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“For the world is changing: I feel it in the water, I feel it in the earth, and I smell it in the air.” – J.R.R. Tolkien.
Every day, our world seems to teeter on the edge of chaos. Although we may not realise it as we go about our everyday business, if we were to view the world’s history, we would see a series of events that are both linked and completely random.
Our technologies bring us closer on a communication level, yet drag us further away from a compassionate, empathetic standpoint. Disagreements become hate-filled personal attacks on social media. News channels stream doom and gloom, avoiding the happier news to promote a daily vibe of misery.
But don’t lose hope! While there are those whose voices yell louder than others, filling the daily void with hatred and vitriol, our world is full of wonderful people, sharing love and optimism. There are so many people whose acts of love and care go unnoticed, but continue nonetheless, showing integrity we wish all our leaders valued.
We experienced many of these beautiful souls while in hospital with our son, Jonathan.
While fiction may sometimes bring dystopian futures to the forefront of our brains, it stands as a voice of warning. An alarm of things we must remember, as these trolls work to divide and conquer. Authors throughout history have (sometimes correctly) predicted the future, others have taught us valuable lessons to prevent the apocalypse.
Speculative fiction allows us to ask questions about the world—safely in our imaginations—while we consider that some things in life aren’t as bad as they could be.
Two stories within this anthology (Atheria and Armalina) are prequel tales to a series of young adult fantasy novels I am currently working on, and look forward to sharing with you in the near future. Other stories were a mix of either my predictions for the future, or trying to escape my present reality.
So sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the following stories. May they terrorise you and help you realise that the real world isn’t as bad as it could be.
Not yet anyway.