As usual, there isn't any fanfare or advertisement to announce its launch. Interested readers can click on the book cover to the right to go to Amazon and use the "Look Inside" feature to checkout before purchase.
Happy reading!
How should a sci-fi novel end? Should it leave readers guessing? Give them a "feel good" aftertaste? Reduce them to tears? Or keep them at the edge of their seats and wanting more?
Most fairy tales and fantasies tend to gravitate towards a "happily ever after" kind of ending, some with a slight twist of light humor or dark shades of uncertainty.
Sci-fi narratives, on the other hand, are usually somber or predicated with an element of unknown, as if the ending is but the beginning of something far more sinister or demanding a future scenario that will resolve the tragedy or catastrophe introduced in the parting shot.
Most authors would love to have a smashing debut for their first titles with the hope of riding on the successes with a sequel or even a trilogy, as they gain a strong following and ardent fans who love their styles of writing.
For me, I think I'll leave the options open for now.
I've decided to name this pivotal chapter as such for a few reasons:
and some.
With so much going for it, little wonder it's the longest chapter in the novel, and probably the most engaging in terms of action-filled and emotional rollercoaster experiences. On a personal level, it is the most satisfying chapter to write too.
I hope readers will feel the same reading it.
Don't be misled by the title of the book for it has nothing to do with religion. Rather, theoretical physics is the main thrust throughout as the renown physicist sought to give his take on the progress made in this field of physics to find the ultimate equation, or theory that will define or explain the existence of everything.
What exactly is theoretical physics? According to the definition in Wikipedia:
Theoretical physics is the branch of physics that deals with developing and evolving theory to explain the fundamental nature of the universe. It is possibly the most important branch of physics in that without it physics would stagnate and no new discoveries or ideas would develop.
I've wondered why Dr. Kaku chose to be a theoretical physicist, and the book at the beginning gave the answer——because Einstein was one. At his death, it was discovered in his opened notebook that he was working on an unfinished theory which he termed the "Unified Field Theory". That inspired Dr. Kaku to take up the challenge with the hope that one day, he and his fellow physicists would finish the quest of this great physicist,
As a matter of fact, Dr. Kaku firmly believes that the leading (and possibly the only) theory that could unravel the mystery of the universe is the "String Theory" of which he is a co-founder.
I can't say that I'll be able to figure out all these intricate stuff which took physicists many years to discover and formulate. At the very least, the book will enable me to have a better appreciation of their works and contributions which, in the near future, might just afford us a new understanding of our existence and the world we live in.
How should I codename the operation to tie it with the previous mission, and at the same time project an air of uncertainty in its outcome? After careful consideration, I decided that "Operation Tempest" would suit the story climax best. Besides having the same letter as "Operation Thunderbolt" it has a far more dangerous appeal in its tone as the team embark to retrieve the thermal energy warhead they failed to accomplish in their earlier attempt.
To make matters worse, I have selected an abandon warehouse in the outskirts of the city in which the high tension drama will be played out between team STRATOS and the elusive mercenaries. What are the chances of a favorable outcome for our heroes? Is there a possibility STRATOS will suffer another severe setback and ended up with more casualties, or even fatalities?
And how does HAVAH come into the picture? Will she be able to save the day and come back in one piece, Or...
So much is at stake in this climactic chapter, and I'm doing what I can to keep myself level-headed as I plot out the scenes for this ultimate showdown between the good guys and their adversaries.
Being a visual person, I need to see facial expressions of the characters I'm going to create to effectively put them into motion in the narrative. As such, I usually search online for impressions I had in mind first, and then lined them up against the good guys, in this case STRATOS, to get a good match.
Next, I'll need to introduce them with a dramatic entry, though not too in details less it becomes draggy. Here's how it goes:
As the team (STRATOS) retreated to a predetermined rendezvous point where they could regroup and reassess the situation, bright lights suddenly flooded the dimly lit warehouse. Across the other end of the interior, a group of six mercenaries emerged from their covers, dressed in sundry outfits.
Leading the pack was a tall Eurasian with a shaved head and a scar across his cheek, speaking in a deep, commanding Russian accent. Following behind him were two women—a blond Croatian of athletic build with sicanje tattoos all over her body and a hijab-wearing Egyptian with a mysterious demeanor. Another three men appeared alongside these women—a heavy set Mexican of dark complexion and short black hair, a medium build Chinese with a dragon tattooed on his bare chest, and a suave-faced Chilean wearing an aviator sunglasses.
I'll leave the fun for my readers to match the descriptions to the photos above, and see if my descriptions are apt and accurate enough. Most fiction novel writers would expect their readers to use their imaginations when reading, but I thought "Heck, why not make it more interesting for my story and let my readers see some real, visual stuff instead?" That'll really ignite your imaginations and fuel your adrenalines.
So far, STRATOS has been invincible with their high-tech gears——a combination of impervious Warhawk Armors and deadly Raptor Rifles, and the dependable assistance of an intelligent AI entity, EVE. That definitely puts any adversary or terrorist groups in a glaring disadvantage.
On the one hand, I want to create an impressive team of combatants that would give the six STRATOS members a bang for their buck. On the other hand, I have to find a way to trim STRATOS down to a level playing field so that a one-on-one confrontation between the two teams will provide a satisfactory rollercoaster experience. I'm sure by now, readers would have become endeared to some of the characters and will exhibit levels of emotions as they follow their adventures and encounters in the narrative.
The best bet would be STRATOS' last encounter with the mercenaries in which they lost a valuable member, Viper. It will certainly evoke the desire for revenge on both sides when they come face to face for a final showdown.
