Iain Kelly

My A-Z theme this year is a guide to my trilogy of novels called ‘The State Trilogy’. Set in an unnamed island country known only as ‘The State’, in the imagined near future, the books follow the intertwining stories of a number of characters, principally a State police detective named Danny Samson and an assassin, Gabriella Marino, over a period of six years. It begins with the assassination of an elected official and spirals into revolution and civil war. Part political thriller, action story, war story and dystopian science fiction, the trilogy took three years to complete and the books are available to read now – you can find links to purchase them HERE

In The State Trilogy, ‘C’ stands for:

Central City and Capital City: These are the two main cities of The State, and the two cities in which the story of the trilogy primarily takes place. As mentioned before, Central City is loosely based on Glasgow and Edinburgh in Scotland, which have amalgamated and become a megalopolis, taking in and housing many citizens who once lived to the north and south of this central belt across the country. Capital City is an imagined future London, which has again extended beyond its current borders to encompass the southern part of the island. Basing both the cities on real places allowed me to use some of the geography in the books, and make the backdrop for the characters realistic. Capital City represents the real seat of power for the State government, while Central City, and the HighLand City further north are somewhat neglected by those in power. This mirrors the real situation in Britain, where there is a vast gulf in social and economic conditions between the wealthier south and poorer north.

Central Alliance Party: The party of government in The State, where they control the Senate, as well as being the party that the State Chancellor belongs too. The Party came to power as a socialist reforming government and improved many things within The State – they eradicated homelessness, improved health care for all, provided all citizens with a universal income and managed the battle against climate change with success. However, years in power have led to a creeping erosion of the party’s original ideals. Initial success in the First Strike War has been replaced by battle weariness as the conflict drags on and an energy crisis is furthering destabilising the political landscape. Despite this, the Central Alliance Party has such a grip on the Senate and the elections that there is little threat to its unchecked power.

Casper: Detective Danny Samson first encounters a young boy in the wilderness after he has fled Central City. He stands guard over a bridge that joins the mainland to an island on which a cult of exiles lives, left in peace by The State. Later, during the civil war in Central City, Danny re-encounters Casper, now a young man. Casper has left the island after the collapse of the cult, and in the megalopolis takes his place with the rebels, the Independents, who are set on challenging the Central Alliance Party and disrupting the elections. He becomes a trusted lieutenant of Phillips, the State agent who eventually leads the rebels. 

Cassandra ‘Cas’ Ford: Cas works for the State Police in Central City as a forensic crime scene investigator. She is a long-term friend of Detective Danny Samson, and one of the few colleagues that he trusts.

Climate Change: In the imagined world of The State, the global threat of climate change has been addressed. The countries of the world united against the imminent disaster and made radical and necessary steps to reverse global warming and protect their citizens and land. It happened too late to prevent all the consequences and sea levels around the globe rose. The State is protected at various weak points around its coastline by huge dams and walls that hold back the sea and prevent flooding and land erosion. Where the main river through Central City meets the sea, a huge bridge has been converted into a dam to protect the city. Within the city walls of each megalopolis there are also huge extraction fans which clean the air and remove and recycle the harmful polluting gases. Together with strict population control, the threat of climate change is managed, if not reduced.

Next up – D is for: Danny Samson, Donald Parkinson and Diabetes

All the entries in the A-Z of ‘The State Trilogy’ can be found HERE

The books are available from a wide selection of online retailers, including AMAZON

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