Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance / 99,000 words / querying
A reporter from an insignificant border town discovers that the broken vessels of a forgotten, advanced society may be the key to restoring water to her planet.
Faced with a failing environment and dwindling resources, the people of Pontus have turned to Pluto, the deity of a religion born from an untraceable radio transmission that promises the single most valuable substance: water.
Among those surviving the unforgiving political and environmental climate is Vera Westin, a scrappy reporter from the rapidly desertifying town of Tunn. Desperate for an escape, opportunity finds her in the form of an aloof mercenary named Tim Gallio, recently arrived from the capital city and searching for a secret buried deep in Tunn's outskirts. A deal is struck, and together they unearth a hollow vessel of chrome, carved in the shape of a three-armed woman: a chromaton. When Vera finds a way to bring the chromaton to life and its volatile nature becomes apparent, she is thrust into the web of the Spear, a syndicate loyal to Pluto that will stop at nothing to recover a live chromaton...or the person who can resurrect them. Vera's trust in Tim is challenged when he is revealed to be a member of the Spear with muddled motives and an even more obscure past.
From the tangled knots of an erased past and a hostile future, a clear connection emerges: Vera's ability to animate the chromatons is the key to restoring water to their withering world, but only if she can destroy the Spear before it destroys her.
Among those surviving the unforgiving political and environmental climate is Vera Westin, a scrappy reporter from the rapidly desertifying town of Tunn. Desperate for an escape, opportunity finds her in the form of an aloof mercenary named Tim Gallio, recently arrived from the capital city and searching for a secret buried deep in Tunn's outskirts. A deal is struck, and together they unearth a hollow vessel of chrome, carved in the shape of a three-armed woman: a chromaton. When Vera finds a way to bring the chromaton to life and its volatile nature becomes apparent, she is thrust into the web of the Spear, a syndicate loyal to Pluto that will stop at nothing to recover a live chromaton...or the person who can resurrect them. Vera's trust in Tim is challenged when he is revealed to be a member of the Spear with muddled motives and an even more obscure past.
From the tangled knots of an erased past and a hostile future, a clear connection emerges: Vera's ability to animate the chromatons is the key to restoring water to their withering world, but only if she can destroy the Spear before it destroys her.
Comparable Titles:
Books:
-The Will of the Many by James Islington
-Red Rising by Pierce Brown
-Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
-The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
-Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Film:
-Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1989)
-Castle in the Sky (1986)
-Akira (1989)
-Anastasia (1997)
Games:
-Final Fantasy VII
-Chrono Trigger
-Fallout 4
Books:
-The Will of the Many by James Islington
-Red Rising by Pierce Brown
-Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh
-The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer
-Full Metal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
Film:
-Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1989)
-Castle in the Sky (1986)
-Akira (1989)
-Anastasia (1997)
Games:
-Final Fantasy VII
-Chrono Trigger
-Fallout 4