Hugh Howey zal een paar vragen van leesclubdeelnemers beantwoorden. Heb jij een goede vraag, stel hem hieronder. De beste en leukste tien vragen worden doorgestuurd naar de auteur. Je mag je vraag in het Engels of Nederlands stellen.
Are you really embarking on a journey to complete your second dream: sailing around the world? Are you writing a new book while sailing across the oceans?
Enjoy your trip around the world!
Hello, I am curious how you came up with the idea of the sanddivers. It is something I have never read before, for which I thank you because it opened up a whole new world for me as a reader.
Dear Hugh,
By now I’ve read many stories that are set in a desert(like) environment. In ‘Sand’ however I read many details about a life in the sand and the heat that were new to me. This gives me the idea you’re very familiar with deserts. So now I’m wondering if you indeed visited deserts yourself and if so whether this happened anyways or if you went there primarily to do research for this book. Thank you by the way for this exciting novel.
Hello Hugh Howey,
I wondered if you thought about a second book after Sand. Because the world on the other side of the desert holds a great story too. It's not really possible anymore, because of the big-bang at the end of Sand, or maybe there is?
Je hebt gelijk! Verrassend. Ik dacht echt dat dit het eerste deel van een serie was. En zo voelde het einde voor mij ook. Er is nog zoveel te vertellen: hie zit het nu met die andere stad, hoe loopt het af met Vic en haar vader, overleven ze het of niet, gast de familie naar het westen, en wat vinden ze daar dan, blijven ze als familie bij elkaar, etc. Als ik kon schrijven wist ik het wel!
While reading the book I wondered what had happened to the world as we know it to turn into the world as you describe it. And more interesting; why does nobody 'remember' what happened. How much time was there between our world and the world you describe? It must be a very long time, I think, for a whole community to forget their history. It also seems like they only have an oral history left, as if they have gone back in time in that sense.
Second question: Ik much liked the myth about the constellations. The story about the Taurus (called Sand) and the God Colorado, about truth and lies beautifully melts together with the story of Sand. Nobody seems to know the truth anymore. Did you invent this myth yourself or is it an existing tale?
In Silo the people live in silo's with layer on top of each other.
In Sand the people go sand-diving to retrieve things from the old world below.
Is it a coincidence that both series focus on a vertical story?
Maar voordat ik een vraag plaats wil ik jullie niet onthouden hoe dit is gelopen. Vandaag heeft Debbie namelijk nog eens nagevraagd hoe dat zat met die antwoorden en toen bleek dat Hugh Howey de eerste mail met de vragenlijst op de een of andere manier heeft gemist. En dus krijg hij hem vandaag opnieuw. En wat doet hij? Hij schrijft gelijk de antwoorden en stuurt meteen terug. Als dat niet tof is, dan weet ik het niet meer!
Maar nu komen ze dan echt..
1. Hilma Werff:
Hello, I am curious how you came up with the idea of the sanddivers. It is something I have never read before, for which I thank you because it opened up a whole new world for me as a reader.
Hugh Howey:
Hey Hilma, the idea started when I visited my father in Colorado, and I saw the incredible sand dunes to the west of the Rockies. I wondered what would happen if entire cities were buried under meters of sand like this. I also spent a summer working as a commercial scuba diver, so I had a lot of experience with the dangers and claustrophobia of working underwater in the dark. It was a very difficult job, and very exciting, and I knew I would work this into my novels someday.
2. Martin:
Do you believe sanddiving will become possible? And do you think there will come a time we’re going need all those alternative words for sand?
HH:
We can already do some amazing things with sand through vibrations. Scientists have been able to get sand to flow like water, and there have been instances in nature of sand acting like a fluid. I don’t think we’ll ever completely dive under the sand, though. There’s really nothing down there that we need. We would probably send drones if there was.
3. Anne-Claire Verham:
Dear Hugh, by now I’ve read many stories that are set in a desert(like) environment. In ‘Sand’ however I read many details about a life in the sand and the heat that were new to me. This gives me the idea you’re very familiar with deserts. So now I’m wondering if this is right and if so whether you visited deserts anyways or if you went there primarily to do research for this book?
HH:
I have visited deserts, but I haven’t spent a lot of time in them. I’m probably just as much influenced by the films and TV shows I’ve seen that feature desserts. This is the amazing thing about fiction: We can travel to diverse places from anywhere in the world, and we can be different people and learn from their experiences.
