New Author Spotlight: Daniel Hope

Co-founder and now Managing Editor of the online Science Fiction and Fantasy magazine, Fiction Vortex, Daniel recently self-published his first novel, a science fiction gem called The Inevitable (see my review here).

1. What are your favourite books and how have they influenced your writing?
This probably comes as no surprise, but I'm a real sucker for science fiction. I love old Asimov stories, even when they don't held up too well over the years. A constant influence is Douglas Adam's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy because I find myself gravitating back to it every year or two. Great concepts really draw me in, too. So stuff by Vernor Vinge, Neal Stephenson, James S. A. Corey, and plenty of others get my attention regularly.

2. What authors have inspired you?
As I mentioned above, Douglas Adams has made a huge impression on me, just because of how effortless his writing feels. Terry Pratchett was another early influence. (I have a thing for British humor apparently). William Gibson also had a huge influence on me because he can make a strange world feel so real.

3. Describe your writing process. How do you handle writer’s block and other challenges?
If I had to choose a single word to describe my writing process, it would probably be "disjointed." I'm easily stumped by a story, and I feel like the only way to work through it is to break my routine. So I have a half dozen notebooks, half a billion different word processor files, and sheets and sheets of scribbles scattered about. I write on the train, in a cafe, on my bed, just about anywhere but at my desk to get the juices flowing. This makes for a huge problem when it's time to pull everything together, but it seems to work.

4. What are your future writing plans?
I've got another science fiction novel in the works, although it's a completely different setting and tone than my first novel. I don't know what will happen after that, but I can guarantee it will involve words.

Book Review: The Inevitable by Daniel Hope

The Inevitable by Daniel Hope

Genre: Science Fiction

Publisher: Self-published

Publication Date: July 2013

Author Info: speculativeintent.com

Wendy's Rating - 4 of 5 stars: 

The Inevitable certainly has no shortage of action and intrigue, but it’s the human interactions and Tuck’s experiences that truly make this book a surprisingly touching gem.

Tuck is a robot. The last sentient robot in existence after the culling of the Bot Riots, and the most human robot you’ll ever meet, in spite of his completely inhuman appearance. After 150 years, Tuck is barely held together with old parts that he diligently works to replace. He is often hunted by collectors seeking to add a much prized trophy to their shelves. His quest for survival eventually leads him to a man of questionable motives who can keep Tuck functioning for many more years, but the arrangement may force Tuck to take human lives, something he is strongly against.

From the moment we first meet Tuck, it is clear that he’s a robot, but though he makes the Pinocchio comparison himself, he notes that he is not seeking to become real. He knows that he exists, and while he doesn’t question being alive, he knows that he doesn’t want to die. Nor does he want to kill, though he has in the past, either by mistake, negligence or intent. And he remembers every death.

Through Tuck, Hope explores the idea of mortality and of humanity. Even when Tuck is making highly technical calculations as he assesses a situation, Hope’s writing maintains such an endearing level of compassion. One of my favourite scenes involves Tuck is pithily breaking down how we experience emotion. It becomes clear early on that Tuck understands and respects more about humanity than we humans ever will.

The plot described in the blurb implies a lot of action and intrigue, and The Inevitable certainly has no shortage of that, but it’s the human interactions and Tuck’s experiences that truly make this book a surprisingly touching gem. I loved the vastness of this future world, while appreciating that Hope didn’t feel compelled to go too deeply into the details of each and every planet. It’s important only to know that earth exists, and we’ve moved on to other worlds as our technology and hubris demands. And most of all, I loved Tuck.