the new illustrated audiobook for fans of SF and Space opera!

2023-07-20 14:45:00

After years of maturation, reflection and rewriting, the illustrated audiobook titled “Sanctaren” finally lands on Youtube. With the broadcast of one episode per month, Sanctaren seeks to revisit Space Opera, between nostalgia for the genre and modernity according to our current and future issues.

In form, Sanctaren is above all the crossroads of passions and technologies. Including writing, narration, original music created by computer, sound effects, illustrations generated by artificial intelligence. Moreover, all these elements are put at the service of the story and the universe. In the background, Sanctaren tells us the adventures and adventures of a motley group of individuals while, in the distant future of our galaxy, ancient threats have awakened.

The universe of Sanctaren: summary

Set at the end of the 3rd millennium CE, our dear galaxy, renamed “Sanctaren”, has undergone many changes since the 21st century. While waiting helplessly for its inevitable destruction, Humanity was saved in extremis by an extraterrestrial civilization, the Olcarians, who allowed humans to save their planet and travel the galaxy.

But, if men had made peace on Earth, it was only to better throw themselves into the intergalactic battle which opposed the Olcarians to the Fenresh. This is another particularly mystical and religious extraterrestrial species.

After more than a century of conflict, an uneasy peace finally returned to Sanctaren, with the bursting of belligerent civilizations and their splitting into different factions with their own interests. But, while the situation had more or less stabilized, an armada of unknown origin made its appearance in the controlled sectors. And she wasn’t friendly…

Note of intent: presentation of the book

The universe being established, it is now up to our protagonists to shine in this hostile galaxy full of mystery. And it is therefore from a micro point of view that we will come to understand the stakes and the secrets of Sanctaren. Without revealing too much, the reader will follow the adventures of a squad of five main characters, with sometimes troubled pasts and sometimes divergent interests.

Of course, you can’t do science fiction without addressing strong themes and without talking about current and future issues for humanity and the planet. More than just a story, reading or listening to “Sanctaren” is also a way to reflect on our human conditionto take a step back from ourselves and our actions.

“It’s true that with science fiction, we can talk about absolutely anything. The themes are legion. The problem is that if we try to cover as many subjects as possible, well, we end up skimming over them. It lacks depth. As a result, I made the choice to only address a fairly limited number of themes that are close to my heart, even if it means abandoning themes that have already been largely covered by other works. For example, transhumanism, genetics or robotics, I leave that to others. On the other hand, through the prism of my characters, I want to talk about fraternity, sacrifice, doubts, beliefs, disillusion or hope. My subject is above all the human.

Scriber Ja, author of Sanctaren.

By the author’s own admission, he still does not know how many volumes he will need to tell the story of Sanctaren. According to his plan, he has a small idea, but he prefers to remain discreet about it. Finally, he wanted to tell us that “Sanctaren” is for everyonestarting in adolescence without issue, although some swearing from the characters is to be expected.

The author is also in charge of the narration (waiting for professional dubbers, why not), the creation of the illustrations by Midjourney (although he would very much like to call on a professional illustrator), as well as the composition of the soundtrack. However, for the latter, maybe he will be helped by someone from the editorial staff… who knows?

A few words about the author

The author of “Sanctaren” prefers to remain anonymous for the moment. His pseudonym, Scriber Ja, comes from the name of a character in Vernor Vinge’s novel “Fire Over the Abyss”.

Previously rather cradled in the Fantastic, the author fell in love with science fiction Space opera around the age of 10 with the Warhammer 40,000 universe. Never really a fan of Star Wars, it was rather licenses such as Alien, Predator, Bladerunner, Stargate, Cowboy Bepop or Evangelion that fascinated him. Or even video games such as Mass Effect, Halo, FTL or Out There.

On the reading side, although finally quite late in comparison to Fantasy, the author completely abandoned the latter to turn first to the classics of Lovecraft, then Asimov, Hamilton, Vinge, and many others.

Moreover, it is these very special universes that will give it a real passion for space and the history of space conquest. However, he is not really interested in the UFO phenomenon.

“I love aliens for two reasons. On the one hand, they are my favorite antagonists, ahead of zombies, orcs, vampires, robots, giant insects or whatever. On the other hand, they send us back to a certain form of humanity. Sometimes cruel, sometimes bestial, sometimes omnipotent or totally indifferent. Or conversely, very wise, compassionate, cautious or tolerant. I don’t believe we’ll ever encounter an intelligent life form of extraterrestrial origin, but they make for great storytelling.”

Scriber Ja.