“History is a wheel, for the nature of man is fundamentally unchanging. What has happened before will perforce happen again.”
George R.R. Martin, A Feast for Crows
Ah, history. Not only did I take the subject for my G.C.S.E exams a million years ago, but I also went on to study it at A-level and then at degree level at university (with varying success. I passed my A-level… just… while I fared terribly in the degree due to a fair bit of debauchery on my part. I eventually dropped out and finished my studies at the Open University), so you could say I know a little something about history.
Not that long ago, it was a great passion of mine, so when I write books, creating a world in the process, I, like a great many other writers, will continuously tap my historical knowledge for societal structures, mythology, religions and such like. I actually keep a book of classic mythology next to my computer so I can occasionally read some of the madness people have made up over the centuries. Fiction inspires fiction! Always!
As I told you in my last blog about the world of Gillion, the universe I’ve created is a shadowy reflection of our own. Many cultures are based on societies we know. Ecrium is basically Europe and familiar cultures are dotted throughout. The same goes for the other continents. So, it makes perfect sense that Gillion be the same since it’s based on our own home.
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Gillion’s history at the time of this short story collection is quite similar to the U.K.
The Fair Isle, as Gillion is nicknamed, has recently been through an Industrial Revolution and reaped the benefits. The nation innovated new modes of transport, such as the horseless carriage (automobile), the locomotive (steam train), and – diverging from our own world - the dirigible (blimp). In doing so, Gillion quickly exploded out into the wider world of Yuthea and immediately began to do the thing that all nations love to do: plunder other nations. They went west across the Atlas Sea, stumbled upon the scattered islands of Westria, and swiftly laid claim to the land, pillaging it of its resources in the process. Westria remains a protectorate during the period of the stories, which is the year 4798…
Yes, the calendar is different. This world decided to start its calendar with the onset of a particular civilisation and not via the mythical birth of a deity. That’s not to say there isn’t a Church in this world. There is, and it’s called the Church of Paradise and originated in Asnary in Ecrium, which bloomed from the old Asnary Empire (which is also when the aforementioned calendar began) … I’m sure this will sound familiar to the history buffs out there: Rome, Italy, the Roman Catholic Church and all that…
See! I did learn something in my many, many years of study! The system works!
And speaking of calendars, the days and months are named after different ancient gods to the ones we’re familiar with, the same ones the Asnary Empire worshipped. I won’t bore you with their names here, but you’ll see them mentioned in the book… because, let’s be honest here, how many people actually sit and wonder where our day and month names originated?? Not many, I would bet.
Anyway, I digress! Back to Gillion. The era is known as the De Clare era, named after Grand Duchess Genevieve of the House of De Clare, empress of Gillion and its lands. Once again, this should all sound familiar to everyone. She is the figurehead, while power resides with the High Minster and their political party in the Gillion Houses of Parliament…
I could go on, but I think you get the picture. I wanted to give you a feel of the era to prepare you for the style. Most of us know of the Victorian period and the stuffy strangeness it produced, so I think a lot of you will know what to expect. (Lots of tally ho and all that.) Yes, it’s recognisable but it’s the differences that count in fiction, and there are some big ones in this universe. As I’ve stated before, it’s the supernatural where our world diverges from Gillion. And, of course, those pesky Beings of Chaos…
But I’ve said too much! Let’s leave it at that for the moment.
I’m still busily working away to get The Strange Tales of Gillion as perfect as possible and eyeballing a release in early 2025. As soon as I believe it’s ready, you’ll be the first to know!
Thanks for reading.
Elliot J Harper
Author of New Gillion Street, published by Fly on the Wall Press and the upcoming short story collection, The Strange Tales of Gillion.