On a quest to find a mysterious island, a group of explorers from the 1500s set off for the New World. Meanwhile, in a not-so-distant timeline, a government science experiment goes array.
In Dylan James Quarles’ new tale, “There Be Monsters,” find out what happens when the fabric of space-time is torn and the past and the present are left to face the monster they’ve created.
“It’s a sci-fi and adventure story blended together,” Quarles said. “It starts in the 1520s, but pretty quickly you start getting introduced to an alternate timeline from the ’80s.”
This sets up a clash of the two timelines where the characters from both have to interact with each other, forcing them to resolve the issues created by the expedition and the experiment.
“The book is very much a chimera, which is one of the things that I love about it,” added Quarles, a Port Townsend-based writer.
The work was published by Port Townsend’s Winter texts. The story was in its beginning stages when the local publisher, Conner Bouchard-Roberts, took on the project.
In a collaborative effort between the two, the story was written and edited in tandem.
“This is definitely the first time I’ve been a part of someone else’s process,” Bouchard-Roberts explained, having seen everything the author put into the writing and the creating.
“[Conner] totally saw the potential there,” Quarles said.
“He’s put a lot of time and effort into this, in addition to just taking a risk,” the author added.
Bouchard-Roberts described it as “a big science-fiction, fantasy romp.”
“My favorite thing about this story is the way that it switches between different genres on a dime and it never feels like a forced endeavor,” Bouchard-Roberts explained.
“You’re just kind of riding this wave of different genres and different scenes and action sequences that all flow together seamlessly,” he said.
“It’s got a lot going on,” Quarles added, “but that’s what’s neat about it.”
No matter how “out-there” it gets – amid the time travel, the quests for lost civilizations, and the high seas adventures – the central theme of the story is a timeless one. The kernel that’s at the center of everything, driving the story forward.
“The characters are all learning to embrace the unknown,” the author explained.
Like the age-old sentiment, “It’s about the journey not the destination,” the book takes readers on an exciting voyage where uncertainty is OK, which is especially important during the uncertain times we’ve all experienced.
If you can pick up a book and all of the characters are just embracing uncertainty, Quarles added, it can be fun and enjoyable. Uplifting, even.
“He seems like he’s having a lot of fun with it,” Bouchard-Roberts said about the author. “He’s exploring all these different ideas, but there’s definitely an element of joy.”
“He’s writing [‘There Be Monsters’] for the Port Townsend community in a way,” the publisher added.
Quarles grew up in Port Townsend, where he graduated from high school. After going away to college and living overseas, he came home when it was time to start a family.
“I spent a lot of my childhood down in the boatyard. My dad is a shipwright, so a lot of the nautical stuff that got into me really early is always fascinating to me. Of course, it makes an appearance in the book with a certain portion taking place on a sailboat,” he isaid.
“A lot of the queues that are going to be in the book, in terms of my imagination, are things that are informed by growing up here,” the author added.
The story is 400 pages composed of three parts. Some pages are accompanied by original art from local artist Cougar George, who created the covers for Quarles’s previous trilogy, “The Ruins of Mars.”
George’s sketches act as references in the story to give the illusion of more than just a book. When some pages suddenly come alive with art, readers get to see what the characters are seeing and experiencing.
“There Be Monsters” will be released Thursday, June 24 with a small book launch at The Castle in Port Townsend.
The book is available for pre-order now on wintertexts.com, or can be picked up at Imprint Bookstore upon its release.
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