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author
Manuel Lempereur
The Atlantis Project is an epic science-fiction saga, inspired by an idea for a comic strip with very unusual characters. Out of this comic strip project, which is currently under development, come...view moreThe Atlantis Project is an epic science-fiction saga, inspired by an idea for a comic strip with very unusual characters. Out of this comic strip project, which is currently under development, comes the first volume of the saga, entitled "Connection" - a disturbing, stirring novel which plunges the reader into a visually and sensually stimulating world.
Like many readers before you, let yourself be carried away by this exciting story which will draw you into a new, challenging and innovative SF series.
Interview excerpt
Your main characters have an unusual characteristic which we don't often see in literature - they are Siamese twins. Why this choice?
"The idea for the book came to me during a conversation with a childhood friend. I had just seen a documentary which really affected me, about the lives of Ronnie and Donnie Galyon, Siamese brothers joined at the abdomen, who were born in 1951. These two Americans have chosen to accept, and even exhibit, their handicap to earn a living. It may seem indecent to earn a living in that way, but their choice has allowed them to travel and has enriched their lives.
Life is far from easy for them, as is the case for many severely handicapped people. These people live in a world which is necessarily limited, due to their reduced mobility and also because of their difficulty in building fulfilling social or romantic relationships. Fortunately, some do manage, but life is a constant battle for them, requiring a lot of courage and tenacity.
I wanted to have as a backdrop to the story Jacques and Charlie's (the heroes of the Dome Series) struggle to overcome their handicap and surpass their dependency on others. That's why the beginning of the novel is in sharp contrast to the rest of the book. I wanted to present the twins' daily life in all its ordinariness while also taking the time to establish the characters - their individual personalities, and the relationship between the two inextricably linked brothers.
Just like the Galyon brothers, Jacques and Charlie spend most of their time bickering, and teasing each other. They have a childlike side to them which stems directly from the handicap and their subsequent dependency. It lends a slightly off-the-wall tone to their conversations, which some readers have commented on. But things don't stay that way and life gives them an extraordinary opportunity to step up and play their own part. The story goes far beyond a mere human adventure or anything the reader might expect. It's something of a maiden voyage; a story within a story, around which I have built a purely SF world that will gradually unfold throughout the several volumes of this epic saga."view less