Blog Tour: Epsilon AR by Zackery Humphreys

Epsilon AR

by Zackery Humphreys

Book
Description:

Hundreds
of years into the future, mankind has gone under ground to relocate
to the beautiful city of Epsilon. Epsilon is run by a strong,
secretive government that keeps its citizens in check by subtle
manipulation and strict schedules. No one questions its authority and
no one is unhappy. ALN-896, an average man who is just trying to
live a normal life, begins to have dreams; something strange and rare
in Epsilon. In his dreams, he meets a man named Harry and everything
is fine- until Harry dies. When ALN-896 wakes up, he shrugs it off as
if nothing has happened. It was only a dream. But then the next day,
he is suddenly arrested and sent to prison for killing Harry, whom
ALN-896 assumed was just a figment of his imagination. Now
inside prison, ALN-896 begins to learn about everything the
government of Epsilon has been doing and he plans on escaping. Not
only from prison, but from Epsilon. This one decision turns him
against everything he has ever known and forces him to face against
centuries of lies. To escape means to live. But what will it cost?

About The Author:

Zackery
Alexander Humphreys is a Novelist, Actor and Poet who occasionally
dabbles in Screen Writing and Play Writing.

Blog
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(novel) | Twitter

Excerpt:

A
black-and-white tie...

----


Thoughts froze within
his mind. Spit bubbled through his pursed lips.


ALN-896 finally
managed to pull away from the exposed wire. He fell to the ground and
wiped away the spit dribbling down his cheek. His heart raced, and
sweat poured down his body.


That was the most
painful sensation he had ever experienced.


I never should have
grabbed that wire...


ALN-896 stood up
slowly and looked around. No one saw what had just happened. He was
alone on the desolate stretch of Simov Street.


Fortunately, I did
not get hurt.


Instead of continuing,
he decided to get back into his car and let a nice cup of tea calm
him.


From the center
console of the car, green tea was automatically dispensed into a cup.
He let the liquid slide down his throat, easing every muscle that had
tensed. He melted into his plush seat as he let his mind come to a
halt. Then the silence was interrupted by a robotic voice. “ALN-
896, your vitals are irregular. Is everything all right?”


“Everything is fine.
I went to inspect one of the house's trashcans as I was instructed
to, but I noticed an exposed wire on the ground. I went to cover it
back up when it...”


ALN-896 wasn't quite
sure what had actually
happened when he touched the wire. He hadn’t been electrocuted, but
something strange had occurred. The only thing he could get out of
the experience was that he had seen a black-and-white tie floating in
the darkness behind his closed eyelids. Nothing surrounded it, but he
knew it had been attached to a body. One he hadn’t been able see,
but one he knew existed somewhere within the black.


Irrelevant.


“When it...,”
ALN-896 stumbled. “When it shocked me,” he lied.


“Your job still
needs to be completed. You still need to inspect the trashcans for
Monday's workday. After your tea, you need to continue.”


“Yes, I understand.”

--------------------

And now, let's invite Zackery to the blog for a short post!

Authors That Have Inspired Me

            In life, we typically learn how to do something from those that come before us. For example, if you want to learn how to drive, we either have our parents, friends, or some random stranger teach us the difference between the gas and brake pedals so we don't plow into the side of buildings when we want to stop at a stop sign. If we want to learn how to snowboard we can either learn on our own or ask for help from the local ski resort guide, the former of which might include far more bruises, the latter of which may include awkward conversations. Regardless, the best solution is to usually learn by example, so when I set out to write my first novel, it took quite a bit of reading to get a good idea of the kind of writing-style I preferred, as well as learn the ins-and-outs of grammar for mainstream literature.

            The first book I read that really inspired me was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. In fact, more than any other book, this one was the one that really got the gears running. Not only did it fall in the same genre of Science-Fiction but it also tackled some of the same ideas I wanted to include in Epsilon A.R.. Ray Bradbury's beautiful writing spoke to me and I knew from that moment onward that I wanted my novel out of my head and on paper.

            The next book that really inspired me was The Anthem by Ayn Rand. For the same reasons as Fahrenheit 451,” Rand's work really got me thinking about what kind of novel I wantedEpsilon A.R. to be. It also introduced this notion of history within the world that I wanted to include. I didn't just want to focus on one character, I wanted an entire world with its own history. The tone of the piece, as well, spoke volumes (pun intended) to me and lent to some of the darker tones of my novel.

            The last book, or series in this case, that really stretched my imagination was Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. Snicket introduced a style of writing I adored, but more so, this sense of conspiracy and lose. I found that I didn't need to spoon feed information to the readers and instead, I could let certain secrets bubble under the surface for a while. Secrets and conspiracy found its way into nearly every corner of the dark room I call Epsilon A.R. and Lemony Snicket is partly to blame for that.

            With all of these, as well as countless other resources pulled from other books, movies, music and history, I found a way to weave a story that I hope does all of these inspirations justice. If it does, we can all say, “Hip-hip-hooray!” and wait for that sequel. If not, you can say, “Boo!” but I'm still going to write the sequel.

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