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Too insane to be real?
Game of Genes by Clare Blanchard
“… it is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane”
Philip K. Dick, Valis
Have you ever had the feeling that reality is too insane to be real?
Or that insane people are more reliable than sane people?
Well, I wrote Game of Genes in exactly that frame of mind!
I love out-of-the-box plots that are speculative, but based on something real - with an element of conspiracy, yet rooted in solid fact.
I’m also fascinated by urban fantasy fiction that is witty and creative, and has a strong sense of its own inner world. World-building is important in all my novels – both in time and in space.
So what is Game of Genes about?
Well, like my other books, it can be read on a number of different levels.
There’s a classic set piece relationship between the Vanpyre banking family, who are certainly no dummies, and their Anglo-Asian butler, who still manages to be ten steps ahead of them all the way. Think Jeeves and Wooster transposed into the 21st century, with computer games thrown in. Politically correct? Are you kidding me?! It’s meant to be ironic and tongue-in-cheek.
There’s Curfew, the brilliant but confused teenage son of Count Vanpyre, who seems to be having a nervous breakdown when the book opens.
There’s the mysterious Philosophers’ Guild, watching recent developments on planet Earth with mounting alarm.
There’s the small matter of an international genetic engineering conspiracy being financed by some pretty big money and some (literally) big international guns.
And then there’s the Bible – which most of us, apparently, have been reading all wrong (if we’ve been reading it at all).
No wonder 90% of us are on medication and don’t know if we’re coming or going.
Not for the faint-hearted, then, but it could be closer to reality than we think…..
If you’re into the background to the book, here are some useful links:
Believe it or not, there is a solid biblical basis to the idea of demonic infiltration into human affairs, including genetic manipulation. I strongly recommend Michael S. Heiser’s two excellent books on this subject, Unseen Realm and Reversing Hermon.
Michael S Heiser also has a podcast called the Naked Bible Podcast, which is a treasure trove of scholarship if you’re interested. You should be aware that this scholarship is somewhat controversial, because it challenges some strongly held views in denominational Christianity, and has ruffled feathers. Here’s an example of what I mean. I don’t profess to be an expert: I’m a fiction author, and my views are my own, although I try to do my homework.