Brent Hartinger
My latest book is called INFINITE DRIFT, and it's the story of a teenager who gets in one of those "sensory deprivation" tanks, and when he gets out, he notices that the world is different that how he remembers it -- but only in little ways: it's the story of "Hansel and Greta," not "Hansel and Gretel."
So he wonders: "Did I cross over into another dimension? Or am I going insane?"
Problem is, when he gets back in the tank again, the world is even *more* different. And yes, each time he goes back, the world gets more different still.
And yes, I had this idea once I walked by one of those "sensory deprivation" tank stores.
The truth is, I LOVE speculative fiction, and I love stories that don't go exactly where you expect -- lots of twists and turns.
At the same time, INFINITE DRIFT is the story of a person, Ollie, who has had something traumatic happen to him -- the death of his little brother that he accidentally helped cause -- and his world has changed all around him anyway.
So the story seemed to be a pretty good expression of his character! One way or another, even with reality constantly shifting all around him, he needs to figure out exactly who HE is.
So he wonders: "Did I cross over into another dimension? Or am I going insane?"
Problem is, when he gets back in the tank again, the world is even *more* different. And yes, each time he goes back, the world gets more different still.
And yes, I had this idea once I walked by one of those "sensory deprivation" tank stores.
The truth is, I LOVE speculative fiction, and I love stories that don't go exactly where you expect -- lots of twists and turns.
At the same time, INFINITE DRIFT is the story of a person, Ollie, who has had something traumatic happen to him -- the death of his little brother that he accidentally helped cause -- and his world has changed all around him anyway.
So the story seemed to be a pretty good expression of his character! One way or another, even with reality constantly shifting all around him, he needs to figure out exactly who HE is.
More Answered Questions
Jesse Colton
asked
Brent Hartinger:
Are those boys on the cover of Barefoot In The City of Broken Dreams the same guys from the cover of The Thing I Didn't Know? Also, are they supposed to represent Russel and his partner or just two generic cute gay boys in love with one another? (Also, another random question: in my head, Russel looks like the boy from the cover of Geography Club, probably understandably. Does he look that way to you?)
Jesse Colton
asked
Brent Hartinger:
Preston
asked
Brent Hartinger:
Isn't it about time you used your considerable talent to write about somebody other than Russell Middlebrook? I stopped reading your books after THE THING I DIDN'T KNOW I DIDN'T KNOW because it was so boring to read more of Russell muddling through a stagnant brain. Please do us a favor and invent a new guy who will excite us as much as Middlebrook used to do so those of us who are fed up can love your work again.
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