The AUGMENTORS - Interview with Gemini Gibson (Caroline Dunford)
Gemini Gibson, author of the steampunk sci-fi novel, THE AUGMENTORS
First of all, tell us about your new book, The Augmentors! What is it about? Where is it set?
It’s set in an alternative-history, Victorian-era London, where the British Empire is at its height. It’s an imagined timeline where advanced mechanical engineering dominates science. Do you know about the ancient analog device, the Antikythera Mechanism, which was discovered in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea near Greece in 1901, and which had been lost for thousands of years? Well, imagine a version of history where the knowledge of how to create such complex machines was never lost, leading to remarkable advancements – say, for example, Charles Babbage’s computational Difference Engine, being created much, much earlier. How very different things might have been.
What advice would you give to an author seeking to pivot to a new genre?
Writing in a new genre is a little like starting over. Hopefully, you’ve learnt a lot about writing in your previous genre, but a new genre will make new demands, and you need a different writing style, or voice. Also, don’t assume that any of your previous readers will follow you into a new genre. You’ll need to be prepared to reach out to a new readership. I know there will be people who loved my crime/espionage writing, but simply aren’t interested in fantasy, and that’s fine. I’m happy if readers like even one of my books!
What made you want to try a new genre alongside your illustrious career at Headline?
When I first started trying to become a professional writer of fiction, I wrote fantasy and horror short stories. I got quite a few out there, but my attempts at novels attracted no interest from publishers. As I liked reading crime, and I loved the espionage genre, I started writing a story, based very loosely on my own great grandmother’s life (she wasn’t actually a spy, but there are many other similarities between her and my main character, Euphemia Martins).
What inspired you to write The Augmentors?
A dream. I don’t mention this often because I’m either disbelieved, or thought a little bit crazy, but many of my most successful stories come from my dreams. In this instance, I dreamt of someone who’d been mechanically augmented, as well as a Sky Locomotive that could traverse great distances at astounding speeds. Both became key components of The Augmentors, and it all came together from there.
Factions of The Augmentors
To learn more about the factions, visit THE TRUTH WILL BE REVEALED
Do you have any advice you’d give to someone seeking to write their first book?
Have a rough idea of your story – beginning, middle and end – and then write it. I don’t say simply write, because without a vague idea of where you’re going, it can all get a bit bogged down – or at least it can, if you’re me! But the most important thing is to write. A draft is like a piece of clay, you can continue to shape and mould it if you’re not happy with what you first produce!
Did you find it challenging to write in such a different genre to your usual fare? Or was your novel-writing process pretty much nailed down by that point, regardless of genre?
It was rather freeing. I could take history and do what I wanted with it. While even fantasy needs to have integrity, as a writer, you still have full range to construct a story that is limited only by your imagination.
Is there any deeper meaning that inspired the name ‘Gemini Gibson?’
Well, my star sign is Gemini, and there’s a close family connection with the name Gibson. I also feel that Gemini, the twins, is a pretty good description of me. I’m a social scientist, but I’m also an arts graduate. I read and write historical thrillers, but I also read and write fantasy. I’m not very good at being just one thing. I’m essentially a dual-natured character.
What was the first memory you have of Augmentors? When did the idea for the world and characters first come to you?
I’ve sort of answered that above, but I will say that while it’s rather fun in places, the Augmentors is also definitely creepy. We should all be concerned about losing what fundamentally makes us human in our relentless drive for technological advancement and glory.
Given the AI evolution and the rush toward these types of technologies that certainly make the premise of Augmentors topical, what made you decide to designate the setting in Victorian England rather than something more modern?
I wrote this story before the current concerns about AI, but I think that from Asimov’s ‘I Robot’ series and even before, we’ve been preoccupied with the creation of artificial life. However, when you’re considering the many moral and cultural implications of such a complicated and worrying field, it can be hard to look at the problem straight on. Fantasy has always had its roots in taking real-world problems and exploring them in a way that readers can identify with and relate to. Mind you, I am not saying I have any answers. As a novelist, I see my role as reflecting what I see in the world around me and asking the hard questions. I’m not telling anyone what to think, I’m merely asking them to think.
Augmentors compels us to question exactly what humanity is, what sets us apart from machines. Is this a theme you explore in other novels or was this something specific to this book?
I’m always writing about the nature of humanity, contrasting the kindness and compassion we’re capable of against the greed and cruelty that humans all too often display. As sentient beings, we’re a complex mix of altruism and self-interest. More often than not, we don’t truly know ourselves until we’re placed in a crucible of conflict and have to face up to raw truths. That’s what I try to do with my characters. They’re generally ordinary people put into extraordinary situations, where they have to discover their true natures and how far they’re prepared to go for their ideals, or for those they love.
How much research went into the science of the story?
I’m a social scientist, and I’ve just completed an MSc in Forensic Psychology, so there’s a lot of research into the science of the mind, but I would have no idea how to build an Augmentor (probably just as well too).
