My Summer Lair Chapter #76: Did What Do You Want To Know About The Future?
If there was an Oracle a proven genuine totally legit Oracle who could predict the future what would you ask? Romance? Love? Your career? And…really: do you want to know?
Now that’s the real question. If you learn that in 3 years you will get married where does free will come in? Does it even exist or is everything predestined?
The back of the novel says:
“Knowledge is power. So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world. Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations. In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies.”
You can guess just from reading that Will Dando is gonna develop powerful enemies. Because you can be powerful or you can have power…as you’ll see in the novel those two aspects are not always simultaneous. Fascinating; right?
The Oracle Year is Charles Soule’s madcap debut novel: audacious in scope and bold in its themes. Good clean adventure-fun: the dynamic strategy of a high stakes chess match: that gap between power and being powerful.
Granted it is his debut novel but Charles has sold 2.2 million individual comics just in 2017(!) for Marvel, DC and other publishers. I recommend Letter 44 a comic book series that recently wrapped up: “On his first day in office, newly-elected President Stephen Blades was expecting to dive into the various critical issues facing the nations: war, looming economic collapse and a failing health care system – a typical Presidency, in other words. But by the end of that first day, Blades has learned a single truth that redefines ‘critical’: seven years prior, NASA discovered a potentially aggressive alien presence in the asteroid belt, and his predecessor Commander-in-Chief decided to keep it a secret from the world.”
In my interview I bring up Letter 44’s parallels with The Oracle Year. Both are highly Recommended Reading. Charles is a solid writer; continually growing so it is beyond thrilling to witness the debut of his novel. I expect big things as he continues to refine his skills and I look forward to more exhilarating comics and novels.
Charles Soule @ W • T • F
Host Sammy Younan
Recorded: Friday March 30, 2018 at 1pm
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