Now, I need to go back to the drawing board and think of the scenarios and combat strategies to include in this upcoming pivotal chapter. Stay tune.
So, I'm finally down to the last two chapters of my sci-fi novel. Of course, I tried my best to keep readers hooked on the storyline by bringing the narrative through a number of "dramatic" highs. But as every story reader would expect, there should be one "ultimate" sort of "climactic" finale near the end of the novel.
The question is: Should the "climax" be in the last chapter, or is it better to be in the second last? I'd figured that most fiction novels usually preferred the latter, so that the ending chapter is used as a kind of housekeeping debrief for the story and its characters and, if circumstances permit, to create an abrupt ending that makes way for a sequel.
Now that I got the spelling and the order of the story ending sorted out, it's time to get into the grind to produce the finale "climax" readers are anticipating...
At this point in the story progression, it would be natural to expect some kind of dynamism between David and HAVAH who now possesses Viper's memories. How will it play out before the end of this chapter? Frankly, I had no idea when I started writing it, but as the events unfolded and tensions built up between the characters, it became clear to me how I should steer the narrative to an emotive peak to make way for a climactic end in the last two chapters.
I will not provide the outlines for this chapter like I did for the past chapters. In fact, there won't be any for the final two either. This is deliberate on my part to give an air of mystery and expectancy for would-be readers following this blog. But by reading the earlier posts, I'm sure clever readers would have some idea already, though not completely. Where's the fun and excitement if you had everything figured out, right?
Fast forward to the present, as I near the finishing chapters of my novel to bring the story to its climax, I can't help thinking how the world will be when AI finally attain sentience and become accessible as real-life humanoid forms, interacting with real people on a daily basis in every level of a transformed society. And it's not a question of "if" but "when" this will happen, based on the trend and speed at which technology is advancing.
It then begs the following questions:
We're living in changing times where many distinctions are beginning to blur the lines. What used to be taboos and out of bounds are becoming the norm in a highly polarized world. In the past, we only dealt with heterosexual, bisexual and asexual issues. Now we have to contend with "fictosexual" and what not. Even the familiar "romance" has spun off to "bromance", "sismance", etc.
This is the reason why I chose to write a novel of this genre——not only to bring the readers to a realization of the rapid changing landscapes in a world we used to know and yet is fast becoming unrecognizable, but to confront pressing questions that demand serious considerations and what their implications will be for our future.
Maybe it's just an intuition as I ponder on the next event to bring out more fireworks and create opportunities for character development. This seems to be the aim of every novel writer as they prod on in their laborious work, chapter by chapter, and event by event.
In trying to find a face for a villian in my sci-fi narrative, the Hungarian notation struck a note (pun intended) and paved the way for an exciting episode that pitted David against a formidable opponent. Of course, HAVAH would come into the picture, as do the various STRATOS members, accompanied by all the dynamics between these characters.
Again, I have to make it clear that I have nothing against any country or nationality. Writing a novel is just that——a work of fiction. Sometimes, an author has the unenviable task to select a certain individual as the bad guy to do some nasty things. The right choice will bring the story to a whole new level, while a wrong one will likely be a letdown and an anticlimax.
If you don't believe me, ask Trevor Noah.
A first look at "Quantum Supremacy", also a number 1 New York Times bestseller, did not disappoint. The book is broken into four parts, each seeking to address a particular aspect of the Quantum computing revolution in relation to our world and its implications for our existence.
In the first part, Dr. Kaku prepares his readers to embrace the transition from a digital computer age to that of the Quantum inevitability. In the next three sections, he postulates the great potentials and possibilities this revolution hold for mankind in the precarious and urgent situation it is currently facing, whether it's food, energy, health, diseases, mortality, and climate changes, etc.
For my generation, we may not feel the long-term consequences of our abuses and careless treatment to the earth we live in, but for the future generation, the promise of Quantum computers provide a ray of hope to circumvent an impending global catastrophe of our own making, or if not, to at least slow down or delay it for a bit longer.
The author draws from his vast store of knowledge collected from his own research as well as interviews with many renown experts in their related fields. This is evident from the impressive list of names spanning over six pages in the acknowledgment section of the book. And the American theoretical physicist has a way of making complex and abstract topics like neuroscience not only interesting but engaging with his style of writing, you could practically read through a chapter without putting the book down.
For a sample, here's the introduction:
The two greatest mysteries in all of nature are the mind and the universe. With our vast technology, we have been able to photograph galaxies billions of light-years away, manipulate the genes that control life, and probe the inner sanctum of the atom, but the mind and the universe still elude and tantalize us. They are the most mysterious and fascinating frontiers known to science.
If you want to appreciate the majesty of the universe, just turn your gaze to the heavens at night, ablaze with billions of stars...
To witness the mystery of our mind, all we have to do is stare at ourselves in the mirror and wonder, What lurks behind our eyes? This raises haunting questions like: Do we have a soul? What happen to us after we die? Who am "I" anyway? And most important, this brings us to the ultimate question: Where do we fit into this great cosmic scheme?
He quoted the great Victorian biologist Thomas Huxley:
The question of all questions for humanity, the problem which lies behind all others and is more interesting than any of them, is that of the determination of man's place in Nature and his relation to the Cosmos.
I'm definitely going to enjoy reading this book in between my novel writing, not just to take a break but also to draw inspiration from Dr. Kaku's intriguing insights into the human brain and the mind.
My wife said that I should stay away from writing and just enjoy the company and program she has planned for me. I thought that was a good idea too! Having a birthday at the beginning of a new year seems like a promising start.
And I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the day.
Not everyone loves to write, and fewer still take writing as a calling. In a world where literacy is on the rise, more and more people are a...
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