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A little help with a book?

Posted November 29th, 2009 at 12:43 AM by Misheard Whisper
Updated November 29th, 2009 at 12:51 AM by Misheard Whisper

Concept for a new book, and I need a title to work with. By no means am I dropping my current project; this is for the future. All I ask is that you might take a couple of minutes to read the (kinda long >_<) synopsis I have prepared and perhaps offer a) ideas for a title (this is more important than you might think; it helps me visualise the book gives a point to anchor my mind to.) and/or b) feedback on the concept (like if you see a major, stupid continuity error or something you'd like to see in it.)

Spoiler:

Synopsis

It's nearly two hundred years in the future (the year 2197) but Earth has regressed, not advanced. A series of wars and bids by power-hungry dictators made up a period called the Disintegration (2163-2175). After the Disintegration, Earth became one giant super-country. Geographical segments are under control of their own governments, like before, but they can be likened to local councils of today, with no real authority. As a result, travel is easy, and the world's cultures mingle like never before. International relations had been pushed forcefully by governments before the Disintegration - partially contributing to the Disintegration by angering some extremist groups - so between this and the newfound freedom of movement, the corners of the world are closer than ever before.

Remember how I said Earth had regressed, however? Many of the world's greatest minds were sought out and killed during the Disintegration, and much technology was lost or destroyed. By 2197, the world is starting to pick up momentum once again, but science, in particular, was hit hard by the Disintegration, and is still at a 2030-esque level. That's not the worst of it, though. The governmental system is controlled from a secret location by an enigmatic band of . . . people. But they're not important right now.

What is important, however, is that these guys are uber-corrupt. That is, they're only interested in extending their power. So as a result, the world is screwed. The international (using the term for convenience) police force is rotten to the core, and crime is rampant; so much so that they've had to bring back the Wanted posters. There are no laws regarding weapon possession, and being a mercenary is a popular trade. There are thousands of these rogues spread around the world, and anyone who knows where to look can hire them as assassins, bodyguards, security etc. (So in a nutshell, the world is seriously screwed up.)

One of these mercenaries is a man named Joseph Hart, alias Romulus, a solitary soul. Joseph gets a call one day from his brother, Victor, a professor at Ilium University, near Rome, about an urgent scientific expedition that he needs help with. Being a brotherly kind of guy, Joseph agrees, and the pair of them shuttle off to South America (beating off a few thugs/natives along the way). Buried deep in a cave far beneath the Amazon, they find a large crystal. Victor is ecstatic and the pair immediately return to Italy, Joseph wondering what in the world his crazy little brother could be up to; Victor remains mysteriously silent as he retreats into his lab to study the crystal.

A few days later, Victor asks for Joseph's help again. He explains that inside the crystal has been sealed a spirit - the spirit of Cerberus, a monster of Ancient Greece. Joseph scoffs at this until Victor explains the results of his research. Thousands of years ago, these monsters - Cerberus, the Chimera, the Sphinx, Fenrir, the kappa etc - actually did plague their respective civilisations, but they were all sealed away inside these crystals by a power or powers unknown. (This is because although the monsters' bodies can be destroyed, their spirits could not.) These crystals were scattered to the furthest corners of the earth and hidden far from the eyes of mankind so that the world might be safe from them.

Joseph is still sceptical until he witnesses Victor 'extracting' the spirit from the crystal. The spirit manifests in the semi-corporeal form of a three-headed dog before whooshing through a wall and disappearing. Disappointed, Victor explains that when the spirits are freed from their crystal prisons, they will immediately seek out a human body to possess. When the human's body is occupied by the monster's spirit, their consciousnesses (ugly word) battle for control of the body. If the host is weak-willed, the monster may take over completely, turning them into little more than a hollow, bestial shell of a person. If the host has an iron countenance, they may be able to dominate the monster's spirit and seal it away deep within their mind. This requires great luck, however, and probably forewarning, which cannot be given as it is impossible to tell who the spirit will possess. What usually happens, though, is that there is a compromise of sorts. The host's personality becomes more like that of the monster occupying them, and they gain superhuman powers because of it. The hosts are often mentally unstable.

When Joseph challenges Victor about how he knows this and why he's so obsessed, he receives no definite answer. Instead, Victor injects him with a drug that allows him to mysteriously home in on the running Cerberus spirit and locate its new host. (This was concocted by examining the bizarre chemical makeup of the crystal Cerberus was imprisoned in.) Reluctantly, Joseph manages to master his newfound ability to locate Cerberus. He and Victor trace down the host (in Sweden or something, I dunno) and grab him. Cerberus' power manifests, and the guy trashes half of Victor's lab with living shadows or something.

