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Thursday, 6 May 2021
Characters and Races in the 'Kindred Spirits' series
Welcome to a whole new universe...well no, actually that's not true, its this one. However there are ten new races that are discovered and explored in 'Endurance' and its planned sequels 'Insurgence' 'Province' 'Ensconce' and 'Renounce' (coming later!) as we follow the ripple effects caused by all these species discovering each other.
The Agrosians: Fierce warriors from the planet Agrosia who normally live outside our known sector of the universe, but who appear during the events in 'Province'. They have clawed and colonised their way through their local planets and have turned their sights towards ours after the sudden appearance of Earth's 'Voyager' shuttle drifts into their world. Shaped like fluffy red blobs, the Agrosians have a feudal system not unlike bumblebees and are ruled by their Queen Calixta.
The Argibraffes: Not much is known about these creatures yet – they just turned up one day on Habridas. They resemble dogs with long necks and snouts, but since emigrating to other planets many have developed different colourings including spots, stripes and – on parts of Earth - tartan. Though effectively pets, many are showing strong signs of intelligence in the past couple of centuries and becoming sentient.
The Belobrats: One of the oldest species in the known universe from the planet 'Hellosphere', The Belobrats have long secretly considered themselves its natural rulers. Though they consider themselves naturally shy and reticent, the rest of the species have other ideas and consider them bossy and a little egocentric. This may be due to their trio of heads, unique in the universe, where one head is always controlling their 'ego', another their 'thoughts' and another their 'social' instincts; with so much confusion between their three selves the Belobrats often get their social niceities wrong. Those close to the belobrats as a species also know that their large egos are often a smokescreen for how vulnerable and anxious they really are as Belobrats are born actors and can pretend anything if they put their three minds in synchronisation with each other. Nevertheless, whatever other species think of them, Belobrats are kind and loyal and will put themselves in difficulties to rescue strangers and maintain peace where they can. Technologically they are quite advanced too and since the discovery of so many new species have helped pass on their inventions to other species.
The Camalosians: More reserved than the rest of the known galaxy, the Camalosians from Camalosia tend to speak in elongated sentences and are known throughout the species as the universe's best lawyers, tending to aspire to positions of great authority. They are biologically similar to Earthly reptiles, but have much shorter tongues and come in a variety of colours rather than simply green.
The Clandusprods: The first aliens we meet, from the planet Zigorous 3, so named after the three suns that circle their world. Their social system is a cross between socialism and marxism and there is much emphasis on community, with clandusprod young divided into different clans depending on their aptitude at an early age. Zigorous 3 is covered in caves and the vast majority of clandusprods retain them for their homes. However they are highly advanced in technological terms, with an abundance of organic inventions powered by their planet's solar rays. Their appearance is similar to milky-tea coloured long-necked giraffes, but they tend to be much larger and rounder and their hide much thicker to keep out the harmful rays of the sun. Many enjoy knitting.
The Doosbury Giants: The gourmands of the galaxy, the Doosberries from Dooseus tend to refer to themselves as just that, but the name 'Doosbury Giants' has stuck since a chance encounter in the myths and legends of the Belobrats. Gentle giants, Doosberies tend to underestimate their own strength and are calm, caring creatures who can always be relied upon in a crisis (even if, compared to the rest of the universe, they tend not to be that bright). They are twice the size of the next biggest creatures in the universe (Clandusprods) and spend much of their spare time eating or swapping recipes and are generally coloured white though evolutionary quirks have resulted in the occasional Doosberies in pastel shades.
The Glabdihardits: Small rodent-like creatures from a planet once ruled by now-extinct giant slugs, Glabdiharbits are the survivors of the galaxy having gone from being the smallest creatures of their planet Glabdihardis to the only species left alive. Though larger than they used to e, they remain the smallest creatures in the known galaxy and are still more than a little wary of all the other creatures that now exist in the galaxy. Though friendly, they are naturally fearful and reluctant to get involved in the affairs of other planets.
The Habridats: The practical jokers of the galaxy, the Habridats of Habridas have a habit of passing through life at a relaxed pace and doing as little work as possible. Nevertheless, their culture is one of the greatest in the known galaxy, full as it is with epic tales of imagination and adventures and their creativity is one of the highest in the galaxy. In appearance they are slightly smaller than humans and appear like giant beakless birds, covered as they are with exotic plumages of feathers.
The Humans: (Nearly) hairless apes with a tendency to start wars, humans are the youngest species in the known galaxy and are still considered a little immature by their peers - not least for their continued insistence on outdated social systems, tribal wars and environmental chaos. All that notwithstanding, their planet Earth is a known hotspot for intergalactic travelling due to its natural beauty and variety and other species underestimate the human's tenacity, courage and abilities at their peril. Their music, particularly that of the 1960s, is also widely regarded as the peak of art and culture anywhere in the known universe.
The Maggrumphs: Residents of the planet Maggrumphus, the Maggrumphs are often called the 'old codgers' of the universe behind their backs due to their tendency to believe so heavily in tradition and their long-standing social systems built on the art of complaints rather than conversation. Humanoid in appearance except for the giant antlers that stretch out of the back of their heads, the Maggrumphs tend to be the species who are best at using their 'hands' for work, something that is particularly notable given that they don't actually have any.
The Mekkions: The technical whizzkids of the universe, the Mekkions from Mekkion 5 (the fifth largest satellite surrounding the planet Mekkion) are strong logical thinkers but don't tend to have a great deal of emotions. Their view of the universe tend to be very black-and-white and their justice system is known as the most disreputable in the cosmos (it helps that the Camalosians are the first 'other' species they met and often help them out). Since the discovery of so many other planets, however, trade for their inventions has been great and Mekkion 5 has gone from humble beginnings to one of the greatest money-making planets there is. Physically they are bald, tall and thin and - as has been rather unkindly pointed out to them on occasion - resemble a pencil on legs.
The Mrasianarts: The deep-thinkers of the universe, the Mrasianarts (from the planet Mras) are the oldest civilisation discovered to date. A race of free-thinking introverts interested in spiritualism, they are loved and respected for their open minds and their wisdom, accessed on their planet through 'the universal', an extended version of the internet infused with the wisdom of the universe which is connected to by all species and 'borrowed' by many others. Their culture, particularly their music, is perhaps the greatest in the universe and admired by many. Mras, the setting for second book 'Insurgence', is the planet that has perhaps been most affected by the discovery of other alien planets as Mrasianarts are so unused to the concepts of greed and dishonesty that they can be easily manipulated by others, while they are considered economically backward by other planets, having largely given up on the concept of capitalism long ago. Physically they are like giant chitinous insects, tall and thin with wings.
Romeo and Juliet. With Clandusprods. Only she’s already dead – and he’s dying.
A match quite literally made in Heaven? Divine intervention? The last great exploration of humanity? Or characteristic bad luck? Lizzie ends her life, only to find it has only just begun, stuck in the mind of a species she has never met before. But is the person she was put with the one she was always born to be with or just another of many mistakes in her life? Will the discovery of each other’s planets be good or catastrophic in the future of their two species? Will they endure and go on and win? Or are they both doomed to a life of failure after all? More than just another novel, ‘Endurance’ is a mad house, a love song to the act of writing and a hope that one day it might just save us all.
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