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2006 - 2010 © Dalian Hansen LLC
Novel uses Second Life® as backdrop
Dalian Hansen pens a thriller about a man's adventures in Second Life®
Posted Thursday, June 14th, 2007, by Marvel Ousley
Among the new books that have been written about Second Life, the most recent is a fictional novel using Second life as a backdrop.
Anima is a debut novel from the Second Life designer and art director, Dalian Hansen. Hansen is the avatar for a real-life American freelance creative director and photographer living in China.
The title, Anima, originated from a conversation Hansen had with Snowcrash author Neal Stephenson, who suggested the word could describe the "owner " of an avatar, from the avatar's point of view.
The novel centers around a man fired from his job at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, the city where Hansen is originally from. The story weaves greed, revenge, romance, and time travel together into this science fiction mystery. The book is set in the present, a few years in the past, and about 160 years in the future.
The novel introduces SL residents such as shopkeepers, mentors and artists who the book's protagonist, Benjamin Talbot, meets in his travels. Talbot, who names his Second life avatar Ben Tao, comes upon an eerie, mysterious character, who doesn't have a name or any information filled out in her profile. This meeting sets the stage for a wave of unexpected developments. Will Ben's deliberately concocted plan for subterfuge unravel?
"Anima is just the beginning of a bigger saga I would like to tell," Hansen says. "I really don't care about fame or profit from this or future books. It was just something I wanted to do. I set my mind to it and the accomplishment is its own reward. I don't expect or care if the novel is a success. And even if it is an utter failure, I'd rather accept that than the regret of not trying."
Hansen, who lists science fiction books from Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Frank Herbert and Philip K. Dick among his favorite, says, "After all, not very much in science fiction is completely unique or original. But many stories can evolve a popular theme into something fresh and entertaining. That is all I have tried to do and never intended to deliver a groundbreaking epic."
More information about the 220-page book, which will soon be available on Amazon, can be seen on Hansen's Web site, http://digitalku.com/anima/. Cafepress.com is selling the paperback version for $13.99 USD, and an 88-page in-world prim version is available for L$600.