Firstly, a huge, heartfelt thank you is in order. I did not expect this book to have the impact that it did. It has been really touching to see you sharing photos of your book arriving in your corner of the world. Thank you.
Unfortunately, I can’t explain how I got into the top 5 of the leader board. I am convinced that the algorithm is more like a cat than an algorithm and it was in a good mood that day. Thank you for all of your kind comments and support.
Oceanus
A few interesting questions have come up about Oceanus recently, and I’m delighted to answer them. Think of this as a little online book tour, but we’re in our comfy clothes and have just boiled the kettle.
Main inspiration
It will come as no surprise to you that Oceanus is based on The Tempest. It’s not simply a retelling. I don’t feel that would do it justice, as there were a few huge plot changes with this.
For a long time, I’ve felt compelled to write a science fiction story inspired by The Tempest. Others have already got there before me such as H.G Wells, Margaret Atwood and Jacqueline Carey of course, but there are so many themes in this story that inspire entirely new stories. I had to explore them, too.
Oceanus takes us to the 24th century where Earth is one of many places that humanity calls home. Artificial intelligence is a long-established part of humanity’s dark history by this point and has been outlawed in order to maintain peace between colonies. As humanity explores every corner of the galaxy available to it, the risk of first contact increases, bringing with it mixed feelings. The story begins aboard the S.S Demeter with an anxious cabin steward fumbling around the bridge trying to make sense of what has happened to the passengers and crew. We discover that there’s more to this story than simply a rescue mission.
Main themes
The main themes of Oceanus have a lot in common with the main themes of The Tempest. Jet, the 19 year-old inhabitant of the planet claims that the island is his and feels enslaved by Derrien. Derrien has an interesting past, believing he was banished for drawing attention to the slavery of advanced AI. The crew and the passengers are colonisers, travelling across space to resolve political tensions between other colonies. We also have the themes of compassion, forgiveness, betrayal, communication breakdown, power, nature and the fine line between man and monster.
Synopsis:
The stricken SS Demeter floats helplessly in orbit around a mysterious planet. The crew have evacuated, leaving behind a single crew member. Survivors on the planet find themselves separated and forced to face the substance of their own dreams and nightmares. They don’t know why they’re there or what happened; unbeknownst to them, they are being watched.
Oceanus is a futuristic thriller inspired by William Shakespeare’s The Tempest.
If anyone is to find their way back home, the truth must be revealed.
Character complications
Placing Thea
Obviously, writing this novel in the 21st century and looking between Miranda of The Tempest and Thea of Oceanus, there were issues there that wouldn’t be all that relevant today. For example, Prospero discussing his daughter’s virginity with his future son-in-law in a manner akin to confirming that he hadn’t opened his Christmas presents yet would not sit well in my imagined future. I know that was perfectly acceptable in the 17th century as a woman’s virtue was the closer when it came to striking up a solid alliance, but that was not going to translate well into the 24th century. Derrien is not concerned with his daughter’s sexuality. He is concerned with her happiness and her place in the world. She is naive and she is inexperienced when it comes to other people (see awkward encounter with Geraint in chapter 6) but she is loved, and as the novel progresses, she does cross the line between childhood and adulthood in her own way.
Derrien
This character is neither good nor bad. He has done bad things. He has done good things. He believes that what he is doing is for the right reasons. Think of Imhotep in the Mummy: at any point, did he believe that what he was doing was wrong? No. He was motivated by love and revenge, and we can relate to that. He is the king of his castle, and is basically a space wizard, using psionics to his advantage, but at a great cost.
Derrien is “an arsehole,” but every story needs one.
Balthazar Swaine:
The lovable Bathazar Swaine was inspired by the boatswain in The Tempest. Rather than being a drunkard, Balthazar is really young, inexperienced and struggling with low self-esteem as he tries to save the day and rescue the survivors down on the planet. Good luck to the lad, I say. Writing Balthazar’s chapters were the hardest, to tell you the truth. Every single one was an essential puzzle piece that moved the story along. The story only progressed when he did. The show could not go on without him.
What genre is this?
Science fiction. Oceanus is a sci-fi psychological thriller. It has mystery, suspense and elements of horror.
Young adult? Is it for kids?
Young adult is a relatively new classification for fiction and it draws some confusion for adult readers. The moment we see “young” we think “oh it’s for teens,” but so are many amazing books?
When it came to placing the novel, I originally thought it wouldn’t fit in YA as Oceanus has horror, profanity, violence, threat, death, to name a few things! It turns out that it does fit. The Hunger Games and The Lord Of The Flies are considered Young Adult, as are Pride and Prejudice, Catcher In The Rye and The Hate U Give. It’s a broad church!
Young adult novels usually concern a teenage or young adult protagonist (12-18ish) and while they also explore adult themes, it is how the events of the novel are dealt with. If they are looked back on by an older, wiser narrator, it’s not Young Adult. If they are looked at and addressed/experienced by the young characters, it is Young Adult.
For a long time, I believed that the Young Adult genre was where they stuck female authors because their work was ‘girly’ ie “not serious” (this opinion was fed to me by a female author and I’m ashamed to say I just believed it) but it’s not true. There is a snobbery toward this category and it’s unnecessary. We are going to care about some of these stories. It’s simply a sub-genre of adult fiction featuring characters that are embarking on their adult lives and dealing with very adult issues. They’re worth reading about, too.
Let me know what some of your favourite Young Adult books are in the comments! Likewise, if you have any more questions about the novel, drop one below.
You can buy a copy of Oceanus worldwide at Amazon.com and online retailers such as Barnesandnoble.com and Waterstones.com
From what you've said about the 'Young Adult' categorisation, I'm now confused about how 'New Adult' books fit into the marketing scheme of things. Or is it just best to ignore the subtleties?
H. Your glowing book review is cued up at the front of this Sunday’s post. 12.01 am in about a day. Plz check it out there on Sunday and best wishes for a long and prosperous career following your passion.
Your friends,
Frankie Chocolate & Bomb Bradshaw.