Sol succeeded in a magical-human DNA graft, the result of which allowed him to see magic for 18 seconds. He has no idea how big the can of monsters he’s just opened is.
Solomon Iskinder is here to save the day… maybe.
Greetings, faithful readers! Last month’s in-progress short story has ballooned into a novella, but it’s still on track to be published soon. I’m also working on another book—one with distinct ties to another you might be aware of.
Friends and readers, meet Solomon Iskinder. He lives in a dead world, one which humans cannot survive without magical aid. Sol is determined to fix that—and in doing so, runs afoul of those who fear that change will force humanity’s extinction.
What is human?
Tom once answered, “It’s like porn: you know it when you see it,” and he laughed, then grew frustrated with me when I could not laugh with him.
How could I? We don’t know it when we see it. Kin look human all the time. Monsters, completely alien to human cell structure, look human. Spells can be worn like costumes to let them hide. Human cannot be based on appearance.
So then what is human? Some say the current surviving genomic DNA is human, but I disagree with that, too. For one. it would preclude all archaic humans, as well as any who come after. How is that possibly a practical definition for a survivable future? It would mean only the genus Homo sapienswill ever be considered human, and I don’t see that working out well for us. We’d adapt out of our own definition.
Not to mention we’re so closely related to the things that are not human, we can produce viable offspring. This seems a poor way to define anyone.
Jason’s mother, Mara, replied to my late-night ramblings with this: human is about the heart. I had to disagree with that, too (and she wasn’t happy, and I reminded myself not to speak so freely, even in the chemically induced foolishness of post-orgasmic bliss).
Non-humans have families, social structures, and tools. They have emotions, and ego, and cultural histories. They respond to insults with anger; they respond with fear when hurt. They love, dearly, deeply, even over thousands of years. These things are not what make us human.
So then, for the love of hell, what is human? I don’t know.
Those monsters have a definition for us, though. A definition that includes previous and future generations. A definition that sums us up in just a few words: we are the ones who cannot do magic.
I grind my teeth as I swap my PPE for soft, shapeless garments (lab-clothes, rather than home-clothes, and am reluctantly delighted to find tiny versions ready and waiting for my son). “I’m very subjective, really,” I tell him as I change out his booties for soft socks to keep his tiny feet warm. “I know this is an unscientific opinion, but… it isn’t fair.”
It isn’t. They are so close to us, genetically. We are barely the scope of one taxonomic order away, one microevolution shy of this special talent—yet they can see and control magic by will, like choosing to hold one’s breath or expelling it with passion—and we cannot.
The ability to see and control magic should not be the dividing factor. That is an accident of adaptation, nothing more. It cannot be what defines us. I refuse to believe we can be defined by what we are lacking.
So then what is human?
I have to find an answer. I’m working to adapt us, to force mutation, to help us survive this ruined world in which we live—and the definition of “human” will either imprison or free my son, and any who come after. I must find the words.
More to come soon!
Audiobook News!
I’ve finally gotten The Sundered audiobook out of Audible’s exclusivity contract (woohoo), and it’s available in multiple places.
I’m also working on getting it set up via BookFunnel (which is a nifty service) so it can be gifted out at my liesure. Because I love to spoil you.
That’s all for now! If life behaves for the next month (ha!) I should have Simon Knight’s story out for you then.
Who the heck am I again?
My name is Ruthanne, and I do two things: I write weird stuff to entertain you, and I help other creatives make weird stuff, too.
I’ve published five books and fifty-plus short stories. I’ve led a convention panel on world-building, and taught courses on plot and character development. I’ve been the keynote speaker for the Write Practice Retreat.
I’ve also been dealing with severe chronic illness that left me hospitalized, and that pretty much slowed everything down. But the thing is, we all have a whole host of problems these days, don’t we?
I believe creation is deeply important, and one of the most human things we can do. It communicates truths we may not even consciously know. That’s why I keep writing, no matter how challenging life becomes; and it’s why I make daily videos to help other creatives, too.
We may be in an apocalypse of A.I. and unscrupulous corporations, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be human. We create for one another, and yes—even the tiniest, silliest creation matters.
If you’re curious, my website has tons of free short stories, as well as three novellas and two novels, with more on the way. I also do daily pep-talks for creatives with a focus on those who struggle with creative block.
If you’re new here
Currently, this newsletter is free, and I plan for it to stay that way. I also do regular updates through Patreon, with membership levels starting at “free” and $1 a month.
Questions? Comments?
Hit “reply,” and ask me anything! Subscribe if you haven’t already, and you’ll get Simon Night’s story free. I look forward to getting to know you.
See you on the written page!
-Ruthanne Reid
