In the following email interview about his military science fiction novel Rogue Sequence (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), author Zac Topping talks about the military and sci-fi stories that inspired and influenced this story…before adding that, “it’s probably about as ‘military’ as the Mission: Impossible franchise.”
To start, what is Rogue Sequence about, and what kind of a world is it set in?
Ander Rade is a corporate-owned, genetically-enhanced combat operative who’s imprisoned after a mission goes sideways deep in the jungles of Myanmar. During his incarceration, the World Unity Council bans the practice of postnatal human genetic modification and outlaws all modified individuals, apparently sealing Rade’s fate. That is until agents of the Genetic Compliance Department of the United American Provinces show up with an offer he can’t refuse: His freedom, in exchange for helping them track down one of his old teammates who’s popped back up on the grid and been causing mayhem across the country.
Of course, things have changed since Rade’s imprisonment, and there’s a whole new world for him to contend with as he tries to figure out where he fits into it, and if he fits into it at all.
It’s a story about regret and redemption, and questioning loyalties. It’s about the struggle to survive in a world you don’t understand when all you know are lies and deceit and misinformation.
And of course, lots of explosions.
Where did you get the idea for this story?
I wish I could pinpoint an exact “eureka” moment, but it was more of a gradual coalescing of various influences.
Obviously, I’m a huge fan of sci-fi and fantasy. I’ve always loved the speculative and how it exercises the imagination, and can take you to wild, exotic worlds you wouldn’t be able to see otherwise.
That said, I also read a ton of traditional crime and military thrillers. Less speculative, more grounded, sure. But there’s something about the breakneck pace of a flashy, action-packed, edge-of-your-seat thriller that keeps me coming back.
So, for my second book, I knew I wanted to try to blend the two genres together. That meant I needed a larger-than-life main character, a complex, politically-charged world, and a mystery / conspiracy to solve…sprinkle in some superpowers, a few bipedal sentry drones, and a dystopic, post-United States version of America, and there you have it.
Is there a reason why you set it in 2091 as opposed to 2031 or, conversely, 12091?
Sure. If the book took place too close to the present, I’d be limited in what I could do worldbuilding-wise.
I’d also run the risk of writing something that’s fiction in the moment but could, in short order, become reality in the blink of an eye, a lesson I learned when my debut [Wake Of War], about a fictional second American civil war, came out right as the evening news started talking about the possibility of one actually breaking out…
Conversely, if the book took place too far into the future, I’d lose sight of the grounded believability you get with modern thrillers.
So it was really just about finding that middle ground. Far enough away to give me the freedom to make shit up, but close enough where it seemed like a plausible near-future.
It sounds like Rogue Sequence is a military sci-fi story, possibly a dystopian one…
Personally, I’d describe Rogue Sequence as one of the most thrilling, tactical, action-packed, heartfelt pieces of near-future dystopian fiction this side of the century…but that doesn’t fit neatly into the marketing pitch. So military sci-fi will do.
But really, it’s probably about as “military” as the Mission: Impossible franchise. Yes, it has a specialized group of government operatives working tactical missions on behalf of the perceived greater good, but it’s not about exploring the complexities of global (or interstellar) geopolitical conflict through large-scale operations involving entire military units. Maybe it could, one day, if everyone goes out and buys multiple copies and makes the book an incredible success so my publisher offers me more contracts to write more books. Just sayin’.
So I guess the short answer is: Rogue Sequence is my special baby…and nobody puts baby in a corner. Except marketing.
Rogue Sequence is your second novel after Wake Of War. Are there any writers who had a big influence on Rogue but not on Wake?
Certainly. Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep, the inspiration for Blade Runner, has obvious influence on certain aspects of Rogue Sequence.
Octavia E. Butler is another; the way she painted such vivid human characters into such brutally horrible worlds just hits you right in the soul.
And of course, Richard Morgan is, and will always be, a major influence. I know that’s kind of a cheat answer because I’ve mentioned his book Market Forces back when Wake Of War debuted, but that was a very different style of story for him, just as Rogue Sequence is a completely different style story than Wake. To be more specific, it’s Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs series [Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woke Furies] that inspired me to write gritty, violent, and thought-provoking sci-fi in the first place, so I’d be remiss not to admit that.
Then of course there are the thriller influences like Lee Child’s Jack Reacher novels, Mark Greaney’s Gray Man series, and Gregg Hurwitz’s Orphan X novels. All great, stylish, and unique military / action / crime thrillers in their own rights.
What about such non-literary influences as movies, TV shows, or games? Did any of those things have a big influence on Rogue Sequence? Because on your website you say it’s, “Jack Reacher meets Metal Gear Solid.”
They certainly did. I’m a very visual writer, I see scenes in my head like they’re from a movie and do my best to transcribe that to the page, so film and TV definitely have an influence. I’m a product of the ’80s and ’90s, and if you look closely (maybe not that closely) you might find references to things like Paul Verhoven’s Robocop and Total Recall, (there’s that P.K.D. again), or any of the zany, satirical, over-the-top action movies of that time. Then there’s the beautiful, brutal vision of filmmakers like Neill Blomkamp who I sometimes imagine helming a film adaptation of Rogue Sequence one day…you never know.
As for the Metal Gear reference, that came after I’d written the book and was trying to figure out how to describe it. I hadn’t realized it while I was writing Rogue Sequence, but after thinking about it, I know the video game series definitely had an influence on me. The unique characters, the deep backstories, the grounded, believable world wrapped in a web of complexity and subterfuge, all working together to help make even the wackiest aspects of the story fit seamlessly…I just love it.
And what about your dog, Riley? What influence did she have on Rogue Sequence?
I do all my brainstorming on our daily walks, and she very politely listens to me ramble to myself as we stroll through the woods. She also likes to take her morning naps while I get my writing done, but if I’m not finished by 11:30 SHARP, she’ll let me know about it. In fact, I can hear her paws padding down the hallway right now…
Riley
Now, military sci-fi novels are sometimes stand-alone stories, and sometimes they’re part of a larger saga. What is Rogue Sequence?
Rogue Sequence has a sequel that I just turned in to my editor, with a release date scheduled for some time next summer. Tor / Forge bought Wake Of War as part of a 3-book deal, so I got to write Rogue Sequence and the sequel as part of that contract. I’ve pitched the idea of turning it into a series for as many books as they’re willing to let me write, but we’ll have to see how that goes. I can say that I’m currently working on a third Ander Rade book right now, but as of this moment, that book is not part of any contract yet. So we’ll have to see.
So, what can you tell us about this series? Does it have a name? Will it be an ongoing thing or a set number of books like a trilogy…?
Well, like I said, it’s all kind of up in the air right now. I’m certainly hoping to at least make it a trilogy, but I have enough material to draw on for as many books as Tor would like me to write.
Right now, though, I’m just calling it the Ander Rade Series. Straight to the point, just like Rade himself.
Earlier you said you sometimes imagine director [District 9 director] Neill Blomkamp making a Rogue Sequence movie. I take it you think this story would work really well as a movie…
In my humble opinion, Rogue Sequence would absolutely make one hell of a summer box office smash. And I’m not just saying that because I wrote it…
But really, I talked about how I’m a visual writer, and I’ve been told that my books have a cinematic feel to them (thanks Mom), so I’d love to see a film adaptation for sure. I say film over TV because Rogue Sequence is a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, and a movie with a 2-hour run time serves that edge-of-your-seat vibe a little more appropriately, I think. Movies also get a lot more buildup and anticipation, as opposed to TV shows that everyone binge watches in two days and forgets about just as fast, and I’d rather have people be talking about how awesome Rogue Sequence is for a long, long time.
Either way, a movie or TV show definitely drives book sales which, as I’ve mentioned before, makes my publisher happy and more likely to pay me to write more so… [gestures imploringly].
And, if Blomkamp or someone else wanted to adapt Rogue Sequence into a movie or show, who would you want them to cast as Ander and the other main characters?
Oh man, I love this question, but I’m always hesitant to answer it because I don’t want to influence the readers’ own image in their heads. I mean, I do in a way, through the descriptions in the book and such, but if I straight up say “I imagine JOHN DOE playing Rade,” then that’s who they’re likely to imagine despite what their own brains are trying to tell them.
What I will do is tell you who I’d love to see direct the film or TV show: Neill Blomkamp, Antoine Fuqua [Olympus Has Fallen], George Miller [Furiosa], or, of course, Denis Villeneuve [Blade Runner 2049].
So, is there anything else you think people need to know about Rogue Sequence?
Whether you’re a fan of thrillers, but not familiar with sci-fi, or you love sci-fi and enjoy an edge-of-your-seat thriller, Rogue Sequence is the perfect book for you. It’s an explosive, adrenaline-fueled turbo ride with plenty of humanity hidden beneath all the grit and gunpowder.
Finally, if someone enjoys Rogue Sequence, they’ll probably go get Wake Of War. But once they’re done reading that, what military sci-fi novel or novella of someone else’s would you suggest they read next?
Rubicon by J.S. Dewes is a great military sci-fi about the effects of trauma and desensitization toward the concept of death on soldiers fighting a war in the outer reaches of the stars.
Michael Mammay’s Carl Butler (Planetside) series is an excellent military sci-fi in the form of a detective-style mystery / thriller.
Also, anything by T.R. Napper. He writes cyberpunk, more specifically, but it’s from the perspective of the people left to survive in the aftermath of war and geopolitical conflict, but the message is still there.
Afterall, war isn’t just a soldier’s story.
