Richard Parry: writer, liar, superhero
Writing a new world without infodumping is like hosting a party without explaining the rules of beer pong. Here’s my secret sauce: use familiar elements, reveal info as characters need it, and assume readers are in-the-know. And don’t be afraid to bluff. Read More …
A friend of mine said, “Richard, tech companies just want to be a low-level tax on humanity.” Let’s hold that in mind. We watched The Creator recently. This is Gareth Edwards’ latest sci-fi megahit, where our hero Joshua (in a stand-out performance by John David Washington) shepherds little girl Alphie on a quest to save the world. What’s important is that Joshua is on the side of the good guys, fighting against AI, and Alphie is a Simulant, an AI chassis with the face of a human girl, and on the side of the bad guys. In Edwards’ near-future world, AI are the villains that nuked Los Angeles, and all right-minded people should be upset about them. AI aren’t people, they’re just programming, and we should bury the machines. Except. The Creator does some spectacular things with storytelling, and Edwards Read More …
Life’s been hard these past months. I don’t want to be a downer, but the only thing missing from this apocalypse is actual zombies (and I’m pretty sure I saw those at the mall). I know money is tight. Shit is hard. Unemployment’s at record highs, and even “cheap” entertainment like reading is difficult to justify when you’re not sure how to feed your kids tomorrow. Many people aren’t coping, and finding it harder without fantasy worlds to escape to. I have three possible solutions for you. If you’re really hard up for cash, I’ve made Chromed: Upgrade free. This is my homage to Blade Runner. It’s got cybernetics, alcohol, genetically-modified monsters, wormholes, AI, and rock music. This was the thing I wanted to write when I started to do this gig for real, and you can get it for nothing. 85,000 Read More …
Ricky emailed me a few days back, mentioning that he’d accidentally picked up a couple of my books he’d already read. How’s this happen? By virtue of me scuppering old editions and putting up new ones. If you want to know which books were previously released and what changed, I’ve prepared this handy chart: Current Release Previously Known As What Changed? Night’s Favor Night’s Favour & Night’s Favor Language change from UK to US English. The story’s unchanged. Somewhere in there it also got a new cover. Night’s Fall Night’s Fall Language change from UK to US English. Like Night’s Favor, Night’s Fall’s story remains intact, with language updates for the US market.Somewhere in here, it got a cover change, but TBH I can’t remember exactly when all that happened. Sorry about that. Chromed: Upgrade & Chromed: Rogue Upgrade Language Read More …
The universe blessed me yesterday: Chromed: Upgrade is racing up the charts, taking the #1 slot in cyberpunk, dystopia, genetic engineering, sci-fi adventure, and superhero fantasy. It’s #4 on the Kindle free store overall, which has me blown away. Thank you so much for your support. If you want it, it’s on the house. Get it on Amazon, Nook, Apple, Kobo, and Google while the getting’s good. (And if you love Rebekah’s cover art as much as I do, get yourself the wallpaper over here).
One of my world-famous emails, originally sent Saturday 15 June. Get on the list here! Man, there’s a lot going on. And that’s just in my part of the world. This week, there are so many funsies. Before we hit the main events, you may have noticed a new header graphic ⬆️ up there. Let me know what you think of it, because I almost went blind putting it together. Where was I? A new release! An interview; An outstanding promo; Your excerpt, aaaand A free novel, no strings attached. I am breathless with all the awesome. Let’s do it. Tyche’s Lost is Out! Yeah, I almost don’t believe it myself. This is Chad and Saveria’s story – two people who’ve both died before, about to die again. It would suck to be one of my characters. I started this Read More …
ICYMI, Chromed: Rogue is now available pretty much everywhere. You can get it whether you’re on a Kindle, iDevice, Nook, or Kobo. Go nuts. It’s 2150AD. Syndicates fight on the streets. Company enforcer Mason Floyd and rockstar Sadie Freeman share an uneasy truce in a city buried beneath company sin. As the rain lifts for the first time in what feels like forever, they are hunted. Mason’s employers sent their best to take them out. Betrayed from within, walking away would be the simplest choice. But Sadie and Mason aren’t known for taking the easy path. They owe someone who gave everything so they could be free. They must get back to the world, save a lost friend from a reprogramming facility, and escape into the night. Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid illegals. Supersoldiers. Rock music. Violence. Read More …
This is one of my world-famous emails, originally sent Friday, 25 January 2019. Get on the list here. It will mean the download links will work, unlike in this post where they’ve been excised, because treats like Tyche Forever are for my internet homies on said list. Two shinies for you. We’re almost at the end of January, which means we can stop talking about Christmas like it’s a race-memory of the apocalypse. We survived, people. We’re good. This week: Comparison of covers, old vs. stylish; A new wallpaper for you; and Your final reminder about Tyche Forever*. * The download code turns into a pumpkin next week. Let’s rock. More of my mistakes Back in November I showed you the cover evolution for my Night’s Champion books. I thought it’d be fun to do the same with Chromed: Upgrade. Read More …
I interrupt your regularly scheduled programme to let you know Chromed: Upgrade and Chromed: Rogue are enjoying a Kindle Countdown Deal. US/UK citizens can enjoy the supremacy their nations’ commercial power provides: Chromed: Upgrade’s free, and the sequel Chromed: Rogue is a mere Earth dollar (or adjusted currency). Why am I doing this? Because the finale, Chromed: Restore, is out today. [Treat yourself to the series], or grab ’em a la carte below: [FREE] [0.99] New release! [4.99] EDIT: Holy shitballs. Thank you so very much for your support!
This is the one so many of you’ve been waiting for. It’s the conclusion to Mason, Sadie, and Carter’s story. I hope you love it! It’s 21050AD. Uplinks turn us into slaves. Mason Floyd is lost on a dying world, bionics failing as he wages war against the ruling elite. He’s left off-grid rockstar Sadie Freeman on Earth with a hopeless quest: resurrect the dead. New megacorp HumanE forces outright war. They have the means to control humans through the link, creating a limitless army of warriors. To free humanity, Mason discards the corporate protection he’s always known, leaving him vulnerable. Sadie embraces corporate chains, going against all she stands for. As the streets of Seattle erupt into conflict, Mason and Sadie face their greatest challenge. They must save us from ourselves. Megacorps. Cyborgs. AI. Gene-spliced monsters. Syndicate enforcers. Off-grid Read More …