The True Adventurer

November 12, 2024

The True Adventurer

THE TRUE ADVENTURER

Robyn Singer

GENRE: Science Fiction

BLURB:

Layla N’gwa is finally free to attend art school and live a life of peace. She’s sipping spinach smoothies in the quad with her new friends, attending protests against the ongoing war, and studying to fulfill her dream of becoming a great glassblower.

Layla’s former friend, Kaya Langstone Bythora-the boy-band-loving cyborg princess of the Cykebian Empire-has embraced being evil since killing Yael, and now acts as the ultimate sword of her mother, Empress Molina. With Kaya’s help, her mother will become the absolute ruler of the universe by winning the war with the Utozin Authority. Kaya wishes she wasn’t doomed to be a monster but feels resigned to her fate and just seeks acceptance from her only friend, Layla.

Layla loves her new life, but she can’t stand back and watch as Kaya is used as a weapon and her old professor conquers planet after planet. As a war rages with the fate of all life in the balance, Layla and Kaya find themselves on opposite sides. Kaya may be the most powerful cyborg ever designed, but Layla has some new tricks up her sleeve. Has absolute order snuffed out all freedom, or is there still room among the stars for a little chaos? Only together can Layla and Kaya find the answer.

Excerpt:

“What’s our ETA, General?”

“We should be reaching Caldey-Cocoon’s atmosphere in twentyfive minutes, Princess.”

I twirled my hair around my finger. “Splendid.”

The voyage from Cykeb had been peaceful. I’d had ample time to listen to music and shop for art in my room, torture the prisoners I’d brought along with me in the brig, and take advantage of the other amenities my ship offered.

The Winjolla, named after my departed, beloved aunts, was second only to my mothers’ flagship, Ricochet Supreme, in terms of grandeur. 2400 meters in diameter, it was crewed by a staff of 15,000, all of whom I was free to terrorize to my heart’s content, with 30,000 ground troops also living on board.

I’d gotten to design every aspect of my ship, from its weaponry, which was capable of leveling small continents, to its torture chamber, which I prided myself on being the most nightmarish chamber of horrors ever devised—putting even Mother’s past works to shame—to its spa, swimming pool, light squash court, juice bar, and karaoke studio.

The only thing my ship lacked was someone to enjoy all of this with, but my mothers rarely ever left the palace, and there was no one else worthy of my time. I’d tried forcing some of my lessers to have fun with me in the past, but the only enjoyable parts of those experiences had been when I‘d blown their brains out. Being better than and above everyone else could really suck.

On the bright side, I was almost 14. In just over one year, I’d be allowed to make the members of EZ Street my personal concubines. Then I’d never be lonely again.

Plus, the highlight of these trips was always the destination, not the journey. As the crown princess of The Holy Cykebian Empire, and the most advanced cyborg in existence, I had the honor of serving as my mothers’ ultimate sword. If a rebellion took place that our soldiers couldn’t quash themselves, or if initial conquest was met with more resistance than initially anticipated, I was deployed to handle it. I never failed my mothers. I never would.

“Princess, we’ve arrived.”

Grinning from ear to ear, I rose from my chair in the center of the bridge. “Beam me down. I’ll let you know when to deploy the troops across the planet’s surface.”

“Yes, Princess. Understood, Princess.”

My helmsman did as he was told and a moment later, I was standing in the middle of Caldey-Cocoon’s capital city: Jeradoth.

The blood-red sky matched the dirt beneath my boots. Their architecture was cylindrical, all of their buildings the same sickening shade of green. The air stank of cold macaroni and cheese. From what I’d read, their only major export was middle- quality feathers.

I’d only been here five seconds, but I couldn’t fathom what about this pathetic world its people treasured so much that they wouldn’t want to be a part of the empire. It wasn’t as if I was complaining, though. If every world submitted immediately, I’d never get to have any fun.

About the Author:

Robyn Singer is a lifelong New Yorker, and since she was a kid playing with her action figures, all she’s wanted to do is tell stories. She went to SUNY Purchase to get a degree in Playwriting & Screenwriting with a minor in Film and has produced several comic books, but she’s always had her eye on becoming a published novelist.

As an Autistic, bisexual trans woman, diversity and inclusion in stories are vitally important to her, and she seeks to represent as many groups as possible in her work. While she wants to show characters of marginalized groups experiencing joy, she also draws inspiration from real-world problems which bother her.

The Sunrisers was her debut novel. The Order of the Banshee is book 2 in the The Ricochet Trilogy. Robyn was the author in residence for the first quarter of 2022 for Cinnabar Moth Literary Collections. She writes novels and short stories of all genres and for all ages, and she continues to produce comic books. Her ongoing series, Final Gamble, began publication by Band of Bards in 2022.

Q&A With the Author:

What is something unique/quirky about you?
I’m an expert juggler. I went to two years of circus camp as a kid, I took Circus Arts in college and, through my independent training, I’ve become a capable performer. It’s always fun to whip the skill out at parties.

What was your inspiration for writing this book?
I have a strong preference for longer stories over shorter ones, so by the time I was half-way through writing “The Sunrisers,” I knew I wanted to write a trilogy. “The True Adventurer” is the final book in the trilogy, and the payoff to my early ambitions.

How did you come up with the name of this book?
“The True Adventurer” was not the first title I came up with. Originally, the book was going to be called “The Cykebian War.” However, this felt too generic for me, and so I instead took the name of the power wielded by the book’s main hero, Layla N’gwa, and made it the title.

What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
I loved bringing an end to the stories of the characters I’ve been writing since 2020. Layla, Kaya, Molina, Aarif, P’Ken and the rest of the cast are incredibly important to me, and it was satisfying to be able to give them all closure.

What is your writing Kryptonite?
I don’t think I’m very good at fight scenes ha ha. I’ve written extensively in essays about what makes a great fight scene, and I think I’ve executed them well in other mediums but, when it comes to prose, I find getting them right extremely tricky.

Do you have any other books you are working on that you can tell us about?
For the first time since 2016, I’m not working on any original writing projects. Feels weird to be honest.

What Are Your Top 10 Favorite books/authors?
In no order, my 10 favorite authors are: Sarah Kuhn, April Daniels, George R.R. Martin, Suzanne Collins, E. Lockhart, Rick Riordan, Charlie Jane Anders, Eve Ewing, Alyssa Wong, and Ryan North.

Anything more you would like to say to your readers and fans?
“The True Adventurer” is a dark and surreal story, and I know it’s not the book some fans of “The Sunrisers” would have wanted. But it came straight from the heart, and I hope people will give it a chance.

Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Robyn-Singer/author/B0BCVQ8JJ6
Publisher Author Page: https://cinnabarmoth.com/robyn-singer/