Cog

FOREWORD: COG by Christopher Paul Carey

FOREWORD: COG

by Christopher Paul Carey

I’ve long believed that one of the best means of effecting enduring change in society is through the creative arts, whether in the form of fine art, music, poetry, film, television, video games, or literature. Politicians and lobbyists can stir up emotions and lawmakers can determine policy, but it is the artist, trained to intuit the subconscious patterns in the complex matrix known as culture, who best reflects the voice of society and, sometimes, helps call the future into being.

While I don’t believe K. Ceres Wright sets out to change the world with her debut novel, Cog, neither do I think it is a coincidence that her protagonist, Nicholle Ryder, hails from a background in the fine arts. One needs an artist’s eye to take on the system, to perceive its weaknesses and strengths so they can be leveraged into a creative solution for society’s problems.

Classical art and music might at first seem out of place in a near-future cyberpunk thriller. Wright knows well, however, that contrast is one of a writer’s most effective tools, both in terms of theme and as an instrument of world building. The rich allusions to painting, sculpture, and music that suffuse Cog not only weave a skein of originality and uniqueness over Wright’s hi-tech future; they also create a contradistinction whereby the reader can more easily make sense of and slip into a world of “pakz” and “skeemz” and “spiraling in.” Wright, a nominee for a Rhysling Award by Science Fiction Poetry Association, defines the world of Cog not through wordiness, but, like any good poet, through structure. We don’t need to be told what medinites are; Wright trusts us to understand from context.

Wright also knows that art by itself cannot effect change. Therefore, Nicholle Ryder is not just an art connoisseur; she is also a recovering drug addict who has descended into the gritty underbelly of the enclaves far beneath the glistening skyscrapers of her family’s wireless hologram monopoly. Though a member of the upper class, she is streetwise and knows how the abandoned, poverty-stricken suburbs of her world’s fuel-cell economy prop up the very people who despise them. Despite its exotic technologies, the world of Cog, with its lived-in feel and shades of gray, operates much like our own, illustrating that the human equation remains constant even in the face of scientific progress.

But what ultimately makes K. Ceres Wright’s Cog such a satisfying read is that it works as well as a thriller as it does social commentary and technological extrapolation. Its careful balance of corporate intrigue and breakneck action makes it the perfect debut release for Dog Star Books, whose motto—“Science Fiction That Goes for the Throat”—could not be more appropriate. So whether you’re a fan of William Gibson’s Neuromancer, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, or simply good old-fashioned science fiction adventure, Cog has got you covered—and then some.

Christopher Paul Carey

Seattle, Washington

December 2012

Christopher Paul Carey holds a B.A. in anthropology and an M.A. in Writing Popular Fiction. He is the coauthor with Philip José Farmer of Gods of Opar: Tales of Lost Khokarsa, and the author of Exiles of Kho, a prelude to the Khokarsa series. His short fiction may be found in such anthologies as Tales of the Shadowmen, The Worlds of Philip José Farmer, and The Avenger: The Justice, Inc. Files. He is an editor with Paizo Publishing on the award-winning Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. Visit him online at www.cpcarey.com.