Σ Book I: Thumos Rising follows a man chosen to be the one who will receive the supernatural power that could defeat the vampiric overload that threatens his world. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

In many ways, ΣΙ: Thumos Rising is a love song to multiple subgenres that all served as the inspiration for the story. I have to say that my prime inspiration was He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. As a kid of the early ‘80s, I grew up watching and loving the show, and early drafts of Thumos Rising started out as He-Man fanfic. In fact, the basic plot of the book was rehearsed hundreds of times with my He-Man toys between the ages of six and ten. He-Man mixed fantasy and sci-fi, blending dragons with spaceships, magic with technology, and swords with laser guns. I wanted to play in that world too, but with higher stakes.

I’ve always believed He-Man was an amalgamation of Robert E. Howard’s Conan character, and Superman. And so they would serve as my next two major inspirations, in that order. Zeno’s look is very much that of Howard’s barbarian hero and his power set rivals that of Superman, allowing me to explore the limits and responsibilities of god-like power through the character.

Fourth, as a Greek-Latin professor and student of the Classics, the corpus of Classical literature, particularly the writing of Plato, Marcus Aurelius, and the other Stoics, played a huge part in shaping the philosophy of the story. Actual history and pre-industrial civilizations are the basis of every people group in Ninivon. The world of the Σ series is filled with fantastic creatures borrowed from mythologies from all over the world, be they centaurs, dragons, mermaids, or angels.

Of course, vampire lit, from Dracula down to Twilight helped me shape my antagonist. I wanted to make vampires scary again. There are elements of Lovecraftian horror as well. In respect to actual writing, Stephen Pressfield is my writing hero. His book Gates of Fire changed my life and set me down this path. I’m also a big fan of Madeline Miller (Circe and Song of Achilles). If my prose is even half as good as these giants, I’ll consider my writing a sweeping success.

Zeno struggles with his identity when he accepts the supernatural power and becomes a demigod. What were some driving ideals behind your character’s development?

I’m not an Islamic scholar, but I do remember listening to an author of a biography of the Prophet Muhamed some years ago. She said that there was a tradition that when he first received his vision, it terrified him. What would it be like to be told you were the spokesman for God? That always resonated with me. One of the things that has always fascinated me about the Superman character is that in good Superman stories, there is a tension between his humanity and his alien nature. What would it be like to find out you were descended from an alien race, and furthermore, to discover that you were a god among men? I think that would shatter one’s identity. I think just knowing that would drive most people mad.

This is really Zeno’s greatest source of strength: like Hercules in Greek myth, he can come back from anything. He can have his identity shattered, and his self-image implode, and yet still rise to the occasion. He does struggle and run at first because that is a very human reaction to what he’s going through. But ultimately, he can carry the load. Zeno is an avatar for what I believe to be the mission of life; to fully realize one’s full human potential, to transcend the failings of one’s humanity by failing more, by committing to failure until one succeeds, and aspiring to humanity’s most beautiful and true form. Socrates famously said, “The unexamined life is not worth living.” Zeno is living that examined life. We see how he develops by the end of the book, but his journey isn’t done there. Zeno still has some developing to do. But all of these ideas played a role in getting the character where he is today.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

The most important theme was Plato’s idea of the philosopher-king. But I wanted to take it to a higher level. If Plato proposed that it was possible for one to have absolute power and not be corrupted, but rather, to use that power as an act of service to all mankind, I wanted to ask the question: is it possible for Zeno to be a god and yet retain his humanity? This of course has shades of Jesus in Christian theology. But I wanted to see Zeno really struggle. If Zeno’s godlike foreknowledge (he eventually gets it) sees that a greater peace will come, but only after the loss of millions of lives, does he see those lost lives as less valuable? The question of whether he actually makes that trade is another matter. But how does he view them? I also wanted to explore the wider theme of trans-humanism. This will be delved into more fully in future additions to the series. But I want to ask if there are limits to the notion that through technological interventions, we can become something more than human, and can shake off the limits of our humanity. And if so, is that a good thing? In some ways, both Zeno and the Vampire represent the same answer to that question, but with different reasoning.

To be honest, I’m not sure where I stand on either of these questions myself. But I think telling this story will help me find my own answers.

Where does the story go in the next book, and where do you see it going in the future?

Book two is written. A few ARCs have been sent out and I need to add one chapter. But minus that, it’s ready for the editor. The next will get dark. Now, some would say this one was dark. But the next book puts the full psychopathy of the Vampire on display. It will also ask if the Demigod can beat the Vampire in war and still play within the rules of the human institutions that govern him. If Zeno is my Superman, then Book II will be his Injustice storyline. But don’t panic! Ultimately, I’m an optimist. And, god willing, once I finish and publish all planned seven books for the series, I think the readers will be satisfied with the payoff. Much more so than many viewers were at the end of the Game of Thrones series if I might use a comp.

I also think there are opportunities for many spin-offs. I have already written a short story about the Militae, not related to the main series narrative, and started another novel, also unrelated. If it takes off, I could see writing a YA spin-off exploring the adventures of young Zeno and Alexandra in the egoga, and telling the story of the Vampire and his war against the Erieds before he crash-landed on Ninivon. The possibilities are endless. If the books take off, I anticipate I’ll need help, and will be happy to farm some of these ideas out to other writers. I see the Σ series as a sandbox. Sandboxes are always more fun when you play with friends.

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/07/02/limits-of-our-humanity/