Or bounding with a bounder. My book CLOUD-CASTLES has joined the illustrious ranks of the Prometheus winners. I feel a total imposter when looking at some the other works so honored over the years. Imagine being recognized alongside Robert Heinlein? My cup overflows. And Prometheus… who according to Aeschylus caused blind hope to live in the hearts of men (a goal of my writing if ever had one) A trickster who stole fire from the gods for man and pushed them towards science and technology, as well deceiving the powers-that-be (Zeus) of the day, into choosing the rubbish which looks good on the outside, instead of the good that loos rubbish on the outside… he’s my sort of guy. And yes, the local powers-that-be have chained me to a rock and sent their pet to rip my liver out every day.
The book is unusual – besides the fact that it was written by me – in that I set out with intent to do some things which are totally out of fashion at least in the modern literary world. Firstly, it follows none of the core tenets of modern sf. The story is not set in a future which is thinly dressed up culturally and outlook east coast urban US. It’s profoundly Australian and makes fun of the sacred cows of the above. There are good and bad aspects to that – The part of Australia that accepts authority no matter how illogical and outright nasty, that accepts that only criminals and the government should be armed – and the part of Australia that gave us the Eureka Stockade, and the self-sufficient independence of the those who moved deep into the outback – as often as not to avoid authority. I attempted to create the two extremes – an extremely constrained urban environment, and one in which the normal constraint on working anarachy – the ability to leave any form of constraint without too much difficulty. How co-operation could/must work if there really is no effective means of compulsion (all governments trend toward compulsion and the reduction of individual freedoms. It takes constant effort to restrain this tendency.)
Secondly: the alien species are… well, two things. They are opposite ends of the human spectrum – rabidly predatory on one hand – and the cruel the way a cat plays with a mouse – and other hand worse. The other species is vegetarian, and ‘looks after’ humans -as if they were stray dogs, giving strict bounds (the Big Syd only) and sterilizing the strays. Both species while claiming superiority (by means of superior arms, really, which they inherited and cannot make) are dependent on human labor – which they get by constraint.
Thirdly: this was essentially an economic story, with that out of fashion hero – the thinking, contriving engineer, using technology and human nature to build something. Both of those have become very rare.
It is – as most of my books are – a thing of layers, each intended for different purpose. Firstly it was intended to entertain. Secondly, to make people laugh. The innate ridiculousness is funny – before you realize how ridiculous some the real things described are. It may make you think – there are lots of ideas there. I don’t preach them or dictate them. I just show them. There are various others. And finally… well I raise hope in the hearts of men. Freedom can exist. Once we see that, it is not a flame that dies easily.
Mad Genius Club 
22 responses to “Prometheus Bound”
Well deserved. My review of it shows why:
https://ricochet.com/1133051/adventures-in-an-airy-world/
Damn, you’re good Dave.
Bravo and congratulations, Dave! That’s fantastic! (As is the book.)
Good for you…. I look forward to reading it. Now do one where all Council members die horrible, ridiculous deaths and are consigned to the worst levels or hell… but funny!
Sau HI! to Bert for me…
Congratulations, Dave. 🙂
Many congratulations, and well deserved!
Huzzah and congratulations to you! I need to rerereread it again soon.
Congratulations!
It’s moved to the top of my TBR list again, and this time that’ll stick. Major congrats!
Congratulations!
Well deserved!
Congratulations!
Congratulations! That is awesome!
Congratulations Dave!
[…] Prometheus Bound […]
Congratulations, and most appropriate due to the punishment you suffer for the crimes of being free, happy, and alive.
O frabjous day!
Nice going Dave!
Congrats Ser Monkey!!
So glad to see you getting recognition!!
Hopefully the movie & streaming series deals follow.
Congratulations!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations, and I also really enjoyed the book and the interplays!
[…] blind hope to live in the hearts of men (a goal of my writing if ever had one),” Freer wrote in “Prometheus Bound,” his latest post on the Mad Genius Club […]