The Phantom of the Earth: A Chilling New Post-Apocalyptic Series

New York, NY, October 10, 2015 --(PR.com)-- Raeden Zen, Independent Author and owner of Chrysaor LLC, is pleased to announce the release of his first science fiction series, titled The Phantom of the Earth. The series consists of five books, including "The Song of the Jubilee," "The Gambit with Perfection," "The Synthesis and the Animus," "The Descent into the Maelstrom," and "The Restoration of Flaws." The books touch upon various parts of a futuristic world, including the deadly surface of the Earth, where humans succumb to the Reassortment Strain, a synthetic organism created during a century-long war. Much of humanity dwells at a depth of two thousand to two thousand five hundred meters inside the planet in a vast commonwealth terraformed using synthetic biology (i.e., synbio) and all its capabilities. The conflict focuses on the Beimeni Triumvirate, cornerstones of power held by the strike team captain Broden Barão, former supreme scientist Jeremiah Selendia, and supreme chancellor Atticus Masimovian, their loved ones, and others caught in the crossfire.

Mr. Zen relied heavily on his vast research experience and networking capabilities to assemble a team with expertise in the areas of cover art, concept art, editing, synthetic biology, astrophysics, quantum physics, biological engineering, nuclear engineering, and book formatting to finish the project. The global team of more than thirty people who helped him included editors, writers, readers, artists, and scientists living in the United States, Canada, Mexico, England, Australia, and Jamaica. In addition, Mr. Zen utilized more than fifteen non-fiction sources to flesh out the world building of The Phantom of the Earth. His primary non-fiction source of inspiration was Regenesis by Dr. George M. Church, which outlines the potential of synbio, the science of selectively altering genes of organisms to make them do things that they wouldn’t do in their original, natural, untouched state.

Mr. Zen also drew insight from "City of Endless Night" by Milo Hastings, a post-apocalyptic tale set in post-war Berlin in 2041, and Jules Verne’s Journey to the Center of the Earth. His third-person, multiple viewpoint style was influenced by George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. “Mr. Hastings must’ve had the world’s first time machine as many of his speculations—a second world war, the rise and fall of communism in the east—came true,” the author said. “I certainly hope I’ve not peeked as accurately into the future. But by definition, nonrenewable resources are finite. Innovation in various technologies, including in synbio, will be crucial to humanity’s survival.” It’s the exploration of a society highly advanced with quantum physics and synbio tech that makes The Phantom of the Earth unique in post-apocalyptic fiction.

Raeden Zen has had a long and successful career in various research roles. He’s a part-time writer and calls New York City home. You can visit him online at raedenzen.com.