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Patreon AMA (Patreon)

Published:
2021-08-21 12:52:10
Imported:
2026-06

Content

Welcome to lots of new patrons: you jumping on board helps a LOT and I value you joining up!

As currently most work is in progress, I thought I would do a general AMA. Ask what you like and I shall answer below (unless its a spoiler for the book!).

Comments

Preda

How deeply does the book explore Birrin culture? I know about a number of biological and technological facts about them from previews so far but what of their art? What stories do they write? Do they have fairytales, paintings, etc? Will we be seeing that sort of thing?

Preda

Have you read any stories by awful racist and sometimes fiction writer HP Lovecraft? There were some pretty interesting aliens in a few of them

alexries
>>66216315

Ultimately there will be books that are pure worldbuilding, but this first big book is narrative driven and follows two sisters and their lives over several years in a place called Two Sky River. Things... dont stay so good there. Their culture will be revealed through the telling of the story.

alexries
>>66216366

I LOVE his creature designs. Some of the most imaginative in history, particularly the Yith and the Elder Things. And the best news is that hes long dead so you can enjoy them without giving a big racist any money.

Astro-Aladfar

When the first book comes out, are you considering giving it to professional literary translators, like what was done with The Lord of the Rings trilogy? That would certainly open up the saga to many more people.

alexries
>>66218474

That will be up to the publisher but I will push as hard as I can do have it in as many languages as possible.

ZCochraine!%

Based on you convo with Preda, would you consider doing art of the various aliens and ships from the Culture Series by Ian Banks, especially since I really liked your take on the Idirans. Maybe even your own take on the various Star Trek aliens since the Klingon you did was also incredibly unique. Like the clastic photo of Next Generation with all the main cast on the bridge.

AC (ArynChris)

What are the proposed dimensions (height, width, depth) of the book? [[AKA "Which of my shelves shall hold the Hallowed Tome!?"]] Is there any color which does not exist (or barely) on the Birrin homeworld, and/or they and/or the giants cannot see due to difference visual spectrum range? How often do you do private commissions? Are you also working full-time at a studio, or freelance, or holding a non-art job?

alexries
>>66234024

To do artworks like that I have to be REALLY inspired in the moment. Its quite possible I will do more but if and when are very unpredictable!

alexries

Dimensions of the book should match Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara, roughly. As for colors, the birrin are more sensitive to variations in red than we are due to the color of their plants. I do take private commissions if the job is right. At the moment I am negotiation two freelance studio jobs.

Preda

if the AMA is still open, I just thought of another question - how would Birrin deal with a pandemic? Are large-scale contagions even a thing on their planet? Also I can't imagine how their heads could accomodate any kind of facemasks

alexries
>>67290019

They only need a mask over the breathing pores near the upper eyes. They would in general deal with plagues using extremely aggressive quarantine

Preda

I keep getting ideas for questions to ask you. If this is annoying please let me know. But, until then I wanted to mention I've recently finished 2017's Prey, and was also planning to read the novel Blindsight. What they have in common is this notion of highly intelligent, sophisticated, non-sentient aliens. Things outside the normal paradigm of how we think of intelligent space life. They don't have self, or the ability to perceive others as intelligent. They just *exist* , and survive, and are very good at it because it's almost like humans' highly developed sense of self and culture hinders our efficiency. What's your take on that? Got any aliens like that that you like?

alexries

I like the idea of post-sapient intelligence. There are some good, very menacing ones in Revelation Space. You dont need to be self aware to be technologically intelligent i would bet.