Faarland came to me at a time in my life when I was struggling to get any writing done. I’d just finished a post-apocalyptic sci-fi which pretty much got ignored by every agent I sent it to. Needless to say I was deflated and sad that this manuscript that I’d spent endless hours working on wasn’t getting any attention.
But then, the idea for Faarland came to me in a dream. Slowly but surely I started working on this story. My initial aim was to write something that was about 20 000 to 30 000 words long. I wanted to write something shorter since the rejected sci-fi story was close to a hundred thousand words. I also knew that traditional publishers aren’t interested in novels of less than 50 000 words. So, Faarland was a perfect opportunity to self-publish.
But Faarland ended up being much longer than what I initially anticipated. The initial story ended up being the second part of a two-part novella. Each part is around 35 000 words and together they might as well be a novel. I sometimes wish that I did publish it as one thing since people read the first part and become very upset about the ending. All I can say to that, is this: Please read the second part! In any event I enjoyed writing this fantasy and hope that readers enjoy it too.
In Faarland the main character Cullford finds something that fundamentally shakes his view of the world that he’s living in. This discovery not only tests his internal fortitude but also sends him on a wild adventure in which he starts to question common assumptions.
For Cullford, this is not an easy thing. Like most of us, he is reluctant to probe into the darkness of what is unknown to him. He realises that there are things that the Science Ministry—the institution that he works for—is hiding from him. This bothers him but because his livelihood and identity is attached to this institution, he does not want to peak beneath the veneer. That is until he meets Selma, a fellow scientist at the Ministry. Selma, unlike Cullford, is determined to uncover the truth of the Science Ministry. She spends her time constructing little experiments to determine if the institution is fundamentally corrupt.
When Cullford finds out about this, he is faced with two options: Turn Selma in, or join her in the quest for truth. Half-motivated by his interest in her and half-motivated by his own curiosity he joins her. The adventure turns out to be not only physically dangerous but also internally challenging. It turns out that it is not so easy to face your own faulty beliefs and have it completely overturned. But this is the truth of Truth: It is often difficult to uncover. It often challenges us. And it is often uncomfortable. But it will set you free.
If you ever decide to read Faarland, remember to read the story in it’s entirety: Faarland – The Complete Edition.