A Double-Sided Dark World Dystopia: An Interview with Nick Sansbury Smith

Hello hello!

So to celebrate Nick's recent successes, I thought I'd put this one out. It's all about The Biomass Revolution, his other series, not Orbs, but you should definitely read it.

Q: Describe yourself in 20 words or less.

First, author and triathlete. Second, public servant and activist. Then in no specific order; vegetarian, lover of all animals, adrenaline junkie and humanist.  

Q: Tell us about your novels.

The Tisaian Chronicles is the first series I have written with The Biomass Revolution being my debut novel. I wrote the prequels; Squad 19 and A Royal Knight to give the reader a better look at the world from both sides of the revolution.

TBR is my view of the future. It’s a bleak one, but one that can be avoided if we make the right choices moving forward as a global community. Here’s a synopsis:  

“What would you do if you lived in a world where your every move was scrutinized by your own personal artificial intelligence--a world where everything is regulated, from power usage to relationships--a world where everything you thought you knew turned out to be a lie?

Welcome to Tisaia - The last hub of modern civilization in a world left scorched by the nuclear fires of the Biomass Wars. Surrounded by a fortress of steel walls and protected by a fierce and loyal Council of Royal Knights, Tisaia seems relatively safe to the average State worker and citizen. A plentiful supply of Biomass powers the cities and food is abundant, but security has come at a terrible cost. The State will do anything to protect its resources, even if it means suppressing the rights of its citizens and deporting immigrants into the Wasteland - a virtual death sentence.

Spurious Timur is one of the State workers helping keep the wheels of prosperity turning in Tisaia. As he starts to explore Tisaia and question his own worth, he realizes there may be more to his subsistence than he thought. When he meets and falls for co-worker Lana Padilla, he begins to understand he may hold the key to restoring Tisaia to a just and free State.

However, restoring Tisaia will come at a cost; both to Spurious and those he cares about, because in Tisaia nothing is ever what it seems. And as more of his past begins to surface, he is faced with the ultimate decision--on which side of the revolution should he fight on?”

Q: Dystopias are pretty 'in' right now. What got you interested in the genre?

I grew up reading George Orwell, Joe Haldeman, Margaret Atwood, and S.M. Stirling, so I was always into dark dystopian literature. The past decade I’ve spent my time working in the disaster field, watching the US get pounded by tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts and fires. This experience combined with my background in political science and public policy influenced the world of Tisaia, one I believe we are heading toward.

Buy it here. Cover provided by the author.

Q: What do you think of 'The Hunger Games' and other YA-centred, romantic dystopias?

They are entertaining but in a Harry Potter type of way. When I think of a dystopian future, I think of big brother and darkness. The romantic themed dystopian books like hunger games don’t seem realistic to me. Do you really think a kid is going to save the world when things go to shit? Thinking back to Mad Max in Thunder Dome I recall the quote, “two men enter one man leave.” And I have a really hard time believing a girl with a bow and arrow would be the last person standing.

Q: Do you think TBR's events could happen? Are we 'too smart' for that, or heading towards a real-world dystopia?

I wrote a fore ward to the reader as a warning because I absolutely believe TBR could happen. Every day you hook your car up to a gas pump or water your lawn so it’s green we are inching closer and closer. If a virus doesn’t kill us first I believe fossil fuels will seal our fate as a race. Unless we switch to something sustainable and soon then we are heading towards a world where we may see more Mel Gibson’s aka Max Max’s.

Q: The Biomass Revolution has some cross-media references and influences, such as Gears of War. How do you see game ideas and movie ideas influencing books?

Being a huge fan of both the Halo books and Gears of War books I see quite a bit of this. However, I’m currently reading Metro 2033 and just realized that book influenced the game. It goes both ways.

Photo provided by the author.

Q: Where did you draw visual inspiration from for the imagery in Biomass?

Gears of War was a huge influence. I loved the architecture in that game and the uniforms the Gears wore. The weapons were badass too.

Five years ago I worked on the capitol complex that serves as a central hub for Iowa’s State government. I used to walk the tunnels underneath the capitol building on my way to other offices. This played a pivotal role in the tunnel’s described in Tisaia. Some of the buildings also were inspirations, the golden dome of the capitol being one of them.

Q: What do you plan to write or publish next?

A science fiction book called Orbs. Think The Fifth Wave, but the adult version. That’s all I am divulging right now : ).

Q: Which foods do you absolutely hate?

I don’t eat hate any foods, but I don’t eat anything with fur on it. For health reasons and because I love animals and work very hard for animal welfare and rights.

Q: Least favorite genre?

Westerns. I’ll read anime comic books before I pick up a Western. 

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