Princess Rouran and the Book of the Living received a 4+ star review, making it an IndieReader Approved title.
Following find an interview with author Shawe Ruckus.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Princess Rouran and the Book of the Living was published in November 2022.
What’s the book’s first line?
‘Dear World,
Today’s another day when I haven’t slept well.’
A part of declaration from Pandorai, a murderous AI that wants to end humanity.
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
It was just a typical day for third-year university student Edith Orozco as she boarded her train home, but her world is unexpectedly thrown into chaos as she finds herself thrust into a time traveling adventure to save humanity from a seemingly unstoppable evil.
With the help of her niece, Moli, and two strangers, James and Kiza, the group must travel through time to collect nine wonders from history in just nine days. Only then can they hope to save the world from Pandorai, a murderous AI bent on destruction, along with its two maniacal henchmen: resurrected Adolf Hitler and Dr Shiro Ishii.
Tasked with collecting their first wonder, The Book of the Living, the unlikely quartet of heroes are transported back in time to Ancient Egypt, where they must travel to the Tomb of King Unas. But the clock is ticking, with only 24 hours to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles in order to reach their destination.
Can Edith guide the group and encourage them to work together as they encounter treacherous slave merchants, frightening prehistoric dinosaurs, and mischievous ancient gods? Or will the evil Trio beat them to their prize and bring the world one step closer to mayhem and destruction?
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
I have always wanted to read a book like this but didn’t find any suitable titles, so I challenged myself for the task. I wanted to present a story where strangers work together to overcome mounting and urgent difficulties, while drawing on cross-cultural folklore and legends.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
This book is for anymore looking for a transforming journey with thrilling action and plenty of mysterious creatures who are also interested in the interplay of modern and ancient cultures and histories.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
This story features an unlikely quartet of diverse heroes who came together to save humanity. We have Edith Orozco, a third-year university student and the oldest of the group, looking out for the rest and trying to navigate in the turmoil.
We have James Walker, a disgruntled London teen who is grumpy at times yet gallant in moments of need.
Then there is Chitundu Mwikiza, a pianist and wheelchair user, who supports the team with his ample scientific knowledge.
The youngest of the team, Moli, lays the blame for the abrupt change in history on her previous timeslip into Rouran, and she is determined to make things right again.
I believe that these characters are relatable and that we can find each of their good and bad qualities among our family, friends, and colleagues. While they embark on their world-saving mission, they also encounter confusion, self-doubt, and mistrust among themselves, which are feelings that we have all encountered at some point in our lives. Then we might reflect on what would we do if we were in their shoes, racing against Hitler and the evil AI, Pandorai, that wants to put the ‘universe under the sod’.
What do you do for work when you’re not writing?
I’m in the consulting rack. A profession that I often mock in my other urban mystery series – ‘Mercenaries in Suits‘.