The Seekers: The Children of Darkness (Dystopian Sci-Fi - Book 1)
Description
<p>New from the author of the multiple award-winning fantasy saga, <em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em>, winner of the <strong>Pinnacle Book Achievement Award, Fall 2014 - Best Book in the Category of FANTASY</strong>....</p><h1><strong><em>The Children of Darkness</em> by David Litwack</strong></h1><p>Evolved Publishing presents the first book in the new dystopian series <em>The Seekers</em>. [DRM-Free]</p><h2><strong>[Dystopian, Science Fiction, Post-Apocalyptic, Religion]</strong></h2><p><em>“But what are we without dreams?”</em></p><p>A thousand years ago the Darkness came—a terrible time of violence, fear, and social collapse when technology ran rampant. But the vicars of the Temple of Light brought peace, ushering in an era of blessed simplicity. For ten centuries they have kept the madness at bay with “temple magic,” and by eliminating forever the rush of progress that nearly caused the destruction of everything.</p><p>Childhood friends, Orah and Nathaniel, have always lived in the tiny village of Little Pond, longing for more from life but unwilling to challenge the rigid status quo. When their friend Thomas returns from the Temple after his “teaching”—the secret coming-of-age ritual that binds young men and women eternally to the Light—they barely recognize the broken and brooding young man the boy has become. Then when Orah is summoned as well, Nathaniel follows in a foolhardy attempt to save her.</p><p>In the prisons of Temple City, they discover a terrible secret that launches the three on a journey to find the forbidden keep, placing their lives in jeopardy, for a truth from the past awaits that threatens the foundation of the Temple. If they reveal that truth, they might once again release the potential of their people.</p><p>Yet they would also incur the Temple’s wrath as it is written: “If there comes among you a prophet saying, ‘Let us return to the darkness,’ you shall stone him, because he has sought to thrust you away from the Light.”</p><p><strong>Be sure to read the second book in this series, <em>The Stuff of Stars</em>, due to release November 30, 2015. And don't miss David's award-winning speculative saga, <em>The Daughter of the Sea and the Sky</em></strong></p>
Story Behind The Book
In an effort to get my son to read, I started writing a story just for him in 2003. I don't remember if he gave me a character, I just started writing it. The very first draft was called The Youngest Starfighter. It was completely unoriginal. Still, he wouldn’t read it because he can’t imagine reading anything for fun. In fact, after all this time, he still hasn't read it. However, I got hooked into the main character. Since then, he became a trilogy and has gone through 15 incarnations (drafts) and a few different names, but in the end he became Socket Greeny.
I don’t know why I’ve been so dedicated to this character. I’d written several novel-length stories before Socket, none worth publishing. They ended up where all practice writing ends up. But I always came back to Socket Greeny.
Stopping time and artificial intelligence are not original storylines, I know this. Artificial intelligence continues to be popular, as evidenced by Terminator, Matrix, I, Robot, and others. Socket is different. At least, I like to think so. Aren’t many us like programs, just following our desires and fears accumulated from birth?
I’ve been practicing an Americanized version of Zen since 1990. While I wanted Socket to be an entertaining story, I believe what drove me was its element of soul-searching, and self-realization. Some of the early drafts were pukefests of moral preaching. However, with each draft it became more refined. It became a story, first, but it never lost the undercurrent of human struggle and the search for truth.
I entertained dreams of publishing Socket Greeny, but the reality eventually sunk in. Someone once told me that good writers don't publish, excellent ones do. Based on some of the books in print, I don't agree. Sour grapes? Maybe. Some things just aren't well written (just ask Stephen King what he thinks of multi-billionaire Stephanie Myers) but they're good stories and original. Agents didn't feel the Socket Greeny story was for them. Maybe they were right. In the end, I published on my own and it's been a lot of fun. I won't make a million dollars or have a movie made, but at least the story will have some finality. It's been a great ride.
