By Don Figueroa
We here at FanboyNation are fans of Dan Taylor’s work. Ever since he first began self publishing (Super) Hero Happy Hour through his Geek Punk label, as an editor at IDW, up through his wonderfully fun and insightful podcasts like the Planetary Union Network, I for one have enjoyed everything he’s done. He’s just started a Kickstarter campaign for his upcoming science fiction robotic NOIR detective novella, Pi Private Eye: the Immortal Coil, and it sounds as fun as anything he’s put out.
Here it is in his own words:
Pi Private Eye: The Immortal Coil is a science-fiction noir robotic detective story set in an alternate futuristic past of Los Angeles–perhaps an inspired brainchild from a chance meeting between Ray Bradbury and Raymond Chandler.
Pi is one of twenty-four sentient Automatrons living in Los Angles recently recognized as an individual with rights and granted citizenship through the Automatron Assimilation Amendment. Artificial intelligent constructs of measurable independent will were imbued with rights and freedoms similar to their human counterparts. All to better serve society. But society has a way of bucking change. Someone is murdering the Automatrons of Los Angeles. Having been relieved of his duty as an LAPD officer, Pi now works as an independent private investigator specializing in Automatron matters. Now he finds himself searching for the identity of the “bot killer” before he becomes the next victim.
Why a novella? In keeping with the theme of “π,” the story wordcount target is 31,415. ( I might get “cute” and throw in 9/10 of a word.) According to the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America and the World Science Fiction Society, my target wordcount would classify Pi Private Eye: The Immortal Coil as a novella. So, I’m calling it a novella.
The pledge rewards include the novella in digital, paperback, and a signed and numbered hardcover limited to only 305 copies, or have a character or story element named after you, with stretch goals including Pi’s business card as a bookmark and an audiobook featuring the voice talents of Brandon J. Carr.
You can check out the campaign here. Please do.
