Local author Dan Churach is back with a new novel that asks the reader to consider that the world our parents and grandparents have had, was never viable over the long run.
The Leeming author released EIGHT earlier this year, incorporating the uneasiness of current events into a science fiction page-turner.
After a career of teaching school science and lecturing at university level, Mr Churach said he is attempting to use storytelling to communicate and entertain using his science and technical foundation to enhance his tales.
EIGHT presents a scenario which mimics the current space efforts of billionaires such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos or Richard Branson.
The story describes a project funded by the world’s first trillionaire, Jacob Jacobi, who sends a small group of scientists on a one-way mission to Mars. To the group’s amazement, they discover alien lifeforms on the red planet.
The finding causes a media upheaval back on Earth, as the Martian explorers try to determine the origins of their discovery while being pressured to release their findings to a global press corps demanding answers – and the rest you will have to find out.
“I want readers of EIGHT to think about where Homo sapiens have come from and where we are going,” he said.
“Considering the pandemic that COVID-19 has unleashed upon us, news report after news report makes what have become almost throwaway comments to the effect that ‘the world will never be the same again’.
“EIGHT certainly does not take on COVID-19 specifically or even the topic of a pandemic in general, but it does address the issues younger folks around the globe face of alienation, the fear of never having a world their parents and grandparents have had.
“Once that reality is finally understood, we can build a future that includes humans and mother nature in a sustainable relationship that will thrive for generations.”
Mr Churach said EIGHT was painted in a futuristic world where young people feel alienated to the point of increasingly turning to self-harm.
“I attempt to bring contemporary science to life by weaving bits of my technical background into a cliff-hanger thriller based on everyday news events,” he said.
“I believe these real-world events make this novel more relevant than ever.” For more information on Dan Churach’s novels, visit churach.com.
