The Earth Saga
Donald B McFarlane is a Sci-Fi author from London. He is writing a space opera sci-fi series, The Earth Saga. We have conducted an interview with him.
What is your current space opera sci-fi series, The Earth Saga about?
The Earth Saga Series tells the story of humanity coming into contact with a far more advanced alien civilization. The story follows both human and alien characters as they attempt to come to terms with the various implications that stem from this clash of cultures.
How did you craft the characters in your series?
I’ve shaped the human characters around people from my past. Some liberties have been taken, but the main character, Joe, is based on an old army buddy and his character is a very good likeness to the real-life Joe.
Which elements of military/space opera sci-fi do you enjoy reading/writing the most?
I only read non-fiction, ironically, and prefer military history. When it comes to writing, I try to base my fictional universe in as realistic terms as possible. I have a military background, and have incorporated my experience from that into the novels, along with consultations with experts from various fields to give the story as ‘real’ a feeling as possible.
What are your opinions about aliens and their existence?
Considering the number of exoplanets discovered by NASA, I would expect that there are other intelligent life-forms in the universe, but without faster-than-light modes of transportation, the distances are most likely too prohibitive for us to come into contact with them.
What would happen if Earth came into contact with Aliens?
What happened when Cortes reached Mexico? Or when the Europeans reached North America or Australia? The natives/less advanced civilisation was wiped out. That’s my worry, and it’s a fear shared by many in the scientific community.
What is wrong with modern sci-fi films?
Modern sci-fi films don’t make the aliens humanity comes into contact with advanced enough. We haven’t been to the moon in my lifetime, and if a species can cross vast distances of space, their technology would be so much more advanced than ours that it would boggle the mind. In my series, I have tried to create a world in which this is clearly demonstrated, with robots that move as fast as Agent Smith from the Matrix.
