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meet Steve RzasaI encountered Steve Rzasa (pronounced "Ra-zah") through the volunteers I had reading through potential books to be published at Marcher Lord Press. Every reader who read this novel, then called Commissioned, raved about it and told me I had to read it. So I did. And I saw what they were on about. Steve's space opera is truly an epic. Though there are dozens of characters, many of whom are superficially similar—space marines, deep space navigators, young cadets, trained assassins—I was somehow never confused who was who. That, in and of itself, is remarkable. Then add a brilliant story of deep treachery, a crumbling monarchy, forbidden faith, and a warrior family's pride--all set against the recovery of a book so dangerous that the secret police would wipe out a world to obtain--and you've got a recipe for incredible speculative fun. But the thing was very long. Like 170,000 words long. I started looking for a cliffhanger around the midpoint. We ended up finding a great one. One implication of this is that book 2 is already written... All from a thirtysomething whippersnapper from South Jersey! Who'd-a-thunk-it? ;-) Steve's novel The Word Reclaimed releases
October 1, 2009. |
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the interviewMarcher Lord Press: Tell folks a bit about yourself, Steve. Steve Rzasa: I am a South Jersey native, and a bit of a traveler—I've called Boston, Maine, and now Buffalo, Wyoming, home in the past ten years. My wife, Carrie, and I have two boys, ages 4 and 6. As for personal interests, I am unhealthily obsessed with science fiction. The women I work with at our local library know whom to go to with old SF titles they pull out of circulation. Some of my favorite authors include C.J. Cherryh, David Drake and David Weber, and I could name Star Wars, Star Trek and the defunct Firefly series as favorites too. I am proud to say that not only does my oldest son read the Bible, but he also knows the difference between an X-wing and a TIE fighter. Marcher Lord Press: What is your novel, in a nutshell? Steve Rzasa: The Word Reclaimed has been my dream adventure for nearly a decade. It all started with a question: what happens if, in a future where Christianity is banned, a kid on a starship finds a Bible? Who would want him to succeed? And who would want him to fail? Baden Haczyk, son of an outcast merchant captain, finds out firsthand when he makes such a discovery. He is cast into a wide realm of worlds, filled with powerful merchants, renegade cargo ship captains, armored Lancers, and vengeful religious police. He has to figure out what is he going to do with the Bible, literally and figuratively. Marcher Lord Press: What's cool about your book? Why should I, a potential reader of your book, read it myself or buy a copy for someone I know?Steve Rzasa: Well, if you like armored futuristic warriors battling head-to-eyestalk with six-legged, machine gun- and rocket-armed robots, you'll like The Word Reclaimed. There's plenty of deep space starship combat too, but there's mostly a fast-paced story about family, friends, and the freedom to worship. Marcher Lord Press: Why is Marcher Lord Press the ideal publisher for your novel? Steve Rzasa: MLP has an eye for the unusual, and that's what this book is. It's difficult to find science fiction with any redeeming spiritual themes, so having an outlet such as this is great. The Word Reclaimed fits right in with tales of magic, mystery, space opera, and suspense. Marcher Lord Press: What do you hope to accomplish with this novel? Steve Rzasa: I hope people with dive into this adventure. That's the purpose of fiction—to let the readers immerse themselves in a world that, while not their own, holds some degree of familiarity. They want to be on the bridge of a starship or run from the secret police through the confines of a space station. Of course, this story is also about the Bible itself, and the reactions people have to its teachings and its mere presence.
Marcher Lord Press: Are there more books in you? If so, what might some of them be? Steve Rzasa: There's at least a sequel to this one, since it is a bit of a cliffhanger. I have one more started on to continue Baden's adventures. I have several other ideas based in this universe that may pan out. Marcher Lord Press: Have you written other Christian speculative fiction? If so, what? That story recently won the G.K. Chesterton Award in the Athanatos Christian Ministries fiction contest. I have another short story in the works--told from the perspective of the religious police. Marcher Lord Press: Where can folks go to read more of your stuff? Steve Rzasa: You can read the winning short story here. I'm still working on my Web page. Marcher Lord Press: Finally, and most importantly, if you could travel to any time period or alternate world, what would it be and why? Steve Rzasa: That's a tough one—there's so many to choose from! If someone twisted my arm until I cried and made me choose, I'd pick the early colonization of what is now the eastern United States. Having grown up in New Jersey post-sprawl, I'd love to see what the old home state looked like in its infancy. Alternate world? Easy: the one in which the Polish Empire rules supreme! that's all from SteveBe sure to see the sample chapter from Steve's novel, The Word Reclaimed . And don't miss the profiles of his fellow Marcher Lord Press novelists from the third list . |
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