Review Fix Exclusive: Aaron Allen Talks ‘Origin: Secret of the Dead Mystics’

Review Fix chats with author Aaron Allen, who discusses the next chapter of his Origin series, Secret of the Dead Mystics.

Review Fix: Why do you think sci-fi, fantasy and space operas have endured for so long?

Aaron Allen: I think each of these genres share a common thread of timelessness. People can escape in the fantastical worlds painted by the author and they can relate to the trials and tribulations the main characters overcome. I think both elements are key. Books are the ultimate escape, but the reader still needs something recognizable that grounds the story.

Review Fix: What inspired this book?

Allen: My love of fantasy books and 90s JRPGs inspired this book. I want the reader to feel present with the characters, like they are in an elaborate RPG. That’s primarily why I use 3rd person limited. I believe it draws the reader in. Omniscient, to me, is too disconnected. On the book side of things, I do like the classics (Tolkien, Brooks, Goodkind, Jordan etc). I also like newer fantasy authors like Rothfuss. I am a Joss Whedon fan, too. I suppose his influence is somewhere in there.

Review Fix: What was the research process like?

Allen: For this series, I mostly read non-fiction for research. I read books about military strategy, philosophy, history, religion, political commentary and economics. I even read a book about string theory. Some of the magic system is based off of theoretical physics. I actually enjoyed each book. I think it was at least 9-10 books for this series.

Review Fix: Was it difficult to edit?

Allen: This book flowed at a smoother pace. First, I had an excellent editor at Melange Books. Rachel made the process easier. Second, it wasn’t as much of a learning process. I feel like the foundation of this book was much more solid. It took me two years to write. The first was at least five years.

Review Fix: How is it different from the first book in the series?

Allen: The characters visit many more locales. The readers are introduced to more deities and their heralds. There is also a dragon! This dragon is far different from the dragons you are used to reading about. You can see that by looking at the cover! In other words, this is a much deeper dive into the world. I also give some big answers to burning questions. I don’t think those answers will be all that predictable.

Review Fix: What do you want people to get out of this book?

Allen: There is a lot of suspense in this book. I feel like I stirred the pot even more. I also want to provide an escape and give the reader something to think about. There are a lot of parallels in this book that somewhat mirror world history. There is a message embedded in there. Most of all, it’s a fun adventure full of twists and turns.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Allen: A super secret horror novel! I haven’t told many about it, but it’s going to be awesome! It’s in a modern setting, but at its core it’s very old school. Think weird tales…

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 13819 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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