Science Fiction (First Contact)/Science Fiction (Romance)/Science Fiction (Military)
Date Published: November 26, 2019
Publisher: PhoenixPhyre
They’re already here, and no one knows about it...yet.
Two bedrock assumptions seem to find their way into almost all science fiction tales of first contact between Earth and a hypothetical alien race. The first is that we will necessarily know when it happens and the second is that alien motives will likely be malevolent. In Tier Zero, Vol. I of The Knolan Cycle, first contact occurred over thirty years ago and no one on Earth...not even SETI...has a clue it has happened.
Martin Tellus is a graduate student at UCLA. His past is riddled with mystery, including a lifelong recurring dream he cannot explain. And just as a volcano’s first discharges of gas and magma often signal a coming eruption, Marty’s dreams signal a transformative change. The transformation arrives in the form of a “chance” meeting with Lysia in philosophy class. Their connection is instantaneous.
A seductive Asian woman with an untraceable accent, Lysia sticks to Marty’s thoughts. During a casual conversation after their next class, Lysia offers to teach Marty “eastern” philosophy. But to Marty’s surprise, her teachings open a mind-bridge between them, accompanied by an intense physical connection. And Marty’s progress doesn’t end with the connection he and Lysia share. As her teachings progress, he discovers new powers, at once exhilarating and disquieting. Not for the first time, he wonders, who is Lysia really?
Marty’s questions have answers, but Lysia isn’t telling. At least not yet. The truth is she’s a Seeker and Waykeeper of Knola, in a nearby arm of our common galaxy. She’s been waiting for Marty’s awakening, specifically to be on hand to mentor him in the Way. As Marty’s powers grow with Lysia’s teachings, she realizes he’s unique in ways not even the Oracle, to whom Lysia answers foresaw.
Lysia finds Marty’s growth in the Way at once inspiring and unnerving. Sharing her concerns with her superiors back on Knola, she precipitates a fateful decision that will change Marty’s life and alter the history of both Earth and the Knolan Concordant. Tier Zero begins Marty’s perilous journey to a destiny beyond his—or anyone’s—imaginings.
Tier Zero, Volume I of The Knolan Cycle was published in November 2019. Eryinath-5, Volume II in the series is due out from PhoenixPhyre Publishing in 2021.
Interview with D.B. Sayers
For those
interested in exploring the subject or theme of your book, where
should they start?
There
are several themes emerging from Tier
Zero, beginning
with our notions of first contact between Earth and a hypothetical
alien race. Most science fiction stories dealing with first contact
make a couple assumptions. The first assumption is that we will
necessarily know when first contact happens and the second is that
alien motives will probably be malevolent. In Tier
Zero, Vol. I of The Knolan Cycle,
first contact happened over 30 years ago, and Earth seems blissfully
unaware of it. That’s about to change, as you might guess, as the
story unwinds, it challenges some of our bedrock assumptions about
how first contact might unfold. And about the Knolan’s motives for
contact? Let’s just say it’s complicated.
How did you become
involved with the subject or theme of your book?
I’ve
always been fascinated by unexplained phenomena. Not surprisingly,
I’m equally entranced by speculative science fiction. The original
idea for Tier Zero
comes from a dream I used to have often as a child, floating above a
city enshrouded in night fog,with lights shining through it. A wind
I sensed rather than felt swept me along, independent of my will. A
psychologist would be sure to tell me that the dream is symbolic of
some deep-seated, unresolved issues. But it is the inspiration for a
recurring dream my protagonist, Marty Tellus has in Tier
Zero. Unlike my
childhood dream, however, Marty’s is much more than a dream. It is
his portent of a journey toward a destiny he can’t even begin to
imagine.
What were your
goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you
achieved them?
With
Tier Zero,
I sought to craft an original take on first contact between Earth
and an alien race that wasn’t populated by two-dimensional, evil
aliens. I wanted it to be an exhilarating tale of adventure that
also challenged some of the overworked tropes in science fiction.
But I’ve always believed that no matter what the genre, authors
owe their readers more than just an entertaining story. So I wanted
to add evocative spiritual and philosophical threads as well. Both
Tier Zero
and its sequel, Eryinath-5
offer an alternative value system. One that is more humanistic and
sustainable with an inherent value for all life. It’s up to
readers, I think, to decide how successfully the themes and
underpinning insights work, but the folks in both my critique group
and my beta readers have all loved it.
Anything you would like to say to
your readers and fans?
Go
deep. There are a number of concepts in this story that challenge
the default notions with which we have grown up. The Knolans’
solutions to the pitfalls implicit in our default values are an
alternative (though surely not the only one) to our existing social
norms. For some of us, they may or may not make sense, but I would
challenge readers to not simply fall back on old thought patterns.
Take the time to critically examine some of the assumptions that
underpin our old way of seeing things to determine if they are still
true and relevant. Change is the absolute lei motif of our age and
while some things are probably constants, surely it’s reasonable
to think some of our values and how they’re implemented may be
worthy of critical review.
What did you enjoy most about
writing this book?
The
characters, I think. The women in this story in particular are
strong, admirable women with demonstrable agency and leadership
skills. The Knolans abandoned the notion of patriarchy long ago, for
both practical and philosophical reasons that become clear as the
story unfolds. Women on Knola don’t simply enjoy equality, they
also enjoy the default assumptions of inherent value and competence.
Among Knolan women, there aren’t many shrinking violets.
Can you tell us a little bit about
your next books or what you have planned for the future?
I
have just finished refinement of Eryinath-5,
the sequel to Tier
Zero and it’s in
the hands if my editor. I hope it will be ready for publication
mid-year 2021. In addition, I’m about half-way through The
Year of Maybe, the
sequel to Best-Case
Scenario, Act
I of Nyra’s Journey.
A New Adult novella, it follows six pivotal months in Nyra’s
growth from a young woman with more questions than answers to her
dawning sophistication and a life of consequence. The
Year of Maybe
follows her continued growth and some of her painful lessons along
the way.
How long have you been writing?
Since
high school. I started out writing poetry and short stories, in
addition of course to all the usual essays we’re obliged to write
as part of our general education. In my first career as a Marine
officer, I wrote a lot of non-fiction, but my first love has always
been storytelling. I have been writing full-time since leaving my
corporate training job and have four books in print with two more on
the way.
Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in (Tier Zero,
Vol. I of The Knolan Cycle)?
Marty
Tellus. Protagonist.
Deep down, Marty suspects he doesn’t belong here. Asked to
explain, he’d struggle, not for lack of intelligence, but because
the truth is something no grounded human ever would suspect. Marty’s
not all human. He’s an Awakening half-Knolan Seed. He’s
intelligent and self-aware enough to have adapted successfully to
his confusing childhood and the abruptly being laid off from his
first job out of colleg. But he still feels like he’s adrift in a
strange land. It’s against this backdrop that Marty meets Lysia,
his mentor to be. She will alter his life and his destiny.
Lysia.(prounounced
Lisˊ-ee-yah)
Knolan Seeker/Waykeeper.
Apart for her almost symphonic grace, Lysia’s biracial beauty
might go unnoticed, on the UCLA campus. She looks Asian or Pacific
Islander. A daughter of the Voltan Plain on Knola, Lysia’s
physical appearance has been genetically altered to blend. Until you
meet her dazzling amber eyes. As the reader gets to know her, Lysia
emerges as courageous, empathetic, sensual, wise and loving.
Kholôtha
(pronounced Coe
lawthˊ
uh) (Restara,
and second to the Oracle of Knola). Sent
by the Oracle to collect Marty for training in the Tower of the
Waykeepers, Kholôtha
serves as Marty’s mentor on the trip from Earth to Knola. In
contrast to Lysia, Kholôtha
an imposing, almost forbidding character, physically and
intellectually. As the Oracle’s Restara, she oversees the day to
day functions of the Waykeeper Order. Authority rests comforably on
her shoulders. Kholôtha
is a warrior and leader, but as time goes on, readers see her as a
thoughtful and perceptive spirit who can be tough at need. It’s
not hard to see why the Oracle chose her as her second.
Arra.
Survey-Intercept Officer aboard DSF (Deep Space Fleet) Cygnus. A
nartive of Cirar, Arra is a gorgeous and forthright little spitfire
with as much courage as anyone aboard her ship regardless of stature
or gender. She radiates sensuality, balanced by unconscious
competence and courage to go along with an engaging personality. Her
torrid passion for Marty irrespective of their relative inability
to communicate other than through Kholôtha
make for an interesting segment of the book, tell the reader the
connection will likely be enduring.
If you could spend the day with one
of the characters from (Tier Zero, Vol. I of The Knolan Cycle) who
would it be? Please tell us why you chose this particular character,
where you would go and what you would do.
It
would definitely have to be Arra. Quite apart from her courage and
fiery passion which everyone who reads Tier
Zero admires, her
quick wit and direct, open manner is refreshing and engaging. It’s
not that she lacks filters, it’s just that she’s pefectly
comfortable ignoring conventions when it suits her.
I
would want to take a ride through her homeland in rift valley, on
home continent of Cirar. Not only would she be an engaging guide for
all the reasons outlined above, the incredible beauty of her home
would be burned into my memory. Besides. I can’t to ride an A’ayln
(pronounced āˊ-lan),
the Knolan equivalent of our horse.
D.B.
Sayers is a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel, former corporate
training manager turned full-time author and editor. You can follow
his work, retain him as an editor at dirksayers.com.
Subscribe to Dirk’s
Tribes while you’re
there, or just drop in and say hi.
About the Author
Dirk’s path to authorship wasn’t quite an accident, but almost. It’s not that he didn’t write. He did. But through two previous careers, first as a Marine officer and subsequently as a corporate trainer, Dirk started way more stories than he finished.” But in the backwash of the 2008 financial meltdown, his employer filed for Chapter 11. Cordially invited to leave and not return, Dirk found himself out of work and excuses.
Since then, Dirk has published West of Tomorrow, Best-Case Scenario and a collection of short fiction entitled, Through the Windshield. Works in progress include A Year of Maybes, sequel to Best Case Scenario and Tier Zero, Volume I of the Knolan Cycle now available from Amazon in paperback and Kindle.
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