But from those with corrupt morals to those with hearts of passion and gratitude, Alec and his friends are given the chance to fight one more time. And after six months, the war is reaching its climax. There is only one resolution to stopping the Board of Officials: cut the head off of the snake and kill Landon Corbett. But he remains as elusive and dangerous as ever. Alec, Jonah, Sky, Jay and Trent have suffered terrible losses, but the biggest loss is yet to come and it will leave none of them untouched.
Humanity Falls...
J.J. Marshall
Purchase Links
Meet the Characters!
As close to a meet-and-greet with the characters of "When the World Ends..." as you'll get! Read on to find out who's who, what makes them tick and what role they have to play! Make sure to check out the Author Insight on the right.
Alec Corbett
Alec is the main protagonist; he's seventeen years old, bright and intelligent with a strong sense of what is right and wrong. It is this sense that carries him away from his normal life (or as normal as you can get living aboard a Space Station) and onto the path of liberating Humanity.
Alec is a lonely teenager - he doesn't go to school because his father's reputation has tarnished his own image. Instead he's tutored, and his tutor is the only person whom he has contact with other than his father...when he's not sneaking off, that is.
He is a rebel at heart and it is fitting that his destiny should change and bring him onto this course. Frequently, Alec sneaks down to the poorer, lower levels where he rapidly becomes best friends with Jonah Jones.
Landon Corbett
Landon is the main antagonist, although he is clearly misled by the Board of Officials. Through the novel his lust for power and control grows to overwhelming levels as he strays away from antagonising just Alec to torturing the entire Human Race.
There is something unsettling and clearly sociopathic about Landon's mentality. His strategies for resolutions to the Board's problems are steeped in deadly intentions and he acts without emotion or remorse, making him all-the-more dangerous.
Jonah Jones
Jonah is the same age as Alec; a mixed-race boy living with his father and a group of strangers inside the cramped and confined living quarters of their Habitation on Level1. Level1 is the 'poorest' level of the ISS and that status is also attached to the people that live there.
He's quite naive in his approach and outlook to life and the world. He enjoys the finer things - the things which Alec has overlooked in his life of luxury on Level3. His naivity is a strength which he brings to his friendship with Alec and he teaches him many new things.
Jay Jones
Jay is Jonah's father - a big American man from the old deep-south. He's outright loveable and someone that everyone feels safe with. He's quick to stick up for the right person, even if he doesn't know who they are. He has a big heart and is especially fond of Alec, demonstrating a willingness to help both him and Jonah through their tribulations without being afraid to make sacrifices along the way...
Trey Bachman
Trey is a huge guy; well over six-feet tall and this, along with his incredibly muscular physique makes him an intimidating figure. But beneath this strong exterior Trey is gentle and humble. He is older than Alec and Jonah by a few years but capable of engaging with them on their level none-the-less. His older-age also puts him on a level with Jay and he has good relations with all of the characters. His own moral compass is very much pointing in the same direction as Alec's: he believes so much in the cause that Alec is fighting for that he is willing to do anything to make it happen. He's the first to say if something needs to be done and the first to volunteer to do it.
Sky Turner
Sky is very much a girl in a man's world, but she's strong, determined and can hold her own. She's the same age as Alec and Jonah but you wouldn't know it. Having lived in the slums of London for all of her life, she's very tough and reluctant to let anyone into her life. It is with an unwilling sense of curiosity that she cautiously enters Alec's life, and thus his mission to liberate Humanity.
Excerpt
In the wake of the Board of Officials’ attack on the London Sphere and the subsequent destruction of the city, Commander Lincoln of the U.S. New York Sphere openly declared war against the Board.
Almost overnight, the ISS and MoonBase1 fell under the now-fascist regime of the Board of Officials. Every initial uprising was crushed and the people fell into silent and unwilling order.
Before a counter-attack against the Board could be conducted, other Sphere Leaders called for an Alliance of Spheres on Earth and met to discuss the next steps. Whilst it was decided that they would unanimously declare war, they would not attack immediately and proceeded to gather intelligence in order to prepare.
In Space, President Cadmar Davies assembled the remainder of the Board of Officials: the disgraced Landon Corbett and last-surviving ‘loyalist’ Takeshi Sato. Together they decided they needed an army, but with the majority of the humans under their control resisting the call to arms, they concluded that compulsory conscription was needed. All men and woman over the age of eighteen were sent to MoonBase1; half of which had been converted into a training facility.
Soon after, the Board of Officials discovered that moles for Earth had been activated amongst their people. This, and much resistance from conscripted civilians, led the Board to take drastic action. Overseen by Mr. Sato, all conscripted civilians would be subjected to ‘cerebral scans’ – a process to eliminate spies in the eyes of the public. But in secret: a brainwashing programme to convert all conscripted civilians to their cause.
Presently, the programme is 45% complete with further ‘cerebral scans’ scheduled each day for the next four months. The Board of Officials decided that this would set their agenda: once their militarised, brainwashed army was ready they would go to war.As she delves deeper into their world, Sky discovers that she's similar to Alec in many ways. She's equally rebellious and drives him forward, giving him the confidence to take action as well as to believe in himself and his mission.
When the World Ends..
Book #1
17-year-old Alec Corbett lives aboard the adapted International Space Station. One ordinary day in his mundane life he transforms his potential when he discovers information that could expose the corruption of the Board of Officials that now controls humanity. Armed with nothing but knowledge and his friend Jonah Jones by his side, Alec’s righteous judgement leads them on a merciless and unforgiving path. For there is one key problem – the information comes from his father Landon Corbett; a member of the Board. Pitted against his own flesh and blood, Alec finds himself in a unique position to end the Board of Officials’ dictatorship over Humanity. However, all is not as it seems and as the stakes grow increasingly higher, Humanity reaches the brink of all-out-war. Only Alec and his group of friends can peacefully negate the situation, but it all depends on whether or not anyone will listen to a 17-year-old boy.
Purchase Links
About J.J. Marshall
"I am currently studying a B.Sc. Physical Geography Degree at the University of Reading in Berkshire, England, with the intention of pursuing a career in teaching secondary school pupils. I was born and raised in England and am presently twenty years old. "When the World Ends. . ." is my first publication and I'm incredibly excited to be working with the people at AuthorHouse in bringing my story to real, tangible pages! Writing has always been a hobby and a passion of mine from a very young age; I can recall writing a novel on my first family computer which was inspired (as well as a being blatant rip-off!) of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. It was really this book; the first full novel I had ever read by myself, that inspired me to write for myself and to create worlds beyond our own and fictions that can redefine the past or give suppositions about the future. I would list J.K. Rowling as one of my top inspirations, as well as the likes of Anthony Horowitz, Ian Banks, Charlaine Harris and Suzanne Collins. I also draw inspiration from T.V. shows and scriptwriters, such as Joss Whedon, J.J. Abram, Maurissa Tancheroen, Steven Moffat and Jane Espenson. Their work and the way that they construct characters and stories spur and challenge me to create my own little realities. So welcome to one of my little realities! I hope you enjoy it.Contact J.J. Marshall:
No comments:
Post a Comment