Science, fiction and semi-factual scare stories for our time

Author Alex Scarrow talks to Carl Dixon ahead of his appearance at the West Cork Literary Festival

BRITISH author Alex Scarrow writes thrillers that often envisage alternative realities which are sometimes quite dark and unsettling. His first novel, A Thousand Suns, begins with a trawler finding a B17 bomber aircraft containing a terrifying secret from the Second World War.

In a similar vein, his extremely successful Time Rider series for teenagers — his sixth book will come out in August — features a team of time-riders who are rescued from death and work in a secret agency preventing illegal time travel from impacting on normal time.

It is noticeable that Scarrow — on his way to Bantry for the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry — doesn’t skirt around difficult subject matter or patronise his younger audience. Did he modify his writing style for the teenage market? “I suppose I should have done my research and got a feel for the language but to be honest I just kicked off,” he says. “The only concessions are less bad language and shorter chapters. An accidental bonus is that adults also read the books.”

In many ways Scarrow’s background seems ideal for his target market. After college he spent a number of years as a rock musician, trained as a graphic artist and then moved into computer games.

“I spent about 11 years of my life trying to get a record deal. Mind you, it was a lot of fun. I did find the games industry very manipulative and exploitative and very focused on sequels. I started my writing efforts with screenplays, with little success. I had a script doing the rounds about the Nazis dropping a nuclear bomb on New York and changing the course of history. Unfortunately 9/11 happened and that pretty much ended that.”

Scarrow switched to novels and in this format his experience with contemporary popular culture, and a strong sense of curiosity, combined with a genuine love of history, helped him carve out a lucrative niche. “I think that we read differently now than we used to; we read on the bog, on the train or in other short bursts. Few of us plan an evening in to read anymore; we snatch our entertainment on the move and I think my style of writing ties in with that.

“I like the contrast between actual and speculative history. I try to replicate the visceral feel of being in a given place at a given point in history without bothering with too much detail. The author does have a responsibility to research his subject matter; you make a deal with the reader that they can trust you when it comes to historical fact.”

Writing is a family occupation, as his brother Simon is also an accomplished author specialising in historical fiction. His best known work is the Eagle Series of books which delve into the history of the Roman Empire.

“I suppose as children we were creative nerds,” says Alex. “We had a Super 8 camera and made our own movies; that kind of thing. There is some cross-fertilisation between our work but we don’t cannibalise each other. His work talks to one group of readers, mine to another, but there is a healthy rivalry.”

Alex Scarrow’s work may be designed to appeal to a generation which likes a fast-paced read, but the underlying themes have an edge of seriousness. In Last Light, for example, he shows how society could spectacularly unravel if oil supplies fail.

“The mathematics of the next century are truly horrendous,” he says. “We will not only hit peak oil but also peak protein and peak freshwater, and many of the critical alloys and minerals will be mined to exhaustion. Meanwhile, population growth remains exponential and all this will come to a head in the next few centuries.”

Scarrow refers to Fermi’s paradox, the apparent contradiction between the likelihood of extra-terrestrial life and the lack of evidence that any exists.

“One explanation is that as civilisations advance they all discover hydrocarbons, formed from the death of the billions of small creatures who came before. Each civilisation exploits this one-off gift and when it runs out, society reverts back to its original primitive state.

“Perhaps some of the futures I envisage are grim, but we are selling our children short if we sugar-coat it.

“I don’t have a lot of time for this new age, fluffy, everyone is a winner, over-coddling of children. It is better to be forewarned, because if these scenarios do arise it is the next generation who will have to deal with them.”

* Alex Scarrow reads at the West Cork Literary Festival in Bantry on Jul 10