Ask the Author: Duncan Smith
Answered Questions (2)
Duncan Smith
It's a longish answer, but here it is. 'Cultown' is the story of Thomas Swan, a charismatic figure who forms a cult called the Milinish.
The most dull and obvious way to tell such a story would be to write it from a position of superiority i.e. “Aren’t cults terrible? Cult leaders are awful and the people who join them must be weak, deluded fools.” That is not my way. For one thing, the story is told from the cult leader’s perspective. For another, it is suggested that he has good reason for his actions. And finally, I say we are all cult members, or brainwashed, in one way or another.
'Cultown' deals with topics to do with science and religion. If it had been written by a hard core scientist, it may have just been someone making fun of religious beliefs. But the Milinish is a scientific cult as much as a religious one. A reader of the book said it ‘shows not just the cultishness of religion, but of science too.’ One of the book’s themes is that for some people, science has become our new religion, with all the problems that entails.
I wrote the first version of this book in the late 1990s, while studying these topics at university. The first version of the book was quite good, but when I went back to it a couple of years ago, I realised it had flaws and could have been much better. In the last ten years I’ve become a much better writer, as a result of writing two novels – 'The Vortex Winder' and 'The Maelstrom Ascendant.' From the lessons learned there, I’ve been able to improve 'Cultown' considerably in its quality of writing.
That is not the only difference. The story’s setting has been updated from 1999 to 2017, incorporating the changes in technology we’ve seen in that time. Most significantly, Cultown now has a full rock soundtrack album. For both 'Vortex' and 'Maelstrom', my band, Lighthouse XIII, recorded a full soundtrack of songs, each of which fit into the story (sort of like a movie musical, except it’s a book). That trend continues with' Cultown'. There are twelve new songs which tie into the story.
When we think of cult members, we tend to think of people who are brainwashed into a given belief system and forced to adhere to a set of values and expectations. Yet if that is true, there are many different types of cults. On a mass scale, Nazism, for example, operated much as a cult does, with many of the same characteristics on show. There are other, more recent political examples. More generally, whenever we align ourselves with an organisation that expects us to conform to certain values, beliefs, and behaviour, we are at risk of showing cultish behaviour to some degree. My fascination with the psychology of cults was one factor that led me to write this book.
I was also intrigued by the leaders themselves. What prompted them to form such groups? The most obvious explanation was the desire for power, yet I’ve tried to go beyond such simple motivations. Thomas Swan is also, I hope, a sympathetic figure. He is ‘evil but not vile’ as one of the song titles has it. Besides, as Cultown is partly a comedy, as well as a drama, Tom is good for a few laughs!
The most dull and obvious way to tell such a story would be to write it from a position of superiority i.e. “Aren’t cults terrible? Cult leaders are awful and the people who join them must be weak, deluded fools.” That is not my way. For one thing, the story is told from the cult leader’s perspective. For another, it is suggested that he has good reason for his actions. And finally, I say we are all cult members, or brainwashed, in one way or another.
'Cultown' deals with topics to do with science and religion. If it had been written by a hard core scientist, it may have just been someone making fun of religious beliefs. But the Milinish is a scientific cult as much as a religious one. A reader of the book said it ‘shows not just the cultishness of religion, but of science too.’ One of the book’s themes is that for some people, science has become our new religion, with all the problems that entails.
I wrote the first version of this book in the late 1990s, while studying these topics at university. The first version of the book was quite good, but when I went back to it a couple of years ago, I realised it had flaws and could have been much better. In the last ten years I’ve become a much better writer, as a result of writing two novels – 'The Vortex Winder' and 'The Maelstrom Ascendant.' From the lessons learned there, I’ve been able to improve 'Cultown' considerably in its quality of writing.
That is not the only difference. The story’s setting has been updated from 1999 to 2017, incorporating the changes in technology we’ve seen in that time. Most significantly, Cultown now has a full rock soundtrack album. For both 'Vortex' and 'Maelstrom', my band, Lighthouse XIII, recorded a full soundtrack of songs, each of which fit into the story (sort of like a movie musical, except it’s a book). That trend continues with' Cultown'. There are twelve new songs which tie into the story.
When we think of cult members, we tend to think of people who are brainwashed into a given belief system and forced to adhere to a set of values and expectations. Yet if that is true, there are many different types of cults. On a mass scale, Nazism, for example, operated much as a cult does, with many of the same characteristics on show. There are other, more recent political examples. More generally, whenever we align ourselves with an organisation that expects us to conform to certain values, beliefs, and behaviour, we are at risk of showing cultish behaviour to some degree. My fascination with the psychology of cults was one factor that led me to write this book.
I was also intrigued by the leaders themselves. What prompted them to form such groups? The most obvious explanation was the desire for power, yet I’ve tried to go beyond such simple motivations. Thomas Swan is also, I hope, a sympathetic figure. He is ‘evil but not vile’ as one of the song titles has it. Besides, as Cultown is partly a comedy, as well as a drama, Tom is good for a few laughs!
Duncan Smith
'Cultown' has just been published, so I'm not working on a new book just yet. I'm trying to write a blog and / or short story each week in 2017. They'll appear on the Sparks blog on my website.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more