Black Rain by Matthew B.J. Delaney has just been released by 47North.
In a darkly warped near future, lucrative disease cures are brokered on Wall Street’s Genetic Stock Exchange. And the hottest consumer products are artificially synthesized humans that serve as everything from domestic slaves to combatants in savage gladiatorial games. For Jack Saxton, the young heir to genetic design powerhouse Genico Inc., these Synthates are just a fact of life…until the murder of a high-profile genetic scientist leads a pair of seasoned NYPD detectives to Genico’s door.
As a small band of Synthate rebels steps up its attack on the status quo, Jack encounters a pleasure-parlor girl who opens his eyes to their cause. When he dares to sympathize with the rebels, Jack is hunted down and arrested for the murder. Sentenced to die in the brutal games on Bloomberg Island, Jack will be forced to fight—for his life, for the future of all Synthates, and for a chance to uncover the mind-bending secret buried in his past.
What made you decide to set your novel in New York City instead of creating another fictional futuristic setting?
I wanted a setting that was fictional, but familiar enough that it wouldn’t distract from the story of Jack, and genetic trading and the struggle of the Synthates. The world of Black Rain has many elements of science fiction and a good degree of, ‘what if’, but it’s basically a New York City that everyone is familiar with. Then I tweaked world a bit, added in just enough of the fictional elements, while trying to keep it as real as possible. I’ve worked and lived in New York City for years, and I think the city itself is a great character which I know by heart, and as always, ‘write what you know’.
What kind of research did you for the various elements of your novel—from the genetic engineering to the historic battles in the Games?
Just enough science and history reading to make it believable but without getting too caught up in the details. So, I guess that means there was a fair amount of research, but also a lot of science and history ‘thinking’. I wasn’t trying to write a textbook, but it was important that I conveyed a basic understanding of genetic engineering and of the technology of certain time periods to make for a more immersive world.
The fact that the Synthates have to battle each other using weaponry from specific wars is a fascinating idea. Did you have fun reading up on your war history here?
Growing up in Boston, every other field trip was to some battle site of the Revolutionary War. Since I was a kid, I’ve had that interest in history, and the research part of writing has always been fun. It’s the writing part of writing which is work.
You moved to New York to join the NYPD after September 11th. What was it about that decision that appealed to you? Have you found it rewarding to work in law enforcement?
After September 11th, forgive the cliché, but I felt I needed to do my part to help keep this country safe. At the time, I was working in finance and living comfortably in Boston, and I remember watching that terrible tragedy enfold on television and simply feeling I had to do something. So, my best friend and I took the bus down to New York City and sat for the NYPD entrance exam. Serving in the New York City Police Department has been the greatest and most rewarding experience of my life. The NYPD is an amazing organization, rich in history and diversity, filled with wonderful men and women, and it really has been an honor to serve and be a part of something that carries such a legacy. And as a writer, I don’t think there’s any workplace in the world that has created better stories and characters then the NYPD. I get to wear the same uniform as John McClane, Popeye Doyle, and Kojak, so how cool is that?
Who are the authors that have most inspired your work?
Any author who just writes awesome stories. I’ve always loved Michael Crichton for his perfect blending of science fiction and history and reality. I bow down to Stephen King, who I think in fifty years or so, will be considered the Charles Dickens of our era. He’s so good at what he does that sometimes I can’t stand to read him. It’s like loving running as your life’s passion, thinking you’re pretty fast, then having your first race be against Usain Bolt. Sometimes it hurts to know there’s someone out there who is so much more talented at simply crushing something you love. Other authors who I’ve dug for one reason or another, in no particular order: J.K. Rowling. Patricia Highsmith. Herman Wouk. Richard Matheson. Arthur Conan Doyle. Dan Brown. John le Carre. Alistair Maclean. Dennis Lehane. Dan Simmons. Basho.
This novel transcends genre—it has many elements of science fiction, thrillers and even horror novels. Do you find it frees you up to explore many different themes when you write cross-genre (or do you even consider this as you write)?
I write in whatever way I’m feeling in the moment. Real life is a mess. Humans feel everything from fear, to marvel, to love. And each of those moments is a different genre. We each have our own romance, thriller, and sometimes even horror stories, so I just write in whatever mood I think best fits the story.
If you could meet one author for drinks, alive or dead, who would it be? And what would you say to them?
Stephen King. What would I say? “Teach me.”
What’s next for you?
I’m completing work on a new book, The Memory Agent, which I’m very excited about. In the future, the prison system has been so overpopulated that brick and mortar prisons have been eliminated. Prisoners are placed into a sleep state where they serve their sentence in a shared virtual world of New York City; a fabricated island of Manhattan where the population is composed of prisoners working and living. But nobody in the system knows they’re in prison. On the outside, a professional prison break team can enter this virtual world find a prisoner and break him or her out of the system. This team is hired for one last mission, which is of course their hardest, but each member has his or her own private motivation for pushing fate. There’s lots of twists, lots of mystery and action. I’ve been having fun with it, so hopefully it should be a good read!
About the Author
Matthew B.J. Delaney published his first novel, Jinn, in 2003. Winner of the International Horror Guild Award, the novel was optioned for film by Touchstone Pictures, was featured as People magazine’s Page-Turner of the Week, and received a Publishers Weekly Starred Review.
Delaney received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Dartmouth College and a master’s in public administration from Harvard. Following the attacks of September 11, 2001, he left a career in finance and moved from Boston to New York City to join the New York City Police Department. He has been a member of the NYPD for twelve years and has been assigned to precincts throughout Manhattan and the Bronx as well as within police headquarters and the Intelligence Division. He is currently a decorated Special Operations Lieutenant serving in a Brooklyn violent crime suppression unit. He continues to write in his spare time.
