Review Fix Exclusive: Inside ‘Rise Of Prophecy’

BReview Fix chats with author Abdur R Mohammed, who discusses the first volume of The Anuk Chronicles, Rise Of Prophecy.

About the Author:

Abdur R Mohammed is from New York City and currently lives in Virginia Beach, VA. He spent 13 years with the U.S. Navy, serving in F/A-18 fighter squadrons, and travelling the globe where his deep-seated curiosity about mythology and philosophy was further stimulated.Mohammed has degreesin Criminal Justice and Psychology. He is working on Vol. 2 of The Anuk Chronicles while polishing up the screenplay for Vol. 1.

Review Fix: What inspired this book?
   

Abdur R Mohammed: Around age seven or eight, I started asking questions: Why are there different versions to the Noah story?  When did it all happen?  How much time passed between Adam and Noah?  Whichever answer descended upon me was always filled with established dogma.  What’s a child to do but wait for the freedom of adulthood?

Both reading about and seeing megaliths left behind by the ancients sent me on a journey into the realm of mythology.  Then I happened upon “Alternative-history.”  There are a multitude of passionate people devoted to uncovering the mysteries of the past.  â€œWhy would I attempt to repeat what is already being said?” I asked myself.

I wanted to see on television a representation of the world before Noah’s flood –the one so often professed about, and passionately silenced.  Since any retelling of such a tale appeared to be taboo, I became compelled to write about it.

Review Fix: How much do you think is based on reality?

Mohammed: All of it; none of it.  This is a fantasy so there is little factual evidence to support the universe offered.  What I do think is reality, however, is that an advanced civilization(s) existed prior to a catastrophic global event in antiquity. 

The evidence is there for anyone who wants to see it.  What is fascinating is that mainstream research is slowly starting to piece together the science of a cataclysm.  Concurrently, archeology is painting a supporting picture which is disrupting the common belief system, propagated by assumptions which are sold as fact.

Review Fix: What did you read as a kid?

Mohammed: I started off with comic books, the usual suspects – Batman, Superman, Hulk.  Those were quickly replaced by a collection of stories in a book entitled Tales of Greek Heroes.  There was one novel which seems to have become lost in the chaos of literary abundance, Mastermind.  Frank Herbert’s Dunesaga would be an oft revisited epic, a touchstone of sorts.

Review Fix: How did it influence you?

Mohammed: I’d say that given the amount of reading materials that focused on fantastic characters and complex worlds, I have been stuck within the realm of fantasy since childhood.  Frank Herbert’s Dune enthralled me.  To cap off my reading adventures would be Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Daniken.

This masterpiece took the fantasy I indulged in and supplied my abundant curiosity with tangible facts available in the real world.  In a way, this book has the most influence as my ultimate goal is to tie in my universe with the real world.  Von Daniken’s book is the real world (in my opinion).

Review Fix: How do you want this book to be remembered?

Mohammed: As a television series?  But seriously, I would like readers to get lost in the world I’ve created, fall in love with the characters, get curious about the mysteries of the past.  If it could be a spark that ignites curiosity, then I will be happy.

Review Fix: What are your goals for it?

Mohammed: As shamelessly mentioned, a television series?  A mini-series even?  For now I have enough materials in screenplay format to outline three volumes.  I plan to finish a series of three books to wrap up the story. As a side-effect of creating the universe, I think there is a lot more to tell. To follow the much revered “Star Wars” formula, a prologue storyline can be explored; it has already been teased in volume one.

Review Fix: What’s next?

Mohammed: I am finished with Volume 2’s first draft.  Now the real work of revision begins. 

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Mohammed: To everyone who reads The Anuk Chronicles Vol. 1: The Rise of Prophecy, please enjoy the multi-faceted universe presented to you.  Remember that it is fantasy based off real myth and stories, and I urge you to consider that our history is much richer than what is taught to us.