Road to Nowhere by Evan Shapiro is on virtual book tour. The cli-fi, scifi, mystery, thriller, satire at Readeropolis with a...
Road to Nowhere by Evan Shapiro is on virtual book tour.
The cli-fi, scifi, mystery, thriller, satire at Readeropolis with an author guest post.
Be sure to enter for a chance to win the giveaway and follow the Silver Dagger book tour (for other dates see the link at the bottom of the post).
Why Cli-Fi?
To Cli-Fi or not to Cli-Fi, that is the question. Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous science fiction or to take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing end them?
Yes, a somewhat bastardised version of Shakespeare’s famous soliloquy. Yet if you take a moment to deconstruct it, the answer to why many authors are picking up and running with the Cli-Fi mantra is apparent.
Cli-Fi was coined by journalist Dan Bloom and he champions the propagation of the term through cli-fi.net, an academic and literary Facebook group – Cli-Fi, Climate Change & Literary Criticism, and other social media channels.
It is well established that science fiction offers authors and readers the opportunity to enter worlds of possibility. Science fiction has never been restricted by the word ‘science’. On the contrary, science fiction explores morality, social constructs and the edges of human behaviour. It is no surprise then, as we face climate change, the greatest dilemma to have challenged our species, that creative minds would act to both express their dismay but also to offer hope and possibility beyond what is considered in the media or around the water cooler.
I started writing my novel ROAD TO NOWHERE in 1996 as a reaction to stories of global warming in the news. It struck me as alarming then, that as a species we were being very slow to act. It alarms me even more now. I remember learning about greenhouse gasses in primary school and being taught about the life cycle of the sun and what life would be like for people at its different stages. These early encounters with popular science stayed firm in my mind and somehow colluded with many other ideas to form this book.
ROAD TO NOWHERE doesn’t sit easily within the Sci-Fi genre. It’s part thriller, conspiracy, satire, philosophical exploration and there is even a touch of romance. There is sex in there too, because for many people sex and desire are overpowering forces often never understood or controlled.
Cli-Fi brings all the competing genres within my book together and sums up what it is about. For me, that is an exploration of the fundamental duality of our species. Our determined headlong drive into self-destruction polarised by an opposing instinct for self-preservation and survival.
By exploring climate change in fiction, authors can take fellow human beings through an experience they have not considered. Isn’t that the function of all fiction?
By coining the term Cli-Fi, Dan Bloom brings works together that exist across the world of literary fiction. The aim is simple. We want to save the planet and we want to save our species and we want to save those we love and we want to save ourselves. It can feel powerless when observing history unfold, watching the proverbial train wreck before your eyes with no means in your power to change it.
Cli-Fi gives us that means. With the feeling of powerlessness, the ability to share ideas becomes essential. Words change minds and minds change reality.
As a writer, there are many stories I want to explore, but for the moment I can’t look away from the big glob of murky uncertainty before me. I must deconstruct it, I must make sense of what we are collectively doing. Is it too much to hope that along the way, I and other authors, might bring a few readers along with us? The conceit of the writer is all I can offer. At the very least if you don’t change your mind I hope I entertain you to the end. I suddenly feel like one of the members of the quartet on the Titanic, offering a melodic knowing tune as the boat sinks into the deathly cold waters. Regardless I will continue to Cli-Fi because frankly, I don’t know what else I can do.
Evan Shapiro
Road
to Nowhere
by
Evan Shapiro
Genre:
Cli-Fi (climate fiction), SciFi, Mystery, Thriller, Satire
Is
humanity on a Road to Nowhere?
What
forces are at play behind global warming and its threat to every
species? Is humanity irrevocably heading down a Road to
Nowhere?
This
near future page-turner, weaves conspiracy, murder, genius and love
into a fast-paced ride across the globe, through the absurd and
beyond.
Patrick,
Kirby, Ancient and Costas thrust us into the world of corporate
juggernaut, PetroSynth, where science, politics and corruption jostle
to determine our future. How can so much power over our planet be in
the hands of so few?
“This
book is the stuff of modern mythology, an exciting adventure with
intricate personalities leaving the reader in a state of agitated
‘not knowing’ until the very end. Can we succeed (we are all in
this one together) or will the corporates and their minions win out
only to abandon the planet in crisis? A racy and worthwhile read
capturing the zeitgeist of our times.”
Ian
Cohen – first Green MLC, NSW Parliament and Author of ‘Green
Fire’
MORE
REVIEWS
What
makes this debut novel from Evan Shapiro a thoroughly engrossing read
is that it is hard to pigeon hole into any particular genre. Part
science fiction, thriller, mystery and romp. A fun and at times
gritty ride. It's a page turner written with insight, irreverence and
is an apt observation of humanity's capacity for suffering and
destruction, yet with potential to make a positive change.
G
King
‘Road
To Nowhere’ gives us a thought-provoking glimpse into an
uncompromising future that brilliantly juxtaposes futuristic hedonism
with the bare fundamentals of human frailty.
M
Jury
The
second of four children born to would-be bohemians, Evan grew up on a
diet of independent cinema, junk TV, Shakespeare and chocolate
biscuits. As a toddler he drank Dettol and shampoo and stuck forks
into power-points. Growing up he was often reminded by his family
that he was lucky to have survived past the age of five. While his
parents blamed him for being dangerously active and carelessly
inquisitive, he lays the responsibility squarely at their feet for
repeatedly leaving Dettol, shampoo and forks within his grasp.
He likes to define the resulting confusion from his upbringing as his 'perspective' which he now relentlessly channels into works of fiction.
He likes to define the resulting confusion from his upbringing as his 'perspective' which he now relentlessly channels into works of fiction.
These
day's he likes to prod people instead of power-points. He lives in
Sydney and divides his time between co-parenting, fixing his father's
TV settings, changing his mother's light bulbs, graphic design work,
writing and meditation. He claims to have found the secret to perfect
parenting, but as the answer is endless patience he's not sure it's
any use to anyone.
Follow
the tour HERE
for exclusive excerpts, guest posts and a giveaway!
Posts
I like the book cover, it makes me wonder what the book is about
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you like the cover. I hope it's intriguing enough to get you to open it or try a sample :)
DeleteI like the cover and the title. It makes me wonder more about the story.
ReplyDeleteMy first draft of the book was titled something else. Something that went on to be a really famous book so I guess I waited too long! In the end I'm happier with this title because the symbolism is right. Part of the story is also a road trip so that ties in well too.
ReplyDeleteInteresting cover. Never heard of Clo-Fi before.
ReplyDeleteI got the biggest kick out of reading his bio. I look forward to reading the Road To Nowhere.
ReplyDeleteThis book sounds interesting & insightful.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck with the book and book tour! I included the tour in the Sunday, Jul. 28, 2019 edition of The BookTube Your Shelf Daily Reader: https://paper.li/Readeropolis/1517059010#/
ReplyDeleteI like the cover. Makes me want to grab it to see what it is about
ReplyDelete