Lee Stephen
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Posts posted by Lee Stephen
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How similar would you say your series is to the traditional 'X-COM spirit'; in the sense of plenty of "oshi-" panicking moments among the grunts sent in, and intense 'bughunts' in darkened parts of town, with the possibility of a Chryssalid being behind every corner?
I definitely have elements of suspense/horror here and there throughout the series, starting with book one. Anyone who has played X-Com will definitely recognize the inspiration behind the general concept, which is a global military organization that responds to alien events. My writing style is much more action oriented, though (I think I mentioned somewhere earlier that I tend to draw comparisons to Black Hawk Down, which I take as a major compliment). So while there are definitely moments of "hunting that alien down," it's much more an experience of straight-up urban warfare. But there are some other things that are definitely related to the X-Com experience.
I love the concept of multiple species being interested in Earth, and of alien species having their own "K-9" type units. Neither of those concepts are X-Com originals, but obviously, X-Com really took advantage of them. They're just great ideas that X-Com executed masterfully. So I suppose those things are part of the X-Com spirit.
I did make it a point to pay certain homages though, out of respect for the impact X-Com had on me as a creative person. One of the more prominent species in the series uses plasma-based weaponry (though the functionality is pretty different), so that's definitely a little tribute. By far the biggest homage was the use of a name that was one of the randomly generated ones in X-Com as the name of a character in the series (it was the name of my first X-Com "commander," so I just had to get it in there somewhere!). It's really all meant as a form of respect and appreciation, but that's about as far as I go with it. I've worked hard to make Epic all its own.
Definitely let me know if you decide to give the series a shot.
I love hearing what people think! -
Lee, I wasnt aware of your books prior to the kickstart...but i picked it up once i realized what the series was. Im SOOO glad...once i got into the ground mission I was hooked hard. Read the entire 1st book in a day. Starting the 2nd book now. Very glad you guys made this deal, I would have never found the book otherwise!
Hi Ender! I'm so glad you were able to hear about Epic through the Xenonauts novel. Obviously, Epic is my baby, so it's definitely a hope that new readers discover the series through XCD. It works the other way around, too! I know a lot of Epic fans will be picking up Crimson Dagger, so hopefully this can serve as a boost both ways, to Epic and the Xenonauts video game.
But yes...if you've been reading Epic, you know what to expect! Epic and XCD could be cousins. The pacing and style of Crimson Dagger will be very familiar.
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Lee I've enjoyed your books and can't wait to see how you do this story. I know it will be great.
Thanks, Haldain! Great to hear that you got into and enjoyed Epic. You'll definitely know my style, then! Look for XCD to follow Epic's lead in action & intensity.
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Welcome Lee, I've always loved a good sci-fi read, ever since I tried Asimov for the first time. I understand the novella is to be written from the point of view of a Russian General at the incident, just wondering if it is to be written solely from his point of view or if it switches between multiple points of view that are all somehow related to the general?
Though the narrative may deviate occasionally due to necessity, this is (Captain) Kirov's story.
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Welcome Lee Stephen.
Will there be Icelanders on Iceland? I'm curious as to what their military was doing during this incident.
And how exactly does the Soviet unions neighbours like Finland and Poland react to USSR suddenly mobilizeing? Surely they must have noticed?
Don't think worldview as much as in-the-trenches. Obviously this is a planetary event and a moment in history. On that same note, however, this is also a novella! The only way to evaluate every aspect of this encounter, from man to nation, would be to write a full-fledged novel (3-5 times the length of a novella). This is a much more personal story.
Don't take that to mean that the worldwide impact will be ignored, though! It cannot and will not be. It'll just be revealed more through dialogue and plot progression than through chapters dedicated to explaining it.
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@ Lee Stephen
Are you aiming to release the Novella with the game or will it be an in advance/when its done release? I kinda like the idea of having something to read pre-release as part of an excitement building frenzy, if you get what I mean.
Hi flashman!
My favorite release date is "when it's done," though obviously our goal is to get this thing out as pre-release as possible. On that same note, I don't want to rush to the point where the quality or coherency suffers. The novella will be ready, at the latest, for the release itself. Anything sooner than that is lagniappe.
You have to look up "lagniappe" yourself.
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Nice to meet you, Mr. Stephen!
I'm really looking forward to reading your work, you don't get a chance to read quality material about your favourite game very often!
I have some questions already:
Will the story begin with Kirov's parting with NATO General, or before that, say, in barracks?
What are your favourite sci-fi books? And which ones heavily influenced your work? (just spying to see what I can expect
)Hi Shima, great to meet you!
To answer your questions, the story will begin prior to Kirov's speaking with General Palmerston. Things will unfold very quickly, as the span of this entire event takes place of the course of 4-5 hours. The situation does not allow for a long, drawn-out buildup. That's as much as I can say for the time being.
Regarding my favorite science-fiction authors, that's always a difficult question to answer, because I don't often get opportunities to sit back and read. When I'm reading, I'm not writing. One of my favorite current authors, and also an independent, is Patrick Todoroff, author of the Eshu International series. His work is definitely worth checking out. Turning back the clock some, I was always a big fan of Michael Crichton (who wasn't?). Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles was always a favorite of mine, too. But I'm not sure I could say that either inspired my style of writing. When talking about my influences, I'd rather talk about cinema. Films like Black Hawk Down and Alien have influenced me far greater than any written works. I think that definitely reflects in the way that I write.
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Hi, everyone! Great to be here on the forum.
I'm extremely excited to be working on this project. Having just wrapped a 500-page behemoth, it'll be nice to shift gears for a little bit and work on something new. For those interested in the nitty-gritty as to what drew to me to this project and why I'm so enthused about it, I posted a little write-up on my site that you can read HERE.
What I wanted to express here, though, is how eager I am to dive into the story and give you guys something that not only preps you for the game, but excites you about the universe it exists in. As I mention on my site, this isn't going to be a story about aliens alone. A story like that wouldn't be a story at all - it'd be the introduction in an instruction manual. This is the story of a man's role in shaping one of the pivotal moments in human history. It, like Xenonauts and X-Com before it, is a human story.
This novella, tentatively titled Crimson Dagger, is going to reveal the story of Mikhail Kirov and a small team of soldiers. Obviously there's a lot I can't touch on, but what I can tell you is that this will completely bring into light what actually happened in Iceland and what set the stage for the formation of the Xenonauts. There's a lot of in-game speculation as to what took place at ground zero. This will end all doubt.
I'm excited to get this train rolling! A great deal of plotting and communicating with Chris has already taken place, and the pen is about to hit the proverbial paper. You guys are gonna love this.
In the meantime, I'll let this be the thread where I answer any questions and address any issues! I like to be engaged, so by no means do I plan to be a one-and-done poster. I'm looking forward to getting to know you all!
Iceland Incident Novella
in Xenonauts-2 Releases & Patch Notes
Posted
Great that you enjoyed books 1-3! Epic definitely has some powerful female characters that don't appear right out of the gate. As with all series, sometimes it just takes time to build things up. I'm glad you came along for the ride.
None of the books are meant to be standalone, as this is a series that will span about eight books. But I would definitely not wait for the series to completed, because being honest, that'll probably be a decade away! I'm a notoriously slow writer (don't fear, Xenonauts faithfu) when it comes to Epic. Much like Blizzard, my official deadline is always, "when it's done." Haste makes waste. I'd rather you read something awesome than read something now.
But you definitely, definitely, definitely want to read book 4! Just trust me. And as for book 5...it'll be done...when it's done.
Thanks bigtime for getting your co-worker involved! As an indie, much like Xenonauts, I rely on mostly word-of-mouth to get Epic out there. Telling people about the series, writing Amazon reviews, and discussing it are the things that keep it going. Those things are tremendously appreciated, always.