Shadow of the Sun follows humanity’s brutal war with the Shaksorians as soldiers, journalists, and aliens uncover unsettling truths that could transform mortal enemies into reluctant partners. What excited you about writing this book?

This book was inspired by the three novels written by different authors, Robert Heinlen’s Starship Troopers, Robert Buettner’s Orphanage series, and David Weber’s Honor Harrington series. The first two novels dealt with interstellar war between humans and aliens, and the third one told a tale of humanity’s war against itself, as multiple colonies, kingdoms and republics controlled entrie star systems, and were in conflict on economic, political and religious ground. I found the idea about humanity’s conflict with other species, because I believed it would make a good story if I presented it right from the point of view of both aliens and humans. This novel shows the war from both sides, without demonizing or favoring either. Wars are only just when you defend your home against brutal aggressor, threatening your family and your way of life. Shadow of the Sun is a cautionary morality tale, that clearly shows that when diplomacy fails, ears cannot hear words because of the sound of the cannons.

What inspired you to make the Shaksorians a crustacean species, and how did their biology influence the culture and technology you created for them?

On our planet Earth, according to the theory of evolution and biology, all life came from water. There were species living on our planet that had existed for hundreds of millions of years before the first humans evolved. Today, we are aware of many intelligent species living in the oceans, such as shales, orcas, dolphins and octopuses, who exhibit signs of intelligence, enabling them to survive and solve complex problems. As far as the alien civilization goes, I designed the Shaksorians to be similar to the Earth’s crustaceans, but possessing intelligence that resulted in them transforming from a purely aquatic species to amphibian. Such a species would be more adaptable to their environment, and I thought, why not make them be more than giant crabs and more like species who have developed deep curiosity about their world, a curiosity and the desire to explore not only their planet but other worlds as well. The Shaksorian technology is a unique fusion of inorganics and biology, enabling them to harness new forms of energy and materials that eventually opened for them a road to the stars. Their biotechnology is also vastly superior to humans, and used in the times of war and peace.

Ren Col Fer plays an important role in humanizing the Shaksorians. How did you approach writing an alien character who feels genuinely nonhuman while still being emotionally relatable?

I had a great time designing Ren Col Fer’s character for this story. He is a member of a unique and enigmatic species with their own language, customs, technology, morality and traditions. As intelligent beings able to travel between the stars, they had undergone a long and complex technological and biological evolution similar to that of the humans. Unlike the humans, the Shaksorians are not divided into nations or corporations. They are presented as one race that would unite against any existential threat. They are beings who, just like the humans, would defend their homes and protect their economic interests, and do it in such a way as not to waste resources to achieve the maximum effect. The true reason for the war between humans and the Shaksorians is not explained in the story. This is a deliberate move that would allow the readers to see between the lines and imagine their own reason why humans and aliens went to war. The moral of the story lies in understanding why species fight. Humans are the same species and yet they fight each other.

The novel raises questions about propaganda, profiteering, and who may have truly started the war. How important was it to you that the conflict remain morally complicated rather than having a clear villain?

I am a history buff, and as an amateur historian, I often asked myself, why do we fight? Why war became such an important part of our evolving civilization, and what conflicts could have been avoided if the leaders came together and talked it through. One of my very good friends, who also likes history, liked to say that all wars begin because of the bad leadership. I agree with his statement, but there are other things to consider: what makes nations of Earth, and in the case of my story, what makes intelligent, technologically advanced species fight for the planets for resources if there is so much unclaimed real estate lying around? The answer lies in the ability of both the humans and the Shaksorians to terraform planets to their liking, and change their environments and ecology to suit their colonization needs. The story deliberately does not have a clear villain, because its purpose is to show that war is a very expensive and very bloody business, that has winners and losers, and also those who will go to any length to start a conflict for profit. Our human history is full of examples where greed, religious fanaticism, and national desire to reshare the borders made wars that, in their majority, were totally unnecessary. In Robert Heinlein’s novel Starship Troopers, we can clearly see how humans view aliens. But no one asked how intelligent aliens see us.

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