4. Saskia:
A. When you started writing this book did you already know where it was heading, or did the story develop while you were writing?
HH:
A lot of both. I had the general outline of a story (I knew the ending, for instance), but a lot of the details came while writing.
B. I much liked the myth about the constellations. The story about the Taurus (called Sand) and the God Colorado, about truth and lies beautifully melts together with the story of Sand. Nobody seems to know the truth anymore. Did you invent this myth yourself or is it an existing tale?
HH:
I came up with this myth. I think it helps to make a believable world if you can also describe the legends and belief systems of the people who live in it.
5. Tessa
While reading the book I wondered what had happened to the world as we know it to turn into the world as you describe it. And more interesting; why does nobody 'remember' what happened. How much time was there between our world and the world you describe? It must be a very long time, I think, for a whole community to forget their history. It also seems like they only have an oral history left, as if they have gone back in time in that sense.
HH:
Thousands of years have passed, but it wouldn’t take as long as you think. Just look at how mysterious the world of a hundred years ago is to us today. Or five hundred years. It’s only because we study as much history as we do that we have an idea of the world back then. Word of mouth doesn’t last very long at all. This is why literature is so deeply important.
6. Marieke Scheers
Hello Hugh Howey, I wondered if you thought about a second book after Sand. Because the world on the other side of the desert, in no man’s land, holds a great story too. It's not really possible anymore, because of the big-bang at the end of Sand, or maybe there is?
HH:
I’m working on a sequel now, and it starts in the world across the sand. It tells the story of Brock’s daughter, one of the main bad guys in Sand. There is a lot more to tell in this world. I’m excited to get that chance.
Met dank aan Marieke die de vraag toch heeft gesteld! Wij hebben iets om naar uit te kijken... Een volgende, boeiende leesclub in het verschiet? Wie weet?
Misschien is een klein beetje voorzichtig wel geboden. Een boek dat nog wordt geschreven is nog niet gepubliceerd. Dus laten we voorlopig vooral hopen dat het schrijfproces op rolletjes blijft lopen! En tot die tijd? Tja, zie ook Ida's vraag, zou ik zeggen, al is het me niet helemaal duidelijk in welk stadium dat boek zich bevind.
Even op google gekeken. Beacon 23 is (opnieuw in 5 delen opgedeeld) uitgekomen als complete novel in augustus 2015. Hij heeft dus alle tijd voor Sand 2 (-_-)!
7. Nancy Vercamer:
In Silo the people live in silo's with layer on top of each other. In Sand the people go sand-diving to retrieve things from the old world below. Is it a coincidence that both series focus on a vertical story?
HH:
It’s not a coincidence at all. In a lot of ways, the stories are opposites, and I did a lot of that on purpose. Silo is about people living underground dreaming of the outside world. Sand is about people living aboveground dreaming of a buried world. There are tons of similarities like this. Even the way the books were originally released, in five parts. I wanted these books to talk to one another, even though they do not take place in the same world.
8. Lady Moonchild:
What authors or books are your favourites and in what way were you influenced by them?
HH:
I mostly read non-fiction. I’ve been heavily influenced by Carl Sagan, Richard Dawkins, Bill Bryson, Judith Rich Harris, and authors like this.
9. Ida Claire:
Hi Hugh, I wondered if you (as a sf-writer) were planning to discover other planets in following books/stories?
HH:
I am. Most of my stories take place here on Earth, but I do have a few book ideas that take place elsewhere. My most recent novel, Beacon 23, takes place in outer space and deals with some other planets. It’s a lot of fun building new worlds like this.
10. Guy Doms:
Are you really embarking on a journey to complete your second dream: sailing around the world? Are you writing a new book while sailing across the oceans? Enjoy your trip around the world!
HH:
I am! I’m answering these questions from my boat right now. I’m currently docked in New York City. I’ve sailed about 9,000 miles to get here from South Africa. So I’m well on my way around the world. Thanks for the well wishes.
And thanks to you all for the fantastic questions!
Wat een leuke antwoorden! Een hele aardige man volgens mij.
Ik kijk uit naar de sequel!
(Sorry voorde losse reactie, maar de reageerknop verdwijnt als ik er op klik.)
Nu nog het leesclubverslag en we kunnen eindigen in 'schoonheid', Anne-Claire.
Dank voor deze bijzonder leuke leesclub en voor je intensieve begeleiding!