by John Appel
“That just gives us enough time for the wedding,” Daniel said, and Loh broke out into a huge grin.
“Congratulations, and best wishes for a fruitful honeymoon trip.”
The Huntress came into her dreams that night, and she knew her path to be righteous.
AFTERWORD
The story that became the book you’re holding, or perhaps listening to, was first conceived in the summer of 2016 and written over the course of 2018. A lot has happened in that time, and a lot has changed.
Science fiction authors don’t really predict the future, but we sometimes wind up a lot closer to target than we expect. (I swear John Brunner’s THE SHOCKWAVE RIDER looks more prescient by the day, though.) Little did I know while writing this book that the world would experience a global pandemic, or that the US would see not only an honest-to-goodness attempted coup, but also massive protests triggered in part by the simple notion that the lives of black Americans should no longer be snuffed out by police. Both of the latter went hand-in-hand with widespread misconduct and outright brutality on the part of police; and in parts of the US, the police have played a role in exacerbating the COVID pandemic, not least by refusing in many cases to wear masks.
The summer of 2020 made the notion of having a sympathetic and mostly justice-oriented police official seem like another speculative element in my novel.
Perhaps the reality is that it’s impossible for any police force, no matter how instituted, to uphold the Peelian principles of “Policing by consent” over time. Maybe it’s possible that no human driven by an inner sense of justice can keep that fire lit after serving.
The Ileri Constabulary certainly isn’t depicted as a wholly virtuous institution. Toiwa, after all, has made her reputation as someone who comes to clean out the corrupt. Daniel Imoke is denied his due because there are lines he won’t cross. Can these people not only exist, but eventually rise, within such an institution?
I consider the MD State Police troopers I met at the first protest I attended at BWI in January 2017 who treated the crowd with respect, Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman who without a doubt helped prevent a massacre during the insurrection on January 6th, 2021, and I think “Maybe?” Perhaps with a lot hard work and a bit of luck, we may be able to restore the “serve” component of “To protect and serve.”
I look forward to telling the story of Toiwa and her crew wrestling with these problems.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book wouldn’t be what it is, and in fact wouldn’t even exist, without the contributions of many fantastic people. First and foremost of course are my wife Michelle, my daughter Alexa, and my son Ben, who are the center of my universe. Their love and support make all things possible.
Thank you to my parents for teaching me to read at an early age, and for advocating for me to be allowed to read things well above my age level (“Yes, I know he’s 9, but he can handle THE WINDS OF WAR.”) Thanks also for being supportive of me even when you didn’t understand or agree with what I was about.
The mighty Maryland Space Opera Collective, or MD SPOC, is my local writing and critique group. They see pretty much everything I write and every bit of it is better thanks to them, so thank you to Kelly Rossmore, Phil Margolies, Martin Sherman-Marks, Beth Tanner, L. Blankenship, and most especially my siblings in ink, Karen Osborne & Jo Miles. (Thanks also to our other members, Jules Whitney, Amy Lynwander, and Vickie Chen, who didn’t see this book, but have made an impact on my writing since.) This crew saw the earliest versions and helped me find the shape of the story that lay within the draft I handed them.
Other readers who provided invaluable feedback include Mary Alexandra Agner, Aimee Kuzenski, Tyler Hayes, Sydney Rossman-Reich, and Tim Shea. Each one of them poked and prodded and asked questions and helped this world and its people come to life.
Having a community of other writers as a support network is invaluable, and the Isle of Write is the community I’m privileged to be a part of. Ever so proud and thankful of my posse.
Elsa Sjunneson provided consultation and sensitivity editing regarding blindness and was instrumental in crafting my portrayal of Josephine Okafor. She also helped create the tactile hacking system Okafor uses. Whatever is true and real in that portrayal is due to Elsa’s guidance; the responsibility for any errors, omissions, or mistakes that remain lies with me.
Thank you to Tempest Bradford, Nisi Shawl, and all their guest instructors in the Writing the Other workshop. Anything correct in this book about the portrayal of people who aren’t like myself is due to their tutelage; all mistakes are solely my own.
My agent Hannah Bowman saw my pitch of “BATTLESTAR GALACTICA meets THE GOLDEN GIRLS” and very quickly understood what I was trying to do in this story, and what kinds of stories I want to tell. Her feedback provided the final polish. She’s a terrific partner and teacher.
Thanks to my editors Kate Coe & Jim Killen, and all the team at Rebellion/Solaris for being fans of the “exploding spaceships” aesthetic, and for publishing adventurous science fiction that’s not wrapped up in jingoism and stilted attitudes.
Many established SFF writers welcomed me into the community, and provided all sorts of support and encouragement, most especially Curtis Chen, Tobias Buckell, Derek Kunsken, Mary Robinette Kowal, Fran Wilde, Scott Lynch, and Elizabeth Bear. Closer to home is what Mike Underwood calls “The Greater Baltimore/DC Speculative Fiction Co-Prosperity Sphere,” including Mike himself, Sarah Pinsker, Kellan Szpara, Scott Edelman, Dan Lyman-Kennedy, the MD SPOC crew, emeritus members Arkady Martine & Vivian Shaw (may New Mexico continue to be good to you!), and all the rest of the local SFF community.
My thanks to the Viable Paradise community, including all the alumni, instructors, Mac Stone and the amazing staff, and most especially to my fellow Cheese Weasels of VP20.
Speaking of VP: I wouldn’t have been able to attend had my mother-in-law, Mary Gingrich Martin, along my son Ben, not taken care of Michelle when she broke her foot the day before I left badly enough to require surgery while I was at the workshop. As Ben put it, they spent a week at the bottom level of Maslow’s Hierarchy while I was off living at the top. That formative experience wouldn’t have been possible for me without their sacrifice and labor.
And lastly, my thanks to Karen, Trish, Ali, Mackenzie, Alejandro, Becky, and all the rest of the Shadow Council crew, who were there when the Dead Guy With A Sword started telling stories so long ago, and encouraged him to keep going.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
John Appel volunteered to jump out of planes before he’d ever been in a plane; his friends and family say this sums up his approach to life pretty well. He writes science fiction and fantasy and the occasional tabletop RPG adventure. A lifelong Marylander, he lives in the Baltimore suburbs with his wife and children. He masquerades as a technology risk manager to pay the bills after two decades as an information security pro. When not writing, rolling dice, or keeping the bad guys at bay, he enjoys rum and swords, but not both at the same time. John is a graduate of the Viable Paradise writing workshop.