His doubts growing, Joseph demands an explanation from Victor as to why he wants this. Victor reveals that he wants to use the super-powered humans to take down the world government. Joseph realises his brother has gone crazy and tries to leave, but Victor stops him, explaining further. He's not the bad guy, he says. He wants to make the world a better place, not a worse one. The government they have now is dooming the world even further, he purports. If he and his monster-men were to replace them, he would be able to bring the world back to it's pre-Disintegration glory, with one key difference: it would still be one nation, with him and Joseph at its head.

Joseph leaves, slightly worried, but confident that his brother will go no further without his support.

A month or two later, there is news of a terrorist attack on a local government. Joseph pays it little attention - this sort of stuff happens all the time, after all – until he hears that it was apparently carried out by individuals with 'magic powers'. He realises that Victor has had more success than he expected, but still does not want to get involved. He can't see it escalating to a level that might threaten him or his livelihood, and besides, who would want to go up against his own brother? He's no wannabe action hero, at any rate. So instead he tips off someone who has experience in the matter: a university professor of ancient history.
The professor convinces him to fight, and Joseph reluctantly allows himself to be convinced, realising - as the violence escalates and hundreds of innocent people are killed - that Victor a) has a greater chance of success than he ever imagined, and b) is completely nuts.

Now, Joseph's mission is to track down as many remaining crystal-monster-spirits as he can and convince them to join his cause before Victor gets to them. And if they can't be convinced, then . . . well, Joseph will have no problem disposing of them. He has to assemble enough forces to take down Victor's rapidly growing army of possessed humans, and he has to . . . get along with them. Overcoming all the odds, as well as time, bad guys, and his own anti-social attitude, Joseph is racing the clock for the sake of humanity. And he's not even sure why he's doing it.

Eesh. Not sure why that was so long. 1,255 words. Dear me. SPOILER IT. So, anyone got anything?
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  1. Old Comment
    Her's Avatar
    A series of wars and bids by power-hungry dictators made up a period called the Disintegration (2163-2175)

    You spelt Disneyland wrong.
    Posted November 29th, 2009 at 7:20 PM by Her Her is offline
  2. Old Comment
    Misheard Whisper's Avatar
    Ah damn, should probably fix that.
    Posted November 29th, 2009 at 7:29 PM by Misheard Whisper Misheard Whisper is offline
  3. Old Comment
    Science Fiction. ooh! Regression! double ooh!

    Romanticism? Dont see yet >:

    XD But umm definately highlight the change in human nature, one way or another. The disintergration, a period of what? What was it spawned by?

    For the "present", think of how you would live without technology D: yes i focus on the environment too much, also I'm too sleepy and I've bookmarked this tldr for later.

    Terrorist attack? Government? Think about how such concepts worked, decades and centuries ago. Research this. You said the earth regressed, prove it. If you refer to the current [s]early[/s] 21st century technology, then earth has remained relatively the same, due to a regression.

    I like the consistency though, and since its an omnipresent recount, I wanted to catch you out with your tenses and stuff but damn XD I'm the fool now.
    Posted November 30th, 2009 at 8:49 AM by beauty. proletariat beauty. proletariat is offline
  4. Old Comment
    Bay's Avatar
    Hm, this sounds very interesting. Crazy professors for the win! :D *has a crazy professor in my fic :P* The only thing though is the world regressing and such is a bit too much for a backdrop. Also not sure about the greatest minds being sought out and killed. We need those people more than evar, I say! D: Then again, I read through this just one time, so check back with me again when I have time to go a second readthrough next week. Have finals to study for. x_x
    Posted December 6th, 2009 at 11:48 AM by Bay Bay is offline
  5. Old Comment
    Misheard Whisper's Avatar
    Hey whoa. I missed beauty. proletariat's until now. ^_^;;;

    When I say 'regressed', I mean this: It's gone backwards from where they were when the Disintegration started (c. 2163 CE), but it's about 10-20 years ahead of what we have now, in the real world.

    As for greatest minds being sought out and killed, there were some . . . really extreme divergent groups during the depression.

    . . . I have a weakness for crazy extremists, don't I? *quietly puts Cult of Avos into a drawer*
    Posted December 6th, 2009 at 12:49 PM by Misheard Whisper Misheard Whisper is offline
  6. Old Comment
    Misheard Whisper's Avatar
    Note: I finally got around to writing this. I have an 82,000 word draft sitting on a flash drive, thanks to NaNoWriMo. The finished product is very different to the concept, but . . . I'm happy with it. Wants much rewriting, however.
    Posted December 1st, 2010 at 6:14 PM by Misheard Whisper Misheard Whisper is offline