Influences on the novel

Next up: Michel Foucault

This was a late influence, and much of the novel had been written by the time I started reading Michel Foucault’s works on the su...bject of power, but credit must be given. His understanding of power certainly helped me to colour in some of the politics of the Bubble Blower, and the struggles going on ‘behind the scenes.’

Influences

Next up: Spaghetti Westerns

One of my favourite... genres of film. Spaghetti Westerns emerged in the 1960’s when Sergio Leone established a unique style amongst the western genre just when it was growing stale. They were grittier, more exploitative and full of characters that were deceiving, sarcastic and cut-throat. This style/aesthetic influenced the town of Temperance which resembles a western town in appearance, and is populated by characters that have been corrupted, or influenced by their greed for gold.

Novel Influences: Athanasius Kircher.

 

 

I've decided to write about a number of influences that went into writing the novel, perhaps to put the whole thing into context and shed more light on the choices to give some understanding.

So, I did consider numbering them, but this is ...not a rank of what was more influential, as they were all equally important.

First up: Athanasius Kircher.

I have one book on Athanasius Kircher and it belongs on a coffee table. If you’ve never heard of him, I wouldn’t be too surprised. However, back in the 17th century he was a phenomenon. He literally studied everything, from Egyptian hieroglyphs, to machines to ocean currents. The only problem was he got a lot of things wrong. Despite this, his imagination seemed to be infinite; comparable to the finest visionaries we have today. So where did his influence come in, you ask? Well, without giving too much away, there’s a device near the end that the Bubble Blower uses that is straight up Kircheresque. And I have to credit his study of maps as an influence on the one in the story.

WHAT'S THE BUBBLE BLOWER ALL ABOUT?

illustration by @j52o

The idea for the novel came about in early 2012, some time after finishing my creative writing course. I wanted to write a 'psychedelic' fantasy with a unique concept that was thematically rich.

So, what's it about? Well, without giving too much away...

The story chronicles the adventures of a young man named Jason Rooke, who after running away from his hometown to avoid siphoning, is left aimlesss and vulnerable in a world he knows little about.

When a friend of his father’s, Augustus Shade, entrusts him with a rare map, he goes on a quest to find the Bubble Blower, a mysterious character he believes might hold all the answers.

In his encounters with the people of Foxcote and Temperance, he learns the importance of friendship, and human morality. But the tension caused by his dealings with the towns begins to build and with it the true relationship between power and knowledge is revealed...