A Very, Extremely, Quite Serious Announcement regarding the rebranding of The Valmoran Chronicles
It has come to our attention that some elements in The Valmoran Chronicles have made readers uncomfortable. We have decided to pivot and commit 100% to creating a story that is marketable only to the most diehard of traditional sci-fi readers.
To that end, we will be making extensive changes to the story before relaunching with new branding. Rest assured—the obnoxious and thematically problematic neon pink/purple/blue coloring and the nebula+butterfly will be replaced. These elements hint at a spirit of inclusivity and invite readers from outside the genre to participate. Obviously, this wasn't a desirable outcome.
Sci-fi is an exclusive club, with a long and glorious tradition, and a purposefully intimidating barrier to entry. We apologize for making the genre approachable.
We don't want to spoil the surprise, but the new theme will use dark blues and greens, there will be a planet and spaceship in frame, and most likely, a character in tactical gear, facing away from the camera as they single-handedly take on the universe.
Changes to narrative style
We have been informed that there is no room for whimsy, love, and relationships in serious sci-fi. Furthermore, true sci-fi should be about things and how they function.
The extensive world-building of The Valmoran Chronicles has been obscured beneath an emotional and character-driven narrative—and this was a mistake. Sci-fi must glorify the info-dump. If you cannot get a PhD in astrophysics by the end of the story, it's not real sci-fi. Moving forward, we'll remove the pesky feelings and put the 'science' back in science fiction.
Perhaps most importantly, we will be making extensive changes to the characters:
Matthai is the most damseled character at the beginning of the story. He shows emotion and has a love for poetry and gardening. It would be far more palatable if his character were female, so the new character's name will be Mathala. We will also be changing the story so that Callum is in love with her, and they are in a tragic love triangle. We will be reducing her page time, since her character will exist as a symbol of feminine grace and purity for the men to protect and fight over.
Aubrey's character makes more sense as a man, so he will be renamed Austin Hope. It just makes more sense for the most decisive and competent business person in the story to be a man. We apologize for the confusion with the misgendering of this character.
Callum is competent and cynical. His character makes sense as a man. However, some people have read his character as being asexual/aromantic. We feel he would be more relatable as a ladies' man, since he's attractive and women throw themselves at him. Furthermore, readers were uncomfortable with Callum living in a highly progressive society, and fighting for ever more progressive ideals. Moving forward, Callum will be a lone wolf conservative, fighting the forces of socialism as a voice for corporate interests.
Delilah is too clever. Some readers have been uncomfortable with the idea that the bombshell in the series is too smart. They would like her to be … shall we say … unthreatening. Moving forward, she will be agreeable and will go along with the men's plans. She will no longer have the aptitude for manipulation. We apologize for making the most sexualized female in the series so intimidating.
Kat is too smart. Since she's soft-spoken and not overly aggressive, it's ok that she's female, but she will be rewritten as a lab assistant to a male scientist. Her role in the story will primarily be to have ideas that aren't quite right, so that the male character can be inspired and correct her.
Hayley Jo will be removed as a character. She's a chronically ill bi/poly pop star who uses her platform to fight for the rights of the oppressed. Obviously, there won't be a need for her perspective in the new narrative.
April Fools, obviously!
By the way, TVC readers are awesome and said precisely none of this. Also, we won't be doing … any of this. Stay awesome!!
Note: I don't hate sci-fi—I love it! But we do have some tropes and stereotypes that are just way too easy to poke fun at. The notion that 'real' sci-fi must emulate the greats from half a century ago has always seemed a bit … like it's missing the point of sci-fi? Science fiction is thought-provoking and often subversive, so imitating what was forward-thinking in the past feels bizarrely regressive.
About The Valmoran Chronicles
Hi, I'm Poppy Orion, author of The Valmoran Chronicles. If you enjoyed this post, you should check out the series! We'd love for you to join us, because TVC fans are the best fans.
The Valmoran Chronicles = Game of Thrones + Firefly, with aliens!
Mysterious artifacts, pop stars, medical mysteries, political intrigue, 4-armed gladiators, smugglers! Set half in an advanced alien civilization and half on modern-day Earth, follow eight unlikely heroes as they unravel the ancient mysteries that tie their galaxies together. Fans rave about the deep world-building and character-driven narrative.