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Technology is the Temptation
Kelly Curtis Author Interview
The Mars One Incident follows starship Captain Johnson as she is set on a dangerous mission in a system brimming with aliens and pirates. What was your inspiration for the setup to this thrilling story?
I have always liked stories of pirates from the 17th and 18th centuries and space ships so I combined the two.
Captain Alma Johnson is an intriguing and well developed character. What were some themes you wanted to pursue while creating her character?
Captain Alma Johnson’s character is someone I think we all can identify with. Someone who goes along with the system because that’s what is expected of her, but has her doubts. And I would like to think that each one of us would break the rules and disobey orders if our true morality was questioned, even if it meant killing some to save the masses and risking public shame.
This is a scifi story filled with advanced technology, but Alma lives in a society that scoffs at technology. What were some themes you wanted to explore with technology in the future?
There are many initial studies coming out today about how technology affects our health (and most of that negatively) and we know how it can deeply affect our society (propaganda). I wanted to explore what many have been suggesting for a few years now, that maybe we should just get rid of all of social media, social tech, etc. to take away the temptation of abuse. And if we abandoned social technology, would we be happier or better as a civilization? The JC lives in a world where they believe tech cannot be abused because they only use it for practical matters such as trains for transport, or machines for paying, etc. They like to believe the tech they use is organic to human life. However, all technology is an intrusion so where should we make the line that we limit ourselves to? When we have almost human-like AI? I feel these are actually very serious questions we must begin to ask as technology races off into the 21st century offering us a ‘better and more advanced life’.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
The next book is called The Unification Mission and will be available in early 2020. The mission will follow Alma and her crew across the galaxy to the Shimbahn Unification of 5 (I chose Kepler 22b to be their homeworld) on a vital trade mission. Alma is desperate to make the mission a success and come home a hero at almost any cost. However, when they arrive it’s obvious that the Unification wants more than a trade deal with humanity.
You can read the full synopsis on my website and check out Alma’s journal and what is going on in the JC in the run up to her leaving on this long mission.
Author Links: GoodReads | Facebook | Website
![The Mars One Incident by [Curtis, Kelly]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51J4N6-49dL.jpg)
The year is 2635, the people of Earth live in a tech-free utopia. Captain Alma Johnson is one of the few permitted to use technology as part of the human fleet. In a starship that has been rebuilt more than a dozen times, she faithfully protects humanity’s holdings in the solar system overpopulated with aggressive aliens and marauding pirates. Now she finds herself on a doomed mission that she’s been set up for from the very beginning.
The Mars One Incident
The Mars One Incident is set in the 27th century, where all technology is banned for the residents on Earth, supposedly for their own good. The Joint Confederacy ensures everything remains this way by using- advanced technology. We are introduced to Alma Johnson, who is offered the captaincy of the Indianapolis starship. She is the youngest and most prolific of all her colleagues, but that doesn’t mean the job comes baggage-free. In a world where technology is scoffed at, she faces the scorn of society and even disapproval within her family. Her colleagues resent her for the sudden rise to power, and there are grave issues with her love life as well. Along with all this, she is on a mission to protect Earth from a rebel space ship that wants to overthrow the peaceful tech-free existence.
The book begins with a thought-provoking and humorous quote by E.B. White, the illustrious author of Charlotte’s Web. It mocks and uplifts humanity’s endless drive for more. More power, more efficiency, more knowledge. After all, we wouldn’t be in our situation, for better or for worse, if we did not have an innate desire to discover, create, and understand. This quote manages to set the perfect tone for the entire story.
It seems to have achieved a tale as old as time status- the man vs technology premise. There is no shortage of criticism for the all-consuming, relentless downpour of new technology. Some of these criticisms are worn-out and unoriginal, while others spark interest; offering a new perspective on a tired argument. This novel is of the latter sort. Kelly Curtis manages to infuse the antagonism against technology with new life and creativity. This is not an endless rail against the egregious gadgets- it is an acknowledgement of their power to empower and destroy.
An example of this aspect is how the Guild know technology is a gray zone, a double-edged sword. The hypocrisy of those in power when they are allowed to use whatever they need for their benefit, while robbing their population of it was a dismal echo of today’s world. Terra Nova was even using technology to sway votes their way- if that isn’t a dismaying reflection of today’s political world, I don’t know what is.
I found this novel utopian not only in the sense of keeping man at bay from the “technology plague,” but also in the sense of a quiet and powerful female presence throughout. The men in charge are all women. This is an infinitely welcome and refreshing change from so many other sci-fi tech novels, where men seem to be the only ones capable of executing all the science, engineering, and thinking. It manages to delve into the complexities of Alma Johnson’s world- personal and professional. It’s an interesting and thought-provoking read, perfect for everyone concerned about the direction we are headed.
Pages: 246 | ASIN: B07TX9NQ8J
LITERARY TITAN 