Elly Bangs' debut novel Unity is set to release later this month. This cyberpunk apocalyptic thriller includes otherworldly chases across the desert, underwater enclaves, a cybernetic bodysnatcher, and a whole new definition of consciousness. Danae needs to reunify before her enemies catch up to her, and they seem to be coming out of the woodwork. With philosophical takes on personhood and grief, Unity will keep you thinking as pulls you through a breakneck pace. Everyone in this story has a secret, what will happen when their secret no longer has to be carried? When your secret is known, does the world end, or does it just keep on keeping on, like nothing happened? You can see Bangs reading from Unity, at the Tachyon Publications website.
For a taste of Bangs' fiction, I highly recommend checking out her short story "Deep Music", which was recently published at Clarkesworld. Her short fiction has also appeared in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Escape Pod, Fireside Quarterly, Galaxy's Edge, Daily Science Fiction, and multiple anthologies.
Bangs is a queer trans woman who was raised in a new-age cult and once rode her bicycle from Seattle to the Panama Canal. She describes much of her writing as uncategorized weirdness with an emphasis on longing, heartbreak, and the fate of humanity. You can learn more about her and her work at her website, elbangs.com, and by following her on twitter @elly_bangs . She was kind enough to talk to me about the long work of creating Unity, what exactly Danae is, how she kept everything organized, and more. Let's get to the interview!
E.B.: A minor spoiler: Danae is essentially a gestalt consciousness. She carries the combined memory of hundreds of people, and of the enormous mind they once fused together to form, but years ago she was traumatically separated from the rest of herself and forced into hiding. Many of her other bodies were killed. For all she knows, she’s the last surviving fragment of the whole expansive being she once was -- but she’s on a quest to find the rest of herself, if it’s still out there. Her worst fear is that it won’t take her back.
E.B.: The sex scene was my favorite. It was a bit outside my usual comfort zone, but I’m pleased with how it turned out. The character whose arc evolved and deepened most unexpectedly was the most disturbing and unpleasant one to write -- ‘Borrower’, the tortured cybernetic bodysnatcher who’s been obsessed with Danae for decades. I learned a lot about monsters by working on him.
NOAF: You're also a prolific short story writer, with short fiction appearing in Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Daily Science Fiction, Clarkesworld, Escape Pod, and elsewhere. Unity is your first full length novel. What surprised you most, about the differences between writing short stories, and writing a novel?
NOAF: I can't get your short story “Deep Music” out of my head, any chance of you expanding Quinn and the aquids into a longer work or more short stories?
NOAF: Thanks so much Elly!
POSTED BY: Andrea Johnson lives in Michigan with her husband and too many books. She can be found on twitter, @redhead5318 , where she posts about books, food, and assorted nerdery.