(First, an announcement: I’ve signed on as a regular contributor to the newly revamped Speculative Faith blog, along with Becky Miller and Stephen Burnett and Stuart Stockton. My first post, “The Stakes Are High,” is up today. Check it out.)
As I prepare for the release of Coming Day, Book 3 of the Seventh World Trilogy, I’ve been writing a website for the trilogy that will include book synopses, trivia, character profiles, reviews, and lots more. It’s not up yet, but I thought sharing some of its content would be a cool way to give you a look into the Seventh World.
About the World
The Seventh World’s geography is loosely based on that of our own world, as the story was originally written as a sort of alternate history — though that approach changed drastically as I wrote! Bryllan and the Green Isle correspond to Great Britain and Ireland (Cryneth is Wales; the Highlands, of course, are Scotland). Galce corresponds to France; the Eastern Lands to Eastern Europe; Italya to Italy/southern Europe; and the North to Scandinavia. These areas with their dramatic histories inspired geographic features, place names, and even some story details. But the correspondence is loose. The Seventh World has very much become a place of its own.
The lands of the Seventh World are gathered under the rule of the Morel Dynasty, an empire which has been in place since Lucius Morel conquered the tribes five hundred years before Worlds Unseen began–leaving only the wandering Gypsies to remind people of the way things once were. The Morel family has brought good to the Seventh World by bringing peace between its lands and peoples, but the empire also brings oppression and fear. It is the empire that constructs and runs the cruel Orphan Houses, and the empire’s High Police demand the service of young men from all over the Seventh World, tearing apart families and bringing ruin to the hearts of those who serve. The empire is antagonistic toward the Gypsies and sometimes persecutes them, and it levels heavy taxes on its people–especially in the Eastern Lands, where rebellion has long brewed.
In Worlds Unseen, the empire is under the rule of Lucien Morel. But lurking behind the scenes is the real key to the empire’s power and to its evil: the Order of the Spider, a mysterious group of black-cloaked figures who commune with the Blackness and wield terrible power.
A Few of the Characters
Maggie Sheffield
Chapter 1 of Worlds Unseen opens with Maggie, and even though it follows the paths of many other characters, the trilogy remains her story in a special way. Maggie grew up an orphan in Bryllan, living in the loveless, tyrannical Orphan House until she was adopted by Eva Cook. Time spent with John and Mary (Grant) Davies shaped Maggie’s tender spirit and desire to know the truth behind appearances. Throughout the story, Maggie grows in understanding and in courage, discovering along the way that she is the Singer, one of the Gifted whose purpose is to bring the King back into the world. (Worlds Unseen is primarily Maggie’s story.)Nicolas Fisher
Nicolas Fisher enters the Seventh World Trilogy in Worlds Unseen when he rescues Maggie from seedy characters near the docks of Galce. Accompanied by his animal companion, Bear, Nicolas is a half-Gypsy who doesn’t feel that he belongs anywhere. Abandoned by his father, the child Nicolas was saved from life in the orphan houses by a band of Gypsies who took him in when his mother died. But his strange gift of hearing and his restless spirit drove him out from them too. Nicolas is truly a free spirit, courageous and clever, but afraid of loving too much or committing himself to anyone. As the trilogy progresses, Nicolas finds that his destiny is tied up with Maggie’s and that he must settle his wandering heart in the song of the King if he is to find his place in the world and save those he is learning to love from destruction. (Burning Light is primarily Nicolas’s story.)Virginia Ramsey
Virginia Ramsey, the blind seer of the Highlands, has seen visions since childhood. When we meet her in Worlds Unseen, her ability to see into the hearts of others has made her an outcast from her village, and she is haunted by a vision of a great death hound hunting her down. Virginia is the first of the Gifted to be recognized by the Order of the Spider, so they are determined to capture her and use her power for themselves. But Virginia is also the first to see the King and commit to following him. He tells her that through her he will wake the world, and Virginia struggles to hang onto that promise as she fights those who hunt her and becomes a leader in the new world of Pravik. (Coming Day is primarily Virginia’s story.)
And NOW, a sneak peek at an interview! I often conduct author interviews as part of my tour posts. I felt, however, that conducting an interview with myself might be awkward. But that’s OK, because my friend and fellow blogger (the infamous JGills himself) happens to be visiting my family this week, and he agreed to do the conducting. I’m going to post the entire interview tomorrow because today’s post is getting ridiculously long, but here’s a preview:
Joshua: Some of your story is obviously allegorical. how much has been intentional and how much is people just reading into it?
Rachel: Really, the only directly allegorical element in the trilogy is the King — and even he isn’t an exact representation of Christ. But I believe that any really good story will point to all kinds of truth, and I hope the trilogy does that–gives readers lots they can “read in.”
Joshua: So let’s talk Origins. When did you get the idea for this whole story, and did you think of it as a continuing saga from the beginning?
Rachel: The story actually started coming together when I was reading about the first stirrings of the Reformation — in particular about Jan Hus and Jerome in Eastern Europe. Since I have a speculative brain, I transferred elements of that story into a fantasy/sci-fi world and started playing around with them. The original idea was actually much more futuristic. Then, at some point the characters of Maggie, Nicolas, and Virginia took shape, along with Michael and Miracle. Well, by the time I’d written a story for the first three, I realized Michael and Miracle needed a second book
and that still didn’t really finish things, so the third one was also necessary.
More to come tomorrow. Thanks for coming on this tour with me! If you’d like more info on the first two books, check out the Worlds Unseen and Burning Light book pages.
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