About the Book
Tasked with exploring an anomaly in space, Icelandic transhuman twins Jón and Ásta along with the crew of Átt, make first contact with a species seeking passage through the solar system. They learn of an ancient, ongoing, intergalactic confrontation, between the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy and Milky Way.
As galaxies merge, territorial conflicts have been reignited. And, it’s consuming civilizations.
Allying with the knowledgeable Framandi, the crew undertake a multi-system journey, confronting the advanced Gigils, a species that could devastate Earth. The alliance salvages a relic Kilig infiltration spacecraft, leftover from an ancient battle, and installs a second-generation human AI named Kei to operate the ship.
Merging with the existing AI aboard the Kilig vessel, Kei’s objectives change as it realizes that wetware enhances its abilities. The AI attempts to infiltrate and subjugate Framandi and Gigil minds; then turns its attention to Earth.
Now, all independent, intelligent life is vulnerable. Jón and Ásta must overcome vastly superior odds, to protect the world they love.
About the Author
Rashid Ahmed is a science fiction author and a marketing professional. He’s always been interested in technology, its evolution and impact. Having held various advertising and marketing roles, he’s evolved into a weaver of stories. Aimed at readers who like immersive experiences, Rashid’s writing balances hard science fiction concept detailing with easy comprehension. His interests also include economics, ecosystem restoration and permaculture. Rashid presently lives in Mumbai, India.
Qn 1: Can you tell us more about your book What is it about?
Framandi Alliance is a hard science fiction space adventure novel, narrated from the perspective of an evolving 3rd generation AI. The book begins with an elaborate prologue outlining the history of a secretive group that had set its sights to solve the worlds most wicked problems, but soon finds itself becoming the protectors of Earth. The plot unfolds at a brisk pace right from the first chapter, with suspense infused sub-plots woven in through the book.
Told from a third-generation, quantum processing, independent AI’s perspective, Framandi Alliance skips along at a brisk pace after an elaborate prologue about the beginnings of Lýsi, a secretive adhocratic global ‘think & do’ tank.
Set up soon after WW2 to solve the world’s wicked problems, Lýsi had identified global catastrophic risk in its various forms as humanity’s biggest problem. One of the solutions amongst a few holding actions, was to begin colonizing the Solar System.
By the turn of the century, the group had reverse engineered gravity propulsion technology from an ‘acquired’ extra-terrestrial artifact. They had also spent two decades developing an AI that ran on its own quantum computing system and nurturing a transhuman program. It was also when they discovered an anomalous space object above the solar system’s ecliptic plane. This is where the story starts.
Qn 2: Who do you think would be interested in this book, is it directed at any particular market?
Framandi Alliance is for individuals who soak up full length science fiction space adventure, military space opera and galactic empire novels. With sub-plots woven in, the book shifts between two parallelly occurring situations, which have common interactions. This is an ideal novel for readers who like hard sci-fi, since there’s a lot of extrapolated science described.
Qn 3: Out of all the books in the world, and all the authors, which are your favourite and why?
Having come across and read Isaac Asimov’s Foundation and Sir Arthur Charles Clarke’s Rendezvous with Rama while still at school, I was thrown by the possibilities the universe held. I was hooked to both science and science fiction. That was in the late 80s. I’ve consumed the genre ever since. Some of my more favorite authors in the genre include Dan Simmons for his exceptional conceptualization of the Hyperion series, Cixin Liu for the hard science in The Three-Body Problem, Douglas Adams for his absolutely brilliant scene visualization and Orson Scott Card for his ability to weave mind bogglingly complex plots into consumable stories, in his Ender’s and Shadow series.
Qn 4: What guidance would you offer to someone new, or trying to enhance their writing?
Plot out a story placing milestones that mark focused situations. The writing, character utilization and world building can be woven undone and put back together, only when there’s a strong foundational layer around which to build.
Qn 5: Where can our readers find out more about you, do you have a website, or a way to be contacted?
Visit RashidAhmed.com or follow @Kaputnik77 on Facebook and Twitter, for the latest information.
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