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A Surreal, Absurdist, and Grotesque Fiction
The Pearl Territory follows the survivors of the Earth that seek a life outside their restrictive colony and may find it on an enigmatic planet. What was the inspiration for the setup to this compelling novel?
I would prefer to call them the chosen survivors because most of them (advanced and primitive) left the Earth before the gamma-ray hit it. Their escape was calculated; they had been preparing for that kind of situation.
It’s true, they are looking for the ninth planet in the hope of building the new world, the place of their dreams. The advanced are looking for new territory; the people of power – for crystal, the sacred gate between different dimensions and universes; the primitive, or people of resistance – to break free from AI. Everybody has their own agenda, but there is only one planet – the beautiful, full of water, green Pearl. How would they share it, if they ever did? Is it possible for them all to live in peace? Is Pearl a habitable place? Or is this planet only an illusion?
The story is the sketch of our society, filled with murderers, doctors, religious fanatics, kids with superpowers, mutants, demons, famous painters, witches, Egyptian Kings, magical books, AI-police, addictions, and endless sexual (often ridiculous) rules.
I’m also trying to peek into the future by analyzing such sensitive theme as partition into two primary races: advanced and primitive humans. Who knows, it might be our reality in 2718 (if we survive until then), when the worlds and the planets will be divided between nano-people (conscious robots with feelings) and good old homo sapiens.
Please don’t take this novel too seriously – this is a surreal, absurdist, and grotesque fiction full of adult humor.
Ah, about the inspiration! It is always the silence. Every novel of mine is always born from the silence…
I enjoyed the array of characters you’ve created. Who was your favorite character to write for?
I don’t have a favorite character.
The book consists of 60+ heroes. It might be challenging to follow; that’s why I’d advise you to read it in two or maximum three sittings, preferably as a paperback, in the span of a week. It shouldn’t be that hard, the book is only 200 pages long.
I’d like to mention, though, the character called Mara – the Queen of the Surreal Kingdom, hidden beneath the murky waters of Pearl (the ninth planet). She or He, or both, is the ruler of the demonic powers, the yin and the yang of the Magical Universe, the catcher of Time. I often ask myself, what would I do to stop the time? Would I be as cruel as Mara? Who knows?
Unfortunately, the most powerful people are often showing signs of cruelty, especially when they are too close to achieve or find something they dreamed of for so long…
There’s also a couple of funny metaphysical characters in my book: Mister Time himself – a horny old man who is spending his eternal life locked inside of the closed zone; and his lovely Elsa-chair, which is an actual chair that can talk, walk, and joke.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
As I already mentioned, this novel is a sketch of our society. I tried to glimpse into the future without going deep into psychology, relationships, political fights, and the danger of artificial power. I tried to show as many typical characters of the Earth as possible.
One of the themes, of course, is the search for happiness. People are always searching for something, they are never satisfied, and this kind of dissatisfaction, as we see, leads to a lot of problems.
It doesn’t matter which theme or question you are going to pick, there’s an answer or a hero to that in ‘The Pearl Territory’.
The book is written in two formats: 50% private journals and 50% dialogues.
What is the next book that you are working on and when will it be available?
I’m working on a book called ‘The Secrets of A-Ria’, the second book in the trilogy Child of Illusion, for young adults. Genre: metaphysical fantasy, absurdist. I’m writing humorous fiction for adults, so I find it quite challenging to write for teens.
I see it as a separate book, which means you don’t need to read book 1 to understand or follow the story in book 2. The plot revolves around Codes’ land, called A-Ria – the place unseen and inaccessible by humans. The main character, Aileen, is the Code of Death, who regulates the normal flow of life on Earth. But, as always, the Earth is in danger, as well as the Land of A-Ria. The Black Creeper is coming…
The message of this book: monsters don’t always look like monsters.
It will be available in the summer of 2021.
Author Links: GoodReads | Twitter | Website
“Netericus” has 19,347 strict and 6,980 flexible rules. The people feel trapped… Loneliness is spreading between members of the community, which is divided into “primitive” and “advanced” humans. The list of rules grows, as does the fear. A team of scientists finally makes a long-awaited breakthrough about the location of the Pearl, the 9th planet. The desire to start a new life and finally breathe outside awakes in many hearts again.
Pain Berchpull, a former pilot and one of ‘the primitive,’ has been sent on a mission—to the enigmatic Pearl. Her team has been in the most dangerous and frightening places in the Galaxy, and they have seen and done things that would make your skin crawl, but their arrival on the Pearl is the beginning of The End.
The book contains fun or gross erotica and elements of violence. Only for adults (18+)!
Genre: absurdist fiction, surreal fantasy, dystopian comedy.
This book is written in two formats: 50% – a play or dialogue and 50% – the journals.
The Pearl Territory: A Surreal Drama
![The Pearl Territory: A Surreal Drama by [Victoria Ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51ZFue1KSfL.jpg)
The Pearl Territory is a suspense filled; sci-fi, surreal drama written by Victoria Ray. The Pearl Territory is the story of 1,296 people that survived the near annihilation of earth after a gamma ray hit the earth. Living inside a colony called Netericus, on Titus, people are becoming frustrated with the huge number of rules and restrictions. A group of six Titanians are sent to explore the Pearl. They hope to find a new home that humans can live in.
The novel has a variety of settings, ranging from newly discovered Pearl to Netericus, to flashbacks of earth- in city’s such as San Francisco. The story is predominantly set in Pearl. Author Victoria Ray provides the reader with vivid descriptions of its water covered land, and unique formations that can only be seen if they can be imagined. Flashbacks provide melancholy descriptions of earth, and the towns they miss and love. The time also ranges from the present day (2718) to the 1980’s on earth. These setting changes (both geographical and time) are easy to distinguish by the in-depth descriptions Ray writes.
The majority of the novel is structured as a series of private journals, written by various characters. The journals are easy to follow, entitled with the character’s name, and detailing whereabouts the character is living. This structure makes the novel easy to follow, despite its many characters and settings.
There is a large cast of characters in The Pearl Territory. Thankfully, Ray provides a list of characters at the start of the book. There are some more prominent characters in the novel, such as Pain, Rai, Mr Time, Pastor Hoff and Bou. The character cast is made even more complex by the different types of characters, for example the Titans (primitive and advanced), the heroes, mutants, Hreens, those from the past, those from earth, from Nirvana, and beyond matter. These characters are defined and distinguished by their dialogue – both inner thoughts and dialogue with others, and their actions. An interesting array of diverse characters, sprawling the spectrum of good and evil.
The Pearl Territory had an interesting premise and a compelling story and with intriguing twists and turns. This is a thought-provoking dark fantasy novel with deep commentary on society that’s sometimes satirical but always entertaining.
Pages: 191 | ASIN: B08KY44TBJ
LITERARY TITAN 