Henders Island from my novel FRAGMENT was a marvelous place to explore as an author. Other authors, like Conan Doyle and Crichton, had revisited “lost worlds” from Earth’s natural history, but the challenge of creating Henders Island was to take an evolutionary path not taken, which led to a world that might as well have been an alien planet.
What is a setting from a published fiction story by another author you would compare this setting to and why are they similar?
Other scenarios that employ exotic locations for science thrillers have focused on mankind’s meddling in misbegotten science (Jurassic Park, Mysterious Island, The Island of Doctor Moreau), lost worlds frozen in time (The Lost World) or invasions from other planets. The challenge in FRAGMENT was to create an alien world that was terrestrial and natural, and which had actually been evolving longer than all other life on Earth.
How would you describe the way you introduced this setting to readers of your story?
I imagined Henders Island as an egg that had been gestating for half a billion years, its walls like a shell beginning to crack and its contents ready to hatch out and threaten the entire planet with its offspring.
How would you describe the integration of characters and setting in this story?
The characters, mostly scientists, bring with them their own theories, biases and motivations as they visit Henders Island, which will turn out to be a crucible in which they are tested, challenged and provoked into action that will affect the fate of the world.
How would you describe the interaction of story and setting in this story?
In FRAGMENT, the setting is the story: its discovery, its implications for the broader planet, its ethical dilemmas, and its affect on the characters ideas and aspirations and how all of these unspool are the forces that drive the plot.
How much research did you do for the setting of this story, and what did that involve?
I did about six years of research to put together the ecosystem of Henders Island, consulting scientists from various fields and visiting Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution while stitching together the alien monstrosities from as much real science as possible.
To what extent would you describe the setting of this story typical or atypical of the settings in your fiction stories?
Henders Island is unique as FRAGMENT is a what-if story about the discovery of something mind-bogglingly alien right here in Earth’s own backyard.
How do you usually decide on or develop a setting for your fiction stories?
I would say that the method of choosing is as varied as the story being told.
To what extent do the settings of novels you read have an impact on why you read them, and why?
The setting of a story can be the determining factor in whetting a reader’s appetite. With FRAGMENT I wanted to slake my thirst for adventure and exploration, for something entirely exotic, new and thrilling. Sometimes, I’m in the mood to visit a certain place or time that is familiar, however. So, the setting is the world a reader can escape inside and is a crucial factor in determining interest.
Author website: http://www.warrenfahy.com
"Fragement" sounds like a facinating book. Just bought a copy!
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