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Mark David Gerson
a book bubble about
The StarQuest
Science Fiction & Fantasy
Author Insight
"Nothing Here Makes Any Sense"
One of the reasons it took me 11 years to finish a first draft of The StarQuest is that the story I was discovering as I wrote (I never plan or outline) was so time-twistingly mind-bending that my brain constantly struggled to make sense of it. So it’s not surprising that versions of the phrase "nothing here makes any sense" would end up weaving repeatedly through the final story. After all, the protagonist's adventures made as little sense to them as they were living them as they did to me as I was writing them. I’ve been thinking a lot about The StarQuest in recent days, because just as its characters must do, we are living through times that seem to make little sense. But if The StarQuest taught me anything, it’s that all stories ultimately do make sense – just as The StarQuest did in the end, to me as much as to its characters. The key here is “in the end.” It’s often hard to make sense of life’s challenges when we’re in the mist of them. All we can do is move through them with as much grace as we can muster and trust that perspective will arrive. It always does in the end, in every story – the "real" ones as much as the fictional ones.
Book Excerpt
The StarQuest
I opened my fist and watched the leaf change color in my hand. At first bright green, it dulled into a flesh color that so matched my skin it was nearly invisible. Only its warmth and a slight tickling in my palm convinced me that it hadn’t vanished altogether. It changed color again, brightening to pink then orange, before exploding into a sparkling rainbow of ever-shifting hues. Once again, I wanted nothing more than to eat it. I lifted it toward my open mouth, then stopped. It didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense. Ben. Me being in M’ranna. M’ranna itself. Not knowing who I was or why I was here. Now, I was supposed to eat from a tree that grew down from the stars? From the future? I shredded the leaf into tiny pieces and flung them into the air.
The moment the fragments scattered on the breeze, I had to pluck another leaf and stuff it into my mouth. I couldn’t help myself. It immediately dissolved on my tongue. I seemed to be dissolving with it.
“Q’nta...” Ben’s voice faded into silence. The Kora Kì shimmered into nothingness. Everything dispersed into a silky haze.
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