Author of best-selling horror novels infected And FloodsMarc-André Pilon returns this spring with an original dystopia rich in thrills, The Gulf. We follow the adventures of a teenager, Aleksuan, who tries to survive in a desert and post-apocalyptic world with his mother and two brothers.
Photo provided by Éditions Hurtubise
Since his father left, Alek dreams of a better life in his world already turned upside down by cataclysms. As a misfortune never comes alone, the village where he lives is attacked by a group of mercenaries. Alek is captured and forced to become a warrior.
Like his new companions in misfortune, Alek is forced to follow the orders of their leader who gives them the mission of recovering a precious ore which is at the bottom of a crevasse. The problem is that no one has ever come out of the abyss. Will Alek be better than the others at getting out of trouble?
Invent a “creature”
Marc-André Pilon, in an interview, explains that with the series infected, he had explored the myth of the zombie. With Floods, that of the haunted house. With The Gulfhe wanted a book with a “creature”.
“I first thought of what I wanted to be stupid in my book. The world was created around her. It brought the science fiction side, which was not necessarily planned at the start, or at least, which took up more space than I thought. »
Marc-André really loves dystopias.
“The only difference is that it’s not a political dystopia like 1984 Or The best of worlds. It’s more of a dystopia with an environmental flavor that echoes our fears related to climate change, to what the future could hold for us. »
The author had thought that with his creature, he could have teenage soldiers who are forced to go to a mine where she is hiding. Its science fiction universe makes Quebec a desert plain.
“We follow our character in this plain, where he will go from the sun to the darkness, under the ground, where there is… the creature. »
Face your fears
The metaphorical aspect is present: confronting the creature also means confronting its fears, its fears, especially with regard to the environment.
“What I found interesting to do is that the enemy is not necessarily the creature. Of course, if you meet it, it’s not going well… but eventually, the character will understand that the creature, all it does is try to keep its territory. »
The teenage soldiers, forced to go into the abyss to exploit the last resources of the Earth, are therefore confronted with the Earth which says no, which takes revenge, which contests.
“Behind that, there is an environmental message. »
♦ Marc-André Pilon teaches French in a high school in Vaudreuil-Dorion.
♦ He is the author of the popular horror novels Infected 1, Infected 2 And Floods.