The Men Who Terrorized the World
A few fun facts about writing The Men Who Terrorized the World:
- The idea first came to me back in 1992. It was a pivotal moment in my life —I had just started university and was filled with both excitement and uncertainty about what lay ahead. At the time, the internet was just beginning to catch on in my country, and almost no one I knew —not even fellow students or professors— truly understood its potential. The web back then was nothing like what we know today.
- That same year, Jurassic Park hit theaters —a game changer for cinema. Most people probably don't realize it, but Spielberg’s film introduced a new way of experiencing movies —not just as reflections of past reality, but as something more elastic and immersive. Can you guess who inspired the main character in this novel?
- This elastic reality of film made me think a lot about the future of storytelling. I brought this idea to life in the novel through something I call the cinematic game.
- About the title —The Men Who Terrorized the World— I wanted it to sound bold and a little