The Clockmaker’s Tale

Today it is my pleasure to welcome author Ian Williams and his science fiction story collection, The Clockmaker’s Tale.

Author’s description

In The Clockmaker’s Tale: and other stories, Ian Williams takes us to the near future and beyond. From a moon base where androids conduct experiments on human test subjects, to futuristic tours of the ocean depths that hide a terrible secret; from a society governed by harsh rule of law that is enforced by AI, to a humble clockmaker tempted by the promise of increased productivity through technological augmentation.

Covering issues such as environmental decay, the end of facts and proven truths, our growing waste problem, and humanity’s tendency to divide when we should come together, this collection of six science fiction stories relates as much to our time as it does to the many possible futures.

Planning for a Character’s Future

In my books I’ve always have one minor character who insists on playing a larger role in the story. So when authors visit my blog, I love to ask them if they’ve encountered such a character.

Ian Williams has encountered a couple of them, and one has even shaped his plans for future writing! He says …

Each of the six stories included in The Clockmaker’s Tale: and other stories was meticulously planned out in advance, so there really wasn’t room for characters to ‘misbehave’. I wanted to tell tight stories that had room only for what was required to share my views of current issues. That meant every character needed to stick to their roles and not deviate.

That is not to say that I haven’t been tempted to expand a character’s role. For example, in the story 10,000, many minor characters could tell their own stories in much greater detail. Each of these test subjects has lived through something quite horrific and getting their views on it would be interesting. Who knows, perhaps I will revisit a few of them in the future.

However, in previous projects, I have certainly encountered smaller characters that I have enjoyed writing so much that I just had to make their roles bigger. One of the most satisfying of which was a character from The Sentient Trilogy, called Phoenix. In book one she exploded onto the page with all the attitude in the world. She was fierce but also fragile.

I enjoyed writing the Phoenix character so much that not only did she become as important as the main protagonist, but she also became the main focus of book two. I felt that nagging sensation that this character had much more to say. So, I relented, and the trilogy was made better for it. She brought a much needed second view of events, one which came from an entirely different upbringing to that of the other characters in the story.

There is, however, another character that I feel that same nagging sensation over. In the story, Last Bus to Freedom, there is a character simply called Boy. In this story, Boy is secondary to the main protagonist, who the story follows. His role was as an apprentice to the much older Jason. Except, now that this story has been told, I still want more from him.

That is why I have made plans for his future. I would love to revisit Boy at a much later point in his life. I’d explore his time after the events of Last Bus to Freedom and find out what kind of man he has become. Did he learn all he could from the others or continue to make the same mistakes as before? And what of the war that rages in the story? Did it ever end?

So, I suppose you could say that Boy is refusing to remain a smaller character. He wants to be written about again because I want to write about him again. After all, that is the greatest of feelings for writers; that sensation of infinite stories and infinite people to fill them with. My only hope is that each of my characters gets to tell their story in the end. And I, for one, will look forward to writing them.

The Author’s Story

Ian Williams is a Science Fiction writer from the UK. He lives in a small town not far from London. Ian had a short career in the UK Court Service but was forced to quit that job when his medical condition worsened. Now, from the comfort of his wheelchair, he writes the stories he has always wanted to read. His writing spans lightyears of space, to near-future Earths; from small changes to society, to entirely new civilisations.

Find the Author

Author Website: HOME | Ian Williams Sci-Fi Author (ianwilliamsauthor.com)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Ian-Williams-Author-Page-1552239548176515/

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/iwilliams235

YouTube:

Buy the Book

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B091FYYFBZ

Yes, there is a giveaway

The author will be awarding a $50 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.

Enter here to win.

This post is part of a tour sponsored by Goddess Fish. Check out all the other tour stops. If you drop by each of these and comment, you will greatly increase your chances of winning.

My Favorite Excerpt

Returning to his briefcase, Alexander produced a card from an outside pocket. “Here,” he said, holding it between two of his fingers.

George took it and looked it over, now realising there was a sales pitch to follow. He’s better at this than I am, he had to admit. At the top of the textured card was the name of a company he was certain he knew but couldn’t quite place. “ACC?”

“Adaptive Cognition and Cybernetics. We specialise in cutting-edge, next-generation, technology. Our latest product was made for people just like you, who need more hours in a day than the good Lord provides.”

I left my work for this? George was less than impressed. “Thank you, but I…”

“Before you say no, how about I show you what I’m talking about?” Alexander picked up his briefcase and walked to the counter, where he placed it down and clicked open the catches. He kept his back turned until he was ready to present his product.

When he turned, George was immediately drawn forward, to inspect the object himself. He was fascinated by the curved design. It had a snowy-white casing, with delicately printed calligraphy underlined by a sweeping blue line, and a tiny, built-in, LED screen. It appeared as well-made as any of his clocks. Such a high degree of engineering, yet it remained a simple-looking thing.

“This,” Alexander said, not quite ready to hand over the device, “is our latest model. It’s called a Work Buddy.”