"The Dark"

[Rane Longfox]

By Erikson, Esselmont, Malaclypse et al...

The Dark: Background

Space is dark...silent...lethal. Ships stay quiet when they can and when they can’t, it’s because they’re too damned big. Either way, no spotlights shining on white hulls, no glowing nacelles. Nobody hails anybody. Space is an unlit sea and everything swimming in it is hungry. Planet systems mean resources and, unless someone says otherwise, it’s there for the taking.

It’s been decades since the last independent nation on Earth was absorbed by the Community of Aligned Nations (aka. Generica). The solar system has been colonised, more or less, and things are going swimmingly for the genetically optimized citizens of Generica; until, that is, the aliens arrive to obliterate most everything.

Mysterious aliens. No one has actually seen them, just their massive, all-devouring ships, and no two of those alike. There has been no communication either, and Generica’s increasingly desperate pleas to negotiate go unanswered. It’s war; and for humans, it’s going very badly indeed.

In the unlit labyrinth of undifferentiated asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, three old ships from a long-defunct independent republic drop out of deep-freeze and begin waging their own kind of war against the aliens. Crewed by misfits, genetically randomized (normal folk), these ships, the Widow, Wolf and Recluse begin an unrelenting campaign using stealth tactics, snatching small victories where great navies find only destruction. Like the hunter subs of the first cold war, they lurk in the dark, communicating with no one (not even, no especially not, Generica), with no base to call their own, and each operating with fierce independence.

This is the story of one of those ships: Recluse. Damn-near invisible in space, powered by a throbbing fusion reactor, and inhabited by a crew for whom cabin-fever is a way of life. Each is a study in paranoia, neuroses and just plain weirdness. These men and women are our heroes.

Available online December 1...

Its going to be a "part cgi, part live action" subscribable service online. For "less per day than a cup of coffee"

[GOLLUM]

Thnaks for the update Cal, sounds interesting even if it is SF...

[Jonzey]

I'm still not sure exactly what this is about though... I read the other link at malaz...and well..what is it? Like...a story...regularly updated online, which you have to pay to see? I've never heard of anything like this before... I probably wont get to read any of it

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Jonzey

I'm still not sure exactly what this is about though... I read the other link at malaz...and well..what is it? Like...a story...regularly updated online, which you have to pay to see? I've never heard of anything like this before... I probably wont get to read any of it

Actually its not all that uncommon these days. Tad Williams had his Shadwomarch project runnnig for some time online before he is now in the process of pulbishing the trilogy based or inspired by that online experiment.

If it proves sucessful enoguh online don't be surprised if they turn it into a book like Tad.

[Rane Longfox]

Right, firstly, apologies for the complete lack of replies to this thread

The Dark is starting to get into full swing, with the first episode filmed, although not fully edited yet. There are sound clips and crew shots available on the website - www.rebelspace.com/thedark, (mostly on the blog - http://www.rebelspace.com/blog/, but have a look around the rest of it too) and they look FREAKIN AWESOME!!! I can't wait for this to get going properly, it looks and sounds great. I optomistically predict a new Firefly. Erikson is certainly a better writer than Joss Whedon, for starters
Unfortunately, the site won't allow hotlinking to the images, but I beg of you - check 'em out!!

[Green]

I've been waiting for this for so long that I've completely lost interest in it.

[roddglenn]

Like the website - pretty cool. Well done and good luck.

[Rane Longfox]

Green/Yellow - I felt exactly the same until I checked out the new stuff avaliable, it's really re-ignited my interest in the project

[Green]

I'll give it another look once it's actually ready. I've been registered on that site for a while now under a different name. Tbh, it's a pretty horrendous site.

[Rahl Windsong]

The only thing I am wondering is that Mr. Erikson has several more books to complete in the Malazan series and taking this on at this time seems counter productive to that. Though perhaps he is so multitalented that he can work on several writing projects at the same time and manage to pull it all off, and keep all his fans happy about the work.

Rahl

[Lacedaemonian]

Why would he mucky his hands with filthy sci fi?

[Rane Longfox]

You snob you