In conjunction with the release of his new novel, Swedish author Hans M Hirschi stopped by today to share an excerpt from the book, and he's written a guest post about his take on faith in an apocalyptic future.
Faith in the 26th Century
Hans M Hirschi
Faith doesn’t play a major role in Willem of the Tafel, but I realize it plays a major role in society, so I had to consider what faith might look like in the future. What we typically see is faiths change as leaders change, as society’s change, particularly when those changes are of a radical nature. If you look at Europe, we’ve seen faiths change quite a few times in the past few thousand years. In the bronze age, which came later the further north you go, people’s faith revolved around mother nature, the sun and the moon. It was then replaced by mighty and powerful gods, inspired by similar beliefs in the middle east. From Greece’s Zeus to Rome’s to the Germanic Oden, which were powerful and lively way past the first millennia in Northern Europe. It was followed by Catholicism which reached different parts of Europe in the second half of the first millennia, often made official when kings converted. Then came Protestantism and millions and millions of Europeans changed faith again, sometimes back and forth, at the whim of the ruler in place. Also, Islam spread across Europe (e.g. Spain, South-Eastern Europe), through conquests and - most recently, through migration, just as judaism once had. These days you can add atheism and any world religion into the mix.
So what would happen, if tragedy struck, and we lost everything? Would people still cling to their faith? This is a difficult question, and I suggest they do not. It is difficult to know of course, as societies generally tend to become more religious in perilous times, but I still believe that an event of such horrendous proportions would undoubtedly lead to significant changes. How could e.g. catholicism survive without Rome? Or Islam without Mecca or Medina?
In the greater context of Willem of the Tafel, people’s faith, as strong and steadfast as it may be, doesn’t play a significant role as it doesn’t really add to telling the story. However, as an author writing a society that does not yet exist, I still had to figure out how people in the 26th century might lead their lives. This is but one tiny example of a very important aspect of our everyday life that didn’t make it into the book.
Willem of the Tafel by
Hans M. Hirschi
Published by
Beaten Track Publishing
Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, LGBT, Post-Dystopian, Young Adult
194 pages
Release Date: May 28, 2015
The world we know is gone, destroyed by greed and ignorance. On a post-apocalyptic Earth, centuries into the future, few have survived the Great War. Some have taken refuge deep inside a mountain. One of them, Willem, is exiled to the surface... Alone and struggling to survive, Willem embarks on an epic journey, making a discovery that could once again alter the future of humanity. Willem of the Tafel is an epic tale of survival, second chances, hope, and undying love.
Excerpt:
Excerpt:
Crime was virtually unknown to Tafel society: there was no police force, no one to guard Willem. He was accompanied to the surface by an elder from each of the three main groups, and an engineer to operate the main door, which hadn’t been opened in over two centuries, although it was regularly maintained, just in case. No one really knew what awaited Willem on the other side of that concrete and steel door. Opening it was the most difficult task. It had rusted shut and resisted the guards’ strenuous efforts. Willem didn’t put up a fight or resist; he simply watched as the guards struggled on. He had accepted his sentence with equanimity. Even if he’d been acquitted, he knew that he would still have been considered guilty by the population and shunned by them, at best. Willem didn’t want to die; he wanted to live, wanted to see the sun, wanted to lie naked in the warm light that tanned his skin, wanted to enjoy life like anyone his age. But that wasn’t to be, so he accepted the situation as it was.
He stiffened slightly, as the door finally moved, and a whiff of the outside air reached his nostrils. The others had put on their masks to protect themselves from the radiation and pollutants in the air, and Willem instinctively held his breath, his last one ever…
Check out the trailer for Willem of the Tafel
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Hans M Hirschi (b. 1967) has been writing stories ever since he was a child. Adulthood and the demands of corporate life efficiently put an end to his fictional writing for over twenty years. A global executive in training and channel development, Hans has traveled the world and had previously published non-fictional titles.
The birth of his son and the subsequent parental leave provided him with the opportunity to unleash his creative writing once again. With little influence over his brain’s creative workings, he indulges it, going with the flow.
A deeply rooted passion for faith in a better world, in love, tolerance and diversity are a red thread throughout both his creative and non-fictional work. His novels might best be described as “literary romance, engaging characters and relevant stories that won’t leave you untouched, but hopeful.”
Hans is a proud member of the Swedish Writers’ Union and the Writers’ Center in Sweden.
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The giveaway for Willem of the Tafel has 11 randomly chosen winners; 10 will receive $15 Gift codes to the author's shop, but the grand prize winner will receive a free ticket to GayRomLit retreat 2015, in San Diego, CA, happening October 15-18th, 2015. Ticket value is $175, but if you win the grand prize, you're responsible for travel and accommodations. Please notify the author in advance should you win and be unable to attend, so we can choose another recipient to enjoy the prize!
Good luck and happy reading and winning!
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