Friday, July 8, 2011

Atlantis DSV Episode VI: Crossfire

It is no exaggeration for me to say that this update has been one of the most challenging to bring about, but almost three years since the release of Shattered Sword, I am delighted to finally be able to bring you the next chapter in the story of Atlantis DSV.

Shattered Sword left us all in a hole that I will admit may have been a little bit too deep for us to escape, and it is that which has made Crossfire such a difficult story to write. Crossfire, just like Rising Thunder did all those years ago, concludes an over-arc that began with The Silence Within. But it's a beginning, too; a 'clean slate' which will in many ways define the next stories in this ongoing series.

It would have been all too easy to latch on to the usual and predictable tropes that one might expect would come from the ending of Sword, but ultimately those options were not enough to satisfy my own desire to make Crossfire a special story in its own right, filled with its own twists and turns and a resolution that, I hope, will surprise you.

My relationship with this story has been turbulent, challenging and at times troubling. There were several bouts of writer's block, new professional commitments at the end of my University life and constant revisions as I sought to navigate minefields of cliche and predictability. Ultimately, I can say this: There are few creative joys that are as rewarding as solving a plot riddle that eludes you for three years, and writing this story has been one of the most enjoyable tasks in this series to date.

There is more to come in the wake of this release, as I am equally happy to be able to tell you that several CGI projects have been steadily progressing in the background of this episode's writing, one of which I am quite honestly treating as a 'feather in the cap.' I look forward to bringing you those updates in the near future, but in the mean time... I hope you enjoy the sixth chapter in the Atlantis DSV series, and find the wait has been worth it.


Atlantis DSV