Hello everyone! Today I'm very excited to show my support for a fellow Canadian, author L.E. Sterling! She's here to share with us a little Q&A on the first book in her True Born trilogy! Don't forget to also check out my review below!
True Born
(True Born #1)
by L.E. Sterling
May 3, 2016
by L.E. Sterling
May 3, 2016
304 pages
Goodreads Summary:
Welcome to Dominion City.
After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated...and their genetics damaged beyond repair.
The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…
And then there's Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.
When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?
As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood.
After the great Plague descended, the world population was decimated...and their genetics damaged beyond repair.
The Lasters wait hopelessly for their genes to self-destruct. The Splicers pay for expensive treatments that might prolong their life. The plague-resistant True Borns are as mysterious as they are feared…
And then there's Lucy Fox and her identical twin sister, Margot. After endless tests, no one wants to reveal what they are.
When Margot disappears, a desperate Lucy has no choice but to put her faith in the True Borns, led by the charismatic Nolan Storm and the beautiful but deadly Jared Price. As Lucy and the True Borns set out to rescue her sister, they stumble upon a vast conspiracy stretching from Dominion’s street preachers to shady Russian tycoons. But why target the Fox sisters?
As they say in Dominion, it’s in the blood.
Q&A
BCP: Hello Ms. Sterling! Thank you so much for being on the blog today! Now True Born talks about genetic damages that result in grouping the survivors into different categories (Splicers, Lasters and True Born). Can you tell us what sort of research you did to come up with these groups?
LES: Thanks for having me, Eileen. And what an interesting question! The science part is an easy thing to explain. Essentially, for the past four years I have been interviewing and telling ‘science stories’ on the research of some of the world’s leading biomedical engineers. These people are mind-blowing. They are making rapid advances in everything from stem cell therapies to the development of nanotechnology that rapidly detects diseases by being coded to a disease’s specific DNA, to DNA “fingerprinting” and hey - the 3D printing of human organs!!
Of course, other than having been good at biology in school (and reading a lot of sci-fi), I have no background in genomics, biomedical engineering, or medicine. So what I would always do is ask the scientists to speak to me as if I were an 8 year old, and for the most part this was a very successful strategy! They were able to teach me some very complex science.
This is all to say that what I learned from these science giants was rolled into both the Plague and its treatments (though, of course, fiction!!).
The categories “Splicer, Laster, True Born,” though, just sort of fell on me, and it was based on my speculation of what the world would look like if only a certain number of people could afford life-saving treatment. As for the True Borns… well, honestly, I think years of reading amazing science-fiction and fantasy was my research for those folks!!
Of course, other than having been good at biology in school (and reading a lot of sci-fi), I have no background in genomics, biomedical engineering, or medicine. So what I would always do is ask the scientists to speak to me as if I were an 8 year old, and for the most part this was a very successful strategy! They were able to teach me some very complex science.
This is all to say that what I learned from these science giants was rolled into both the Plague and its treatments (though, of course, fiction!!).
The categories “Splicer, Laster, True Born,” though, just sort of fell on me, and it was based on my speculation of what the world would look like if only a certain number of people could afford life-saving treatment. As for the True Borns… well, honestly, I think years of reading amazing science-fiction and fantasy was my research for those folks!!
It sounds like you did some very thoughtful and thorough research so thank you for sharing them with us today!
L.E. Sterling had an early obsession with sci-fi, fantasy and romance to which she remained faithful even through an M.A. in Creative Writing and a PhD in English Literature – where she completed a thesis on magical representation. She is the author of two previous novels, the cult hit Y/A novel The Originals (under pen name L.E. Vollick), dubbed “the Catcher in the Rye of a new generation” by one reviewer, and the urban fantasy Pluto’s Gate.
Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt – inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van with her father, a hippie musician, her brothers and an occasional stray mutt – inspiring her writing career. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.
Review
First, thank you so much Raincoast Books for sending me an early copy to read! It's been quite some time since I've gone into a dystopian world but True Born brings back all the feelings associated with a good dystopian read. I felt the pain, anger, despair but most importantly, the hope in this book.
Like with any fantasy dystopian books, the world took some time to get settled into. In the beginning I found myself very confused. Splicers, Lasters and True Borns, huh? But once I got deeper into the story, they became obvious. I think I'm a little freaked out at the thought of Splicers. They seem like such unnatural beings. Every person is really only fighting to survive but the categorizing and subsequent alienating led to violence amongst the groups. Each having their own mysterious agendas to fulfill.
As twins, Margot is wild but charming while Lucy is reserved but bold. They have a beautiful (sometimes painful) bond and it was heartening to see them not only rely on but also look out for each other. Aside from having a powerful and influential father, they're just ordinary girls who want to enjoy their Reveal party. When Margo gets taken, Lucy is determined to rescue her sister. Without themselves knowing, they seem to be part of biggersinister? plans. It wasn't fun watching them get dragged into conflict after conflict. I wanted to scream at their parents for the indignation in their treatment of the girls and I wanted to yell at the girls to grow some backbone to stand up for themselves. For obvious reasons I didn't love seeing how they were kept suppressed. These girls are stronger than pieces on a chess board to be moved at others' wills.
I love the vivid descriptions of the True Borns. Some had the hair on my arms standing up in fear while others had me wide-eyed in awe. It's crazy thinking about the extraordinary powers this group exhibits. Nolan Storm is definitely an intriguing character. His "story" has me anticipating big things. I'm also curious to see how he's going to help the girls. Perhaps as a mentor? I can picture that.
There was a case of insta-love between Lucy and Jared but as the story progressed, I really loved seeing the two together. There's a sort of tender genuine care in their exchanges no matter how hostile or heated their interactions always seem to be(come). She softens him and he calls out the fighter in her. I can definitely see them kick some asses side by side.
I need to know what roles these other beings (the Preacher, the important Russian guest and the other True Borns) play. Are they friend or foe? With where things left off at, it's unclear. But I can see a much bigger scheme at work so I hope Ms. Sterling gives us more on each in the sequel!
Like with any fantasy dystopian books, the world took some time to get settled into. In the beginning I found myself very confused. Splicers, Lasters and True Borns, huh? But once I got deeper into the story, they became obvious. I think I'm a little freaked out at the thought of Splicers. They seem like such unnatural beings. Every person is really only fighting to survive but the categorizing and subsequent alienating led to violence amongst the groups. Each having their own mysterious agendas to fulfill.
As twins, Margot is wild but charming while Lucy is reserved but bold. They have a beautiful (sometimes painful) bond and it was heartening to see them not only rely on but also look out for each other. Aside from having a powerful and influential father, they're just ordinary girls who want to enjoy their Reveal party. When Margo gets taken, Lucy is determined to rescue her sister. Without themselves knowing, they seem to be part of bigger
I love the vivid descriptions of the True Borns. Some had the hair on my arms standing up in fear while others had me wide-eyed in awe. It's crazy thinking about the extraordinary powers this group exhibits. Nolan Storm is definitely an intriguing character. His "story" has me anticipating big things. I'm also curious to see how he's going to help the girls. Perhaps as a mentor? I can picture that.
There was a case of insta-love between Lucy and Jared but as the story progressed, I really loved seeing the two together. There's a sort of tender genuine care in their exchanges no matter how hostile or heated their interactions always seem to be(come). She softens him and he calls out the fighter in her. I can definitely see them kick some asses side by side.
I need to know what roles these other beings (the Preacher, the important Russian guest and the other True Borns) play. Are they friend or foe? With where things left off at, it's unclear. But I can see a much bigger scheme at work so I hope Ms. Sterling gives us more on each in the sequel!
While not necessarily a cliffhanger ending, True Born does leave you wanting more. A lot more reveals have yet to be made and I'm beyond curious to see what we'll get. I'm strapping myself in because True Born will no doubt be stirring up a storm ;)
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.
Make sure you check out all the other tour stops for more Q&As and reviews :D
What an interesting premise! Sounds like the author did a lot of research for this one.
ReplyDeleteI agree~ I'm really looking forward learning more about the genetics aspect of this book.
DeleteThis sounds really cool! And the cover is atmospherically spooky :D
ReplyDeleteIt has a special meaning in the book ;)
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