Short concepts for sci-fi/mystery novels, please rate

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Sanctus
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29 Sep 2012, 4:33 pm

I have an idea for a series of scifi/mystery novels (don't know how many parts yet). Of course nothing is final yet. What I'm publishing here are short descriptions of the three main characters and some alien races that will appear, also a general description about how I imagine the universe. I'd be very grateful if you could give your opinions on whether or not it sounds promising and if you'd be interested. So here they come.

First, the main characters:

Kerra Petar
Kerra is a 24 years old policewoman, suspended since she failed an investigation under alcohol influence. One day she wakes up in her bath tub, wrists cut open and bleeding all over the place – without any memory of the last hours. Afraid of getting institutionalized, she keeps it a secret – only to find herself in a suicidal situation again every few hours from that on. Has she gone crazy? Or is there a connection to the traumatical near death experience in her childhood?
Appearance: Small and feminine, dark, soft hair, dark eyes, with a sinister, strong "aura"

Armand Batier
Armand is mercenary, diplomat and policeman all at once, working for the ruthless company F.O.R.T.I.S that owns great parts of the star system. After a political incident with the diplomat of an alien race, he coincidentally becomes witness to the activation of the wheel of ages, a religious alien artifact that disables technical devices and keeps turning very slowly. What happens when the wheel has completed its turn after 333 days?
Appearance: Dark, short hair, of french origin, tall and athletic, looks intimidating and cold

(Male, no name yet, let's call him X)
X, former war hero and professor at the faculty of alien archeology, has just been dishonorably discharged after telling his students about the prophetical dreams that have visited him from time to time, always featuring an alien woman of great wisdom and kindness. Trying to cope with getting older and being called a crazy eccentric, he gets hired by an anonymous employer who wants him to research about the „moon fever“, the eerie disease that has started to infect space travellers.
Appearance: Short hair mostly turned gray, in his late 50ies, looks tired, sometimes wearing glasses.

Now a little something about the races:
- The critters, a race of insectoid, small creatures that have to wear space suits due to their very fragile constitution. They spend pretty much their entire life working on strange artifacts and constructions that make no sense to other races, and are apparently not interested in communication with other life forms, only engaging in diplomacy when they are threatened immediately. They are also very unfriendly and have disgusting hygiene and food habits, so no race is really interested in getting to know them better. There are scientists though who think that this race is actually very intelligent and has a knowledge of space far beyond our own. (NOPE NO ASPIE INFLUENCE IN THIS RACE NOT AT ALL)

- The fins, a race of manatee-like creatures living on a planet completely covered by water. They communicate only per telepathy, which is unsettling for other races because this direct communication makes them get a taste of a very dark, alien hive conciousness. They talk of themselves and other creatures as "waves", and often mention "the ocean", which seems to be referring either to their shared telepathic consciousness or space. They are the only race in close communication to the critters, actually the only lifeform capable of understanding them. A while ago they asked the critters for help in becoming a land-based race, so there have been attempts to create land on their planet and to get the fins used to breathing oxygen.

-The Sharai-Ra, a humanoid race, major differences being their purple skin and some cat-like features. They are very similar to the human race in terms of behaviour. They worship their children, putting their entire life into the service of "wise children" who they believe can predict the future. They have a complex spiritual culture.

And finally, a little something about the general setting and universe:
I don't really think of this as "our" world how it looks in XY years. It's more of an alternative universe. It also started on earth, but she has been abandoned very long ago and now life has moved on to a whole new galaxy. There are several big companies that basically "own" their workers (you can sell yourself and following generations, the more generations the more money each generation gets - so basically they own entire families, and your life is pretty much pre-destined), and a company usually owns a star system or at least parts of it and has their own "security" to defend their interests (like Armand Batier, one of the protagonists). You can buy yourself free however, which almost nobody does because it's way too expensive.
The other races were already in that galaxy when humanity arrived, and any excitement about their existance has long ago vanished. Living together with aliens has become routine.

The books will not be "hard sci-fi", so expect no technical explanations about why something works. It will be character-driven, put a lot of weight on the mystery aspect, and deal with different topics. A main topic will be evolution on a big scale - is evolution always good? Where will it lead? Is there ever an end, or will everything change and evolve forever? - as well as personal changes in life and how people cope with them. Hence every main character has a main problem he/she has to overcome.

Soo, this has become more text than I planned. I wonder if anyone will actually read this. :D If you have, please let me know what you think. Of course nothing of this is final in any way yet.



Boxman108
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29 Sep 2012, 5:39 pm

Well, I'll start off by saying it's interesting. :) Though I don't care much for being compared to a bunch of bug people. :P Other than that, I like the sound of it and don't really have anything negative to say or any real criticism. It sounds like it has a lot of potential to expand. I also prefer character driven stories over most others. I never cared to know every single little detail, since I know it's a work of fiction I'm reading anyway. I think maybe you should jot this one down. :D


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Sanctus
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02 Oct 2012, 12:02 pm

Noone else? :wink: