufficient monastery in the middle of the desert, devoted to the study of martial arts, with fearsome fighters… and some ancient technology left behind by Immortals who came from the stars.
When the fictional world you created is a character in the story, it also must have a past, and this one is no exception. I will not tell you what it is, because it’s an important twist in the book.
CHI WARRIOR is scheduled for release November 2025. Here is the most recent blurb, still subject to change.
Anila, spiritual warrior woman, trained all her life in the desert, at the monastery of the Celestial Gate, to take the vows of the mighty Protectors. That’s all she’s ever known, all she ever wanted. But a black cloud with wings haunts her nightmares.
When a barbarian horde descends from the north, Bayor Khan seems unstoppable, determined to destroy everything in his path. Rumors of his cruelty make the most powerful princes tremble in their stone fortresses.
Anila is pulled into the inevitable clash as a prophecy unfolds, blurring the lines between good and evil. But nothing is as it seems… not even her, or Bayor Khan. An ancient enemy rises in the shadows, and the falling darkness threatens Anila and everyone she loves.
In the meantime, check out my latest award-winning epic sci-fi fantasy series, available everywhere online:
Happy Reading
Vijaya Schartz, award-winning author
Strong Heroines, Brave Heroes, Epic Adventure
