Spherical Tomi: A Novel of Despair
A far-future science fiction novel by Jack Mangan. Your comments are welcome!
“Star Wars is over. Star Trek is dead. In Spherical Tomi, Jack Mangan has opened up a new frontier.”
- Ernest Hogan, author of Smoking Mirror BluesA top-secret AI project.
A deadly power struggle between warlords.
Tomi was once lead combat programmer for the Shogun Ryogi, on the front lines of his conflict against President William the Black of Cerberus. When she failed to prevent William from killing the samurai she loved, she abandoned all sides, all loyalties, all hope. In her fury, Tomi destroyed the Greatship, Hades IV, and almost everyone onboard. Almost everyone. . .
William the Black escaped with his life.
She now hides out in a remote monastery, awaiting the day when she can kill the three she holds responsible for the death of her samurai: William, Ryogi, and herself. . .
With her real body in exile, Tomi’s consciousness inhabits a deteriorating clone body on a satellite around Cerberus. She’s lived and worked incognito in orbit for almost three years now, monitoring the planet’s subspace debris cleanup.
But some histories will not stay buried.
Tomi again finds herself in the crossfire when Ryogi’s forces ambush the Presidential shuttle in her sector.
Ryogi’s samurai have pirated remote control of her satellite’s store of dormant clone bodies; his combat programmers fight her for the station’s computers, while the planet’s extrasphere swarms with deadly smart-mines. Will she be able to protect the President’s shuttle to secure her own vengeance? Will she be able to hold her satellite together? Or will Tomi abandon it all and give in to despair?
“Spherical Tomi” is an action-packed tale of deception, revenge, redemption, fragmented identity, and the limitations of the human and artificial mind.
January 24th, 2006 at 5:09 pm
I first heard about this on Dragon Page Wingin’ It…Jack is the ultimate promoter, and I purchased it from Fictionwise. I have to say I was not disappointed. It was a really fun read and I look forward to hearing it read aloud.
January 30th, 2006 at 8:43 pm
Thanks so much for the kind words, Alec!
February 7th, 2006 at 6:40 pm
It’s a dark, dark universe, where the operating systems of the space worthy vessels, are based on the Microsoft(tm) Windows(r) code-base. I cannot explain, otherwise, the programming tactics described. This is not how computer security works, or rather how computer security should work. The current state of malware that the average Windows user is exposed to is an accident of history. It is not the norm. At any decent system with a clear separation between untrusted data and trusted code, this kind of attacks can be done only with zero day exploits, and such exploits are rear and should get even more so as time passes and the bugs are found and fixed.
I am well aware that the story, and many other science fiction stories, tend to ignore the VAST scale of space, and travel it as if light speed is a mere obsolete municipal regulation. I can see that the combat programmer is a smaller stretch then exceeding the speed of light. I see also, how such limitations can hinder the narrative. Never the less, it makes the story less enjoyable for me.
But then, a good hard science fiction is, well, hard.
p.s.
Please excuse my English. It is not my native language/
February 20th, 2006 at 4:26 pm
Sorry for the delayed response; I should check this page more frequently.
Chen, your comments seem genuine and without malice, and I appreciate your taking the time to make them. I won’t engage in any kind of fierce debate. I will just make a few points of my own:
All Speculative Fiction is a stretch of the imagination. I grew up on a Science Fiction franchise which deals in mystical powers and laser swords. I watched one TV series where the characters traveled from space ship to planet by having their molecules reduced to tiny particles and reassembled - “beamed” - at another location — and they thought this was a good idea. I watched another TV series where a normal adult man turned big, green, and superstrong whenever he got angry.
Writers seek to entertain. Sometimes we also seek to educate, to provoke insights, introspections, and new perspectives on familiar issues within the reader. But really, our only obligation is to entertain. I like the idea of Spherical Combat programming, and I like the imagery. Will it ever come to exist, in some manner? - - Will future coders ever engage in dangerous Spherical programming battles? Will there ever be a Laserway, conducting Greatships from one planet to another? Doubtful. Will the starship Enterprise ever engage in ship-to-ship battle with humanoid Klingons in their space ships? Less likely. Will a wrinkly green muppet ever instruct other species in the ways of the Force? Hmmm…. I’ll answer all of those questions with another question - - Who cares?
Everyone reacts differently to individual books, films, etc.; personally, I never took issue with the implausible elements of Star Wars, Neuromancer, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,etc. I was able to immerse into those universes and never be distracted by any perceived improbabilities. I could watch Luke Skywalker fly his X-wing through the Death Star’s trenches a million more times and never get tripped up by the utter improbability of it all. Interesting story: (and none of these quotes are direct- - they’re actually hearsay; I’m not putting words in anyone’s mouth): When Joss Whedon was asked if the ships in his Firefly universe have FTL drives, he replied, “I guess so.” From what I understand, this angered some hard-core hard SF fans. That show/film has a pretty devout fanbase; I don’t think the ‘Browncoats’ are taking issue. The uncertainties of the franchise’s technology and the extremely unlikely “old west-deep space” setting certainly didn’t bother me one bit.
Of course, there’s no excuse for carelessly constructed settings or laughably unrealistic action sequences. If a movie, book, podiobook, TV show, etc. makes no attempt for a realistic feel, then it will most likely fail. I strove for great visuals and a believable feel in ST, as I do with everything I write. If, however, the settings, tech, characters, etc. in ST feel unrealistic to you, then I’m not going to tell you that your reaction is ‘wrong’. I do hope you were still entertained, though, and I hope your reactions didn’t detract too strongly from your enjoyment of Tomi’s story.
March 3rd, 2006 at 12:23 pm
Ok, so I just subscribed. Will this help me become a better “Bunny Killer”? I hope so. Good luck in Mesa.
March 3rd, 2006 at 1:02 pm
Thanks Mark! I’m thrilled to have you aboard!
(no bunnies were harmed in the making of this podcast)
March 5th, 2006 at 5:50 pm
Jack, you make a good point there. But I still have mixed feelings about Spherical Tomi, and I ask myself why.
I like science fiction. I like the way it make my imagination stretch. Hell, I like the way science make my imagination stretch. But I guess that the trick is let it stretch without breaking.
This element put on science fiction an expiration date. The way our
imagination behave, is tied to the way our knowledge of the universe evolves. Today it will be hard to believe a story where the hero travels one million years into the past to find a cave man fighting a T-Rex.
In this context, I come to expect from science fiction, more that I expect from a “regular” fiction. As both should strive for a good story telling, science fiction can go further and play a “what-if” game. To play the what-if game, the author should stand on the edge of what is possible, and start speculate from there.
I guess that for me, the illusion broke because I felt you didn’t go
close enough to that edge with Spherical Tomi, and once the illusion is broken I started to notice the rough edges.
I liked the sense of urgency as the proverbial shit hits the fan. I
like the internal struggle of Tomi, and the relationship between Tomi and the people close to her.
I had harder time believing the conflict with Ryogi, it sound to much
like a monologue of a villain from a James Bond movie.
That said. I am happy you wrote that story. I did enjoyed it after-all.
Thanks,
Chen.
March 5th, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Jack enjoying story so far-i lke the Japanese cutlural arc (big surprise there, huh?) and I like your Mrs. convinind delivery. The music at the end is a nice touch as well.
March 7th, 2006 at 11:53 am
Chen, your comments are welcome. I’m glad to have had you subscribed.
Mark, I’m glad you’re digging the story! Appreciate the compliments; yes, this Podiobook wouldn’t have been the same without help from the Mrs.
March 29th, 2006 at 9:41 pm
Hey Jack,
I read the e-book. I was hooked. I listened to the podcast. I’m even more hooked. I know you’ve got other works out in the world, but I’m curious if you’ll be coming back to Tomi? Do you have a planned sequel for this universe becuase you did leave a lot of open doors.
As a side note, I’m a computer programmer by trade. I get to sit in front of a computer all day. To read about a person floating inside multiple spheres and code with laser tipped fingers, man, what can I say? Dream job? At least until all hell breaks loose.
You rock Jack. Keep writing. I’ll keep reading.
April 5th, 2006 at 5:39 am
I think Jack Mangan is way too hard on himself.
The deadpan approach of Jack which he has turned into a fine art on The Dragon Page may sound like a lot to handle in a full-blown podiobook. I’m into Episode 5 of ST and I absolutely love this book. Part of what makes this podiobook work is Jack’s deadpan approach. The narrative becomes a mirror to the detachment that Tomi grapples with from day to day, from chapter to chapter. Jack’s wife should also be given serious kudos for handling the female characters like a pro, and for jumping in with both feet in taking on such a task as to bring Jack’s lead character to life.
But yes, Jack is being way too hard on himself. With only a few technical glitches (that he works to correct in later chapters), Jack has produced a terrific podiobook. His enunciation is sharp, his deadpan approach is not THAT deadpan, and the story is rich in culture, character, and charisma. “Samurai Cyberpunk” I’d call it. Keep up the good work, Jack, and thank you for such a great ride!
April 6th, 2006 at 4:05 pm
Big up thanks, J.R. and Tee!!
That’s great stuff to hear, er, read.
I plan to get the Spherical Tomi sequel released before the end of 2006.
May 9th, 2006 at 11:59 am
Absolutely too hard on yourself, Jack. This is a fully engaging story that sparks both the intellect and the imagination, with true to life characters and non-stop action. I loved Tomi and the reading of it. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
May 31st, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Great Story. I’m a programmer and felt that your ideas about future programming were very creative. While some might argue that “systems hardly work that way now, much less in the distant future”, I say “so what”. You’ve managed to utilize some basic programming terminolgy that even lay people can comprehend, but which isn’t a complete affront to the technologically educated. My feelings are that you have to keep it in context with what people already understand. Good job, I’m looking forward to the sequel.
June 4th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Hey, thank you very much, Bernicus and Vicki!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the story.
June 9th, 2006 at 4:52 pm
I really enjoyed this book. It is very entralling and entertaining. The only complaint that I have is when you recorded Tomi’s thoughts, the reverb effect you used made it difficult to understand what she was saying.
June 16th, 2006 at 6:53 pm
I’m enjoying the hell out of this, Jack. The pace of your story is perfect for a podiobook, just like what I’ve heard from Scott Sigler and Matthew Selznick. I look forward to continuing the ride.
July 7th, 2006 at 12:07 pm
Thank you, Brian and P.G.!
Apologies for that poor reverb effect. Perhaps someday when the saga is complete, I’ll go back and do a George Lucas-style Special Edition.
July 25th, 2006 at 5:08 pm
Well, I have to say something about the narration, since you gave a small disclaimer in the beginning episodes about your reading abilities, I won’t be too hard on you. But seriously, you both need to practice your lines before you record. Maybe even listen to yourselves and improve on the inflections in your voices.
Nuff said bout’ yo actin’ abili-tai!!! This story is by far one of the best sci-fi stories I have ever read!!! (heard) !! The realism of the enviroment and the characters inner most thoughts are conveyed in a way that makes me feel what they are feeling, whether it’s the heartache of a lost love, or the feeling a being a bomb plumitting to its’ destruction.
I am very impressed (and that’s saying something). Keep up the great writing and work hard on perfecting your future Podcast with a greater effort on performance. You’ve got a die-hard fan in me!!!!
August 9th, 2006 at 5:43 am
This was an extreemly enjoyable book. I loved the high-tech elements, the characters were attractive and I couldn’t wait to get to the next episode. The twists in plot, the action, wow, and I know I’m gushing but it’s worth it. The reading was very good and well presented.
My only crit’ is the music which grated a bit, but style,as we know, has its price.
So far on Podiobooks only Tomi and AmerIndian have hooked me into a desperate need to download.
Will Podiobooks being getting a sequel?
December 11th, 2006 at 4:10 pm
Hey, thanks Skeet and Josh. Obviously, I check comments at my main site (http://www.jackmangan.com) more frequently, but your criticisms and kind words are all welcome.
The Spherical Tomi sequel has been slightly delayed, but it *will* happen in the first quarter of 2007.
January 23rd, 2007 at 3:37 pm
I have to agree about the narration. It comes across as very monotone and flat, no normal inflections. It is as if the narrators are bored.
I’m sure that is not the case, but please consider this as it fights against the excellent storyline. You might consider hiring or working with one of the many other podcast novel narrators out there.
I can’t wait for the sequel!
May 21st, 2007 at 11:59 am
Great Story!
March 1st, 2008 at 6:34 am
A great read… great story…
It was something different from what I normally read, but the simultaneous blending of war on multiple fronts, personal-technical-physical was great.
I’d love to hear what happens next… but even if I don’t then I really enjoyed the ride