It is a public fact that sometimes, I am a real millstone. In order to illustrate that rule, I had of course to put stuff online, mention it everywhere, and… totally forget to write about it on my own blog. Ain’t I dumb!

I’m thus taking a few minutes this morning to post a belated notice here, and announce that, after mulling and pondering the thought, I finally decided to put a story online—namely Unsung Heroes, which those who’ve been here since 2005 have surely heard of (a sci-fi/cyberpunk novel I had started for NaNoWriMo ‘05).

As the title easily enough reveals, it’s written in English (I just don’t have the time to translate it into French), hence I feel entitled to blab about it on the English version of the blog as well. The rest of the website is in French, though.

I’ll update accordingly in the weeks and months to follow, and don’t be surprised if I also rewrite a few bits here and there, especially if we take into account the fact that studying English in college always causes me to spot new mistakes these days. For the moment, at least, the first chapter is already available here.

(Critiques and the like are to be left on the forum or through e-mail, unfortunately: I don’t want to activate a comment system on too many pages of the website, since it seems to attract many Russian people who seemingly love football and bedroom sports a lot. Sorry about that…)

Y Tags: chapter | novel | unsung heroes | writing

[Since I haven’t been posting much lately—that’s the least we can say, hmmm?—here’s a little “fan-fiction” story. It’s nothing original in itself, and far from being my best, but it kept me writing in English all the same.

For the information, it’s set in the Warcraft universe, more precisely after WC III: Frozen Throne (I happen to like this world somehow, even though it’s quite a simple and basic one). The human kingdoms of the North have been plagued by a strange disease called “the Scourge”, turning them into mindless undead drones, and only a small fraction of them, the Forsaken, has been able to return to their “sanity” – while still remaining undead, that is. Of course, normal humans now consider them all enemies. As for Brill, it’s a Forsaken-controlled village.]

Where the author meets two of her lead protagonists face to face to discuss their future…

Damn characters who can never stay quiet, and always need to rant, argue, and demand me to take them to other directions than planned at first! Alright, so this is the product of a late-night writing session, after a fiery battle with myself to rework certain parts of the story. Both of them were involved, so the following dialogue is sort of what got out of it.

(Their language isn’t especially well-mannered, nor is mine, for that matter. Not when I argue with my characters.)

[Last installment of this story. Read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.]

First came the terror, the terror at seeing how Ewell was wiped off the surface of the planet in a matter of minutes, after the first and last use of the A-M bomb prototype. No more shiny cristal cities, no more communications, no more Rims nor Kellens, no more floating islands in the sky of the main land, architectural and technical wizardry meant to create additional space in a once overpopulated country. Varsa’s government itself started to panick, when every satellite liaison broadcast showed the world what was now left of a whole continent.

Second came the Flood, the sudden void created in the middle of the ocean causing the waters to subside first, then rise. When they finally retreated again, finding a new, fragile balance, the face of the world was never to be the same again.

In the end, caught in the chain of events that had boiled for decades only to culminate without any point of turning-back, the lead countries and their allies annihilated themselves in a last display of raw, brutal strength.

[Part 3 out of 4. Read Part 1 and Part 2.]

“Welcome to your new quarters, Lieutenant Vell’An. You and your men are now consigned here.”

The sliding transparent door slammed shut between the two Rims, locking itself in the same split second. The tall officier turned in a quick movement, for Vall’Eran to meet him with a confident smile.

“What the…” said Vell’An in a cold voice. “Open the door. This is an order!

— Sorry, Lieutenant. Before you ask, if you decide to attempt anything, I’ll have to release this. You know, of course, that your bodies aren’t protected with nano-bots.”

He flashed the small sealed vial marked with the red etiquette, in a move that he hoped looked threatening enough, and saw the surprise and anger in the officer’s grey eyes. Of course, the man had seen the laboratories, as well as the carefully aligned and shielded containers for the virus he was supposed to bring back to Ewell, once its development would be finished.

“This is an act of treason. The Ministry will be informed!

— We should reach Shigari Archipelago in about six hours”, Vall’Eran said. A certain feeling of satisfaction rose in him upon seeing the surprise on the Lieutenant’s face. “If I were you, I’d make sure to take a seat. It’s the first time we’re moving this flyland. There could be… accidents.

— You’re completely mad! It’s not meant to—

— Nano-tech can be put to many uses, you know. Not only to harm and destroy.”