Tuesday, August 5, 2014

Guest Post from Natsuya Uesugi, author of Grydscaen


ABOUT GRYDSCAEN

Title: grydscaen
Genre: Science Fiction/Fantasy
Author: Natsuya Uesugi
Publisher: Xlibris
EBook: 288 pages
Release Date: July 21, 2011

 Follow the lives of the main characters as they come together in the backstory to grydscaen:retribution, the first volume of the grydscaen saga. Faid is tired of life on the run in the Echelons, trying to keep his psychic power in check, he founds the Packrats establishing a safe haven for psychics. As a hacker he uses his jack to support his neurocyne habit. Lino is recruited by the Psi Faction and is sent on a mission to kidnap Faid. Riuho, Lino’s half brother becomes a prisoner of the Elite military and they experiment on him, train him and subject him to mind control, then send him out on a mission. On his return, Riuho is set on escaping and recruits Faid who hacks into the Psi Faction systems. They escape and return to the Packrats leading up to the start of grydscaen:retribution.

Xlibris

The grydscaen series which is set in 2055 in the near future is a microcosm of today’s society. Technology is pervasive and infiltrates the day to day lives of the people recounted in the book. The lead character of grydscaen is Ameliano “Lino” Dejarre who is the son of the Viceroy of the Pacific Territories and a prince. Lino is a clandestine psychic operative of the Psi Faction who’s job is to fight against cyber terrorism and the infiltrations of the Atlantea Federation which dropped the nuclear bomb called the Dionysis Effect on the Pacific Territories.

Lino and the psychic operatives of the Psi Faction are set against the Packrats which are seen as cyber terrorists by the government. The grydscaen series makes a commentary about freedom and anti government actions. Today we have activists and hackers standing up against oppression in various countries. I think that grydscaen gives voice to that fight and shows how things could happen in a world where there are less freedoms and the government rules everyday life.

Psychics are oppressed in grydscaen and I wanted to make a commentary about marginalized groups in society such as the transgender and gay community. LGBT youth also have to face bullying in schools and can have a difficult time adjusting to just being who they are. I wrote grydscaen to provide positive role models to today’s youth and show them that they can be different and still be respected. Bullying is a big problem today in person and online. I remember being bullied in high school for just being who I was and who I liked. This shaped who I am and I wrote grydscaen because I wanted to give back and let gay and trans kids know that they can be accepted for who they are.

The other topic that I touch on in grydscaen is mental health. There is stigma about mental illness that is pervasive in society. One of the grydscaen characters named Sati Ima has schizoaffective disorder but he is a pilot in the military. He just needs to take medication and otherwise he handles his symptoms. There are many people who deal with depression and other mental illnesses that take medication. There should be no stigma to that. I wanted to shed light on this and make it clear that people with mental illness can lead full and fulfilling lives and they should be treated with dignity and respect.
Grydscaen deals with difficult themes all rolled up into a science fiction backdrop. I also talk about LGBT homeless youth in the series as one of the characters Rom who is 16 years old lives on the streets. I wanted to detail the plights of homeless youth and give them a voice that is often not heard. Many people think this is just a problem in the inner cities but there are many cities where gay kids come out and tell their parents and then they are kicked out on the street, or for some reason or another they are running away from abusive situations. Homeless youth need a voice and I just wrote a grydscaen short story which is available on the grydscaen blog called “A Storm’s Coming” which is about Rom the homeless LGBT youth.

Grydscaen makes a commentary about life and marginalized groups in society. It calls for equal rights and equality like the marriage equality initiative that is getting media now. When I was in college I wished that I had strong LGBT role models that I could look up to who would have helped me find out more about who I am. I wrote the grydscaen series to provide this voice for those that might not feel that they were worthy of having a voice or had no means to speak up. Grydscaen shows that a gay teenager can have a position of power and rise up and make a change in his environment for the better. Lino is that character and the grydscaen series revolves around him. I wanted to give him a voice and tell about his struggles and his triumphs. Grydscaen is about respect and being recognized for your talents. I wanted to give back and grydscaen allows me to do that.

There are currently 4 books published in the grydscaen series: grydscaen: utopia, grydscaen: beginnings, grydscaen: retribution and grydscaen: war with a fifth book grydscaen: alliance due to be published this year. I hope that you would take a look at grydscaen and the positive message that it brings for today’s youth.

For more on grydscaen visit http://www.grydscaen.com

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