|
|
|
The Phase Transition, by Ryan E. Okerlund
|
 |
| |
|
Welcome to the Phase Transition homepage. This site is dedicated to my first novel, The Phase Transition, which just came out September of 2002. It is a bit difficult to place this novel in a particular genre, but I have found that those who enjoy sci/fi or fantasy books will definately like The Phase Transition. The basic concept is also difficult to sum up in just a few words, but I gave it a shot. Below is the excerpt from the back cover.
|
For millennia, humanity has fought against the notion of magic. Superstition and irrational fear have slowly been replaced with reason and logic. Our species entered the twenty-first century with only the slightest trappings of our former, peasant selves. This was our downfall. For science and magic are merely transitory fluctuations our planet has experienced a thousand times in its history. As has happened in the past, so must happen again. As the Phase sweeps over the earth, America is lost in chaos. Electricity and gunpowder become useless, and anarchy rules. From amongst this pandemonium strikes forth one man, an ancient from the dark past, who realizes the plight of humanity and strives to create order in the bedlam of the present. Professor Avedesh gathers those he knows to have the magical strength of the ancients; those who’s very genes carry power. Fighting off starvation and shadowy cults that pursue them, the Professor must teach his followers to use their latent powers, not only to save themselves, but civilization.
 |
|
The idea of this novel came from the Stephen Hawking novel A Brief History of Time. In it Dr. Hawking puts forth the idea that the laws of physics may not be universal. We know so little of our universe, he claims, that it could very well be that nature, as we know it, is a local phenomenon. He does admit that this is very unlikely, but then again hey, who knows?
The basic idea behind The Phase Transition is the possibility that the laws of nature are universal, but not stable. While they do last for thousands of years, they eventually change, like Ice Ages. The laws of physics alter just minutely every few thousand years, from our current state of science and technology to a more qualitative, magical state. The reason more 'primative' societies seem so fixed on magic and superstition is not because they feel an innate need to try to control our environment, as anthropologists would like us to believe, it is because at one time we COULD control the world around us. Voodoo and witchcraft are merely shadows of the very real power humanity once controlled, ingrained in our collective psyche over thousands of years. But magic has not faded entirely. It is fated to return. And as magic returns, the technology our world depends on so heavily begins to fade, and the fate of America, and all the other technology dependant countries in the world hang in the balance.
This is where my story begins. To see where it ends, you’ll have to get a hold of the book. Trust me, it’s worth it.
|
For those interested, this book can be purchased through my publisher, at PublishAmerica.com, or more directly
by clicking here.It can also be ordered at Amazon.com, or any major retail bookstore, although going through the publisher is considerably cheaper. Comments and suggestions are encouraged, I can be reached at okie.ryan@mailcity.com. Ipromise I will try to answer as soon as possible. I will also try to update this site as often as possible. Thanks for visiting!
-- Ryan E. Okerlund
|
|
|
|
