Chris James
Books, Films, Art & Photography
The O.D.
The O.D.
The underlying theme of all my writing is the threat posed to our planet by her predominant tenant, homo sapiens.
The O.D., published in June 2014, is fiction leading to an inevitable reality. In the story, an alternative medicine for treating that most fatal of diseases, human nature, is floated.
The beginning of the world is nigh…
A virgin landmass is ‘extruded’ into the Bay of Biscay by a solar-tidal magmatic pulse. Waiting to claim the emerging island are 80 people in a flotilla of trussed up barges with supplies to last a year.
Who are these accidental tourists?
How did they know the island would be surfacing?
And what do they plan to do with it if their claim to sovereignty is accepted by the world community?
Racy and thought-provoking, The O.D. paints a picture of how humanity’s rush to self-destruction could be halted, given the global will to take a colossal leap… backwards.
Chris James writes a compelling story combining politics, science, wit and wisdom. The plot is original, well researched and will be remembered every time you hear the news.
― Shirley Tobolowsky
Purchase
Order a Kindle or paperback copy of THE O.D. here
Reviews
The key event of the book – the eruption of a small new landmass in the Bay of Biscay – is backed up by scientific data that was plausible enough to make this reader keen to research it further.
The author explores the dynamics of international, political and social rivalry stemming from the appearance of this as yet unclaimed and unoccupied island both for its pioneering occupants and for others wanting to lay claim to it.
So far, so predictable. But If all this sounds worthy and dry, it certainly isn't. The writing is stylish, economical and witty, partly due no doubt to Chris James's self-confessed previous life as an advertising copywriter.
His conclusion, hinted at throughout but not revealed until the end of this engrossing tale, is one that policy-makers worldwide would do well to note.
Read it – you'll enjoy it, but it will also perhaps make you think the unthinkable.
― Karen L. Zimmerman
I thought this book was beautifully written and thought provoking. It is not science fiction, so I understand the disappointment of those sci-fi reviewers who gripe that it was different from their usual fare. It is set in the future (slightly, I believe) and does carry a strong message about living well with the planet and all of its inhabitants; but I did not find it preachy. I do think it's a little haunting; as in reading the news since I finished the book, I find myself thinking "Damn! Chris James was right!".
― Beachbum
This story took me by surprise. Enjoyed it like any other story, as it pulled me in, wondering with anticipation and interest in where this adventure was going to lead me. Very hard to put down. Then a remarkable thing happened. All I can say is that this story will leave a mark on you that will not be easily dismissed. Planets are fragile things... and Mankind even more so. Nothing lasts forever... or can it?
― Stephen
This was an interesting book. Once in a while you find an author who comes up with an original idea. It is not preachy but does make you think about where things are headed and how we want to live our lives. Took a while to figure out the title but well named and the concept is valid. We all need to O D a bit.
― Senior Slacker
Mind-stretching. Unforeseen solutions. For people who believe earth is going to hell in a basket. Read it and think again!
― R. K. Ordway
This is a highly political book, with a premise that many will question, some will abhor, and others will love. Although lots of information is imparted within this novel, the author does it in such a way that it never feels like an information dump, or overload. The book is a fictional political treatise on saving the planet, but a cracking good read for all of that. I enjoyed this immensely. Even with such a political book, and one filled with information, the pace is steady and offers a level of suspense and anticipation throughout, and the author managed to keep me guessing all the way. The O.D. gets a strong 4 stars from me.
― Harmony Kent
A brilliant concept in itself, The OD is a beautifully executed novel. Great reading for those interested in climate change, but even more so for those who are not. The OD takes what seems a far-fetched idea and links it so seamlessly into the trajectory along which we are currently directed that this book walks the line between fiction and possible reality. The OD strikes the balance between its thought-provoking angle on a very serious subject and a great read. Even if this is not a topic that you had any interest in, it will be created through the strong characters that draw you in to the events that unfold in The OD. Looking forward to the next book, and the film.
― Rosa Levin
“The O.D.” is a highly original and superbly crafted novel. Chris James has plenty to say about how we, the human race, have been carrying on and where we are heading for. It is not a light read, but it’s hard to put down. It will prompt you to ask yourself some very topical and important questions. This is a must-read book.
― Stephen Plumb
It's all well and good! Firstly, The O.D is a good story. And, secondly, The O.D is well written! It's also a genuinely thought-provoking page-turner which raises a whole host of social, economic and political issues which affect us all. There's a bit of science too (easily digested) but probably more fact than fiction! Buy it!
― Vaughan Williams
In the O.D. Chris James has pulled off the difficult trick of balancing an engrossing story with a heartfelt exploration of where our planet is heading and what we can do about it.
― Simon Evans
A though- provoking page turner that holds up a very dark mirror to society. A well written and researched book. Highly recommended!
― Shaun Roots
It's hard to read this story without reference to the parallel problems that currently plague our world, most of which seem to reduce to the same essential difficulty of people with different religious, ethnic, and economic ideologies - some very strongly held - all trying to work together for a common good.
"The O.D." is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.
― Robert Marcus
Interview with Self
Chris James talks to himself about his book, The O.D.
Q. What does The O.D. stand for?
A. The answer is on page 335 of the book.
Q. What’s your book about?
A. It’s about the threats and perils that face everyone on the planet... climate change, over-population, pollution, water shortages and what can be done to keep them from killing us. The action takes place ten or twenty years from now, by which point the Earth will have reached its tipping point. The burning question then, as now, is how can the ills of the world be effectively treated when countries can’t agree on the simplest of things? The answer is to create a base of influence outside the rest of the world that is free of history, culture, and political and religious dogma, thus enabling it to devise a solution that’s impartial and non-partisan – a solution the rest of the world can accept for this very reason. The ‘science fiction’ element of the book revolves around how this base of influence is realised.
Q. Who are the main characters of the story?
A. Forrest Vaalon, an octogenarian American billionaire, and Lonnie Pilot, a Cornish tutor of seven-to-twelve-year-olds.
Q. An odd mix...
A. Odd, but highly effective.
Q. Who do you see as being your main audience?
A. Anybody who cares about what human beings are doing to their planet and to each other. This isn’t a niche novel for environmentalists – it’s for anyone with the sensitivity and the imagination to see that the road we’re treading is taking us in the opposite direction of where we need to go. The ideas put forward in The O.D. are not ‘pie in the sky’. They’re attainable and make perfect sense. But then, as their author, I would say that.
Q. How long did it take you to write The O.D.?
A. Twenty-seven years. I first got the idea while living in Dubrovnik in 1987. The title back then was ‘The Boy of Biscay’, because the hero, Lonnie Pilot, was only fifteen. I wasn’t writing a Young Adult story – he was fifteen for a reason, the reason being that once hormones kick in, a certain clarity of mind and imagination is muddied. As the years and the drafts passed, Lonnie Pilot grew up. He’s twenty-five when the story begins and in his late thirties when it ends.
Q. Where can people get the book?
A. It came out on June 12, 2014 and is available on Amazon as a paperback and as an eBook. I have set the price as low as Amazon will allow. This project is less about making money and more about getting the message into as many hands, and minds, as possible. With indie books, because we don’t have the marketing machinery of a big publisher behind us, we rely on ratings, reviews and word of mouth.
Q. Good luck with it.
A. Thanks.