If you haven't noticed yet, there's plenty of giant robots in Galactic Christendom. As far as any outsider would say, this is a mecha property. It is also a Space Opera property; that's not a conflict in the least. (The Macross franchise at times approaches being a literal Space Opera, but instead sticks to idols and rock stars.) That means that the serial I'm doing here is a mecha story, and I am not being subtle about it.
The follow-up I'm plotting now ("The Taking of Countess Gabriella Robin") has plenty of giant robot combat, starting with a cunning raid on an innocent world in Galactic Christendom and culminating in a fleet battle on the enemy homeworld. Once more, I follow the motto of Mekton: Action, Romance, GIANT ROBOT COMBAT. Throw in massive starships slugging it out in orbit over exotic alien worlds, and you've got something you have to be John Scalzi to fuck up. (Even at his worst, Yoshiyuki Tomino delivered.)
There's going to be more over time. Now that I clearly see an opening, I'm going for it.
Eventually I'll have one of those easily-remembered three-word-titles for my franchise, something I'll need to figure out when I finish a manuscript and need to put together a cover and start a promotional hustle. The overall plan is to use multiple stories to bring a pile of characters on the stage before the big mashup begins and we start building towards the events of "The Ghost Fist Gambit".
So yeah, I'm in the arena. I'm on Solaris VII and ready to throw down.
And I'm not going to be shy about what my ingredients are, or why I'm drawing from those inspirations to make this thing happen.
Bradford,
ReplyDeleteHey reading through the various post is a bladt. I like your various excursus (aka background history) to be informative. They read like the D&D books i've perused.
I order not to bog you down with a long text i'll make a list of question/comments about the mecha series that you can answer when you have time:
1) was Warhammer 40 k another influence but without the grimdark?
2) i particulsrly liked that earth had 10 billion (ha take that population controllers!) but i'm somewhat unclear as to where the other terrain type planets? I assume that they're still in the Milky way but not sure of the direction.
3) speaking of resuscitated military orders here's one you can incorporate if i can find the proof: a medieval order of knights opened only to women. It'd be fun to implement them as mecha instructors
4) your excursus on the feudal society gave me much food for thought. If I were to write my mecha stories it would be a mashup of the age of exploration, the belle epoque, prisoner of zenda along with glactic Christianity. Themes I'd want to explore would be less epic but still heroic.
5) what are the role of women in the galactic Christanity mecha saga? I know by no means they'd be passive. Quite the contrary I could see some as Joir of Jaren with a much more explicit Christanity and others to be the moral support.
6)are the mrcha pilots sworn to celibacy, married men or a mix of both?
I'll pop by from time to time to read and savour the stories. And thanks for sharing them they've helpful in giving ideas for my own mecha stories
xavier