YA Fantasy, AI, and Dogs

Photographic proof that M. J. Rucinski is not a vampire.

Threads of Aethercode is a YA Fantasy book in which the AI can talk to the dog. It's a story about magic tech, good and evil, gathering power and learning to use it, and the friendships that guide us as we grow. It's a story about people, but on the first page, as monsters and magic awaken, it's about a good dog named Tychus.

The companion character is a staple of the fantasy-adventure genre, supporting the protagonist and serving as both a window and a mirror for the audience. A dog feels like a natural choice for a loyal companion character. Tychus (being a gooddog) could certainly shoulder the responsibility alone if he had to, but I wanted him to have someone to talk to, someone to share his important adventures and reflect with him, someone to look out for him as he looks out for everyone else.

Enter: Cora, the ancient AI that talks to dogs. Cora and Tychus as a duo embody many of the best characteristics any companion can have---loyalty, compassion, intelligence, and a knack for support. Together, the dog and the AI possess a toolkit that ranges from natural instinct and physical power to strategic manipulation of a sophisticated digital magic. It's in their nature to help, to cooperate, and now, they're looking out for the same people.

The irony is not lost on me. The role of AI in our own society is a daily conversation that isn't going away any time soon, and one of the biggest questions these days is how far we intend on letting AI encroach on creativity. Having an AI as a trusted companion to my main character raises a lot of uneasy questions about agency. I promise not to ignore the lurking issues forever, but don't expect me to have all the answers, either. I do not. Maybe ask the dog.

Threads of Aethercode is a story about being a growing human---flawed, curious, working to be better---in a world that offers the most agency to those who master themselves first. The main characters---Ari, Shauna, and Lily---haven't mastered anything yet. The companion characters, the dog and the AI, are there to help, but there's only so much they can do. This story is, after all, about people, struggling to be better as we create new problems for ourselves. The dog won't always know how to help, but he will always (always) try his best. The AI will be the first to tell you: there is a limit to what she can do.

The pairing of Tychus and Cora represents the crux of existence in Emport, a partnership between nature and technology that is sometimes wondrous and helpful, sometimes capable of unsettling levels of power, but is (usually) subject to the will of humans. Ari, Shauna, and Lily will have to figure a lot of things out for themselves. Magical technology can be a blessing, after all, but it can also be a hindrance---or a danger.

If anyone sees any relevant parallels to our modern world, that's totally on you. I just want to write about a talking dog and his AI best friend.

Threads of Aethercode is a YA fantasy that incorporates STEM, steampunk and cyberpunk aesthetics (love a cyberpunk aesthetic!), and three main characters who have to figure themselves out as they navigate a world of magic and tech. I wanted to create a cast of characters that is large and varied, so that any reader finds someone to latch onto, love, hate, judge, or question. The AI are there to put power and possibilities at characters' fingertips. The dog is there because I only want to live in worlds where there are dogs.

I'm M. J. Rucinski, and I've never had a blog before. As a teacher, I have years of experience working with wonderful, challenging, brilliant, funny, unfinished, and---just occasionally, temporarily---broken people. As a lifelong fan of the Legend of Zelda game series, I'm forever drawn to worlds where magic and technology interact, and good and evil battle it out. Some of my favorite writers include V. E. Schwab, Leigh Bardugo, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Jay Kristoff, all of whom are experts at using vivid language to make a new world tangible, its people relatable, and their struggles visceral. I can only dream of measuring up to their talents, but we all have to start somewhere. I hope all the cyberpunk neon and steampunk copper excite the imagination of any reader who, like me, doesn't want to stick with one genre. I hope going on adventures with Ari, Shauna, and Lily makes you happy. If it does, I wrote Threads of Aethercode for you, and I'll have the sequel done soon. Thanks for reading this, and for reading the book.

And for subscribing! Thank you for that, too!