Today I’m going to
talk a bit about genre-bending, genre-mashing, or whatever else you want to
call it. When done well, it brings two genres together in a way that creates
something new. Reckoning revolves in large part around the trial of the
Reformers’ government, who are accused of conspiring to keep the country of
Loretania in a state of disease and deprivation, so that their own nation,
Harmonia, could remain spotless. It was really fun to blend the atmosphere and
intrigue of a courtroom drama with the dystopian, sci-fi setting.
Of course I used the traditional elements of a trial – the jury, the prosecution, the defence – but after that I was free to invent a lot of things. After all, this is set in a future society where not only was there an existing order with its own very stringent rules, but that order has now been torn down by my young protagonists who are trying to impose a fairer way of doing things. They can make up their own procedures, but at the same time they want to make sure they do things properly – there hasn’t actually been a trial in this world for centuries because under the Reformers, there was no crime (being a so-called “perfect” society). So Ez, my MC Welles’s partner and co-leader of the new government, being a bookworm, spends a lot of time researching old-Earth legal texts. That’s interesting because there’s a real blend of old and new. For example, there’s a jury but no judge, because no one is qualified for such a role.
Of course, things don’t quite go as smoothly as planned for Welles and Ez – the Reformers aren’t quite done yet with their underhand tricks. That’s what creates the tension in the story, but you’ll need to read the book to find out more about that!
Title: Reckoning
Author: Nick Wilford
Genre: YA dystopian
Series: Black
& White
Series
#: 3 of 3
Release
date: 20th September 2022
Publisher: Superstar
Peanut Publishing
Blurb:
Wellesbury Noon and Ezmerelda Dontible, the kind and benevolent new rulers of Harmonia, are looking forward to seeing justice finally being done. But nothing is that simple. Lunkin, the psychotic former Chief Scientist, has one more trick up his sleeve and is wreaking havoc even from behind bars. Soon, Loretanians who have come to make a new life in Harmonia are falling victim to hate crimes and brutal attacks. And things take a turn for the desperate when Wellesbury himself becomes compromised.
Can Welles and Ez turn the tide of public opinion and secure justice for the people of Loretania before it’s too late?
Purchase Links:
Author bio:
Nick Wilford is a writer and stay-at-home dad. Once a journalist, he now makes use of those early morning times when the house is quiet to explore the realms of fiction, with a little freelance editing and formatting thrown in. When not working he can usually be found spending time with his family or wrangling his six adorable dogs. His first traditionally published novel, a YA sci-fi adventure entitled The Becalmer, will release from Creative James Media in August 2023. His other books include the Black & White trilogy, a YA dystopian series, and A Change of Mind and Other Stories, a collection featuring a novella and five short stories, four of which were previously published in Writer’s Muse magazine. Nick is also the editor of Overcoming Adversity: An Anthology for Andrew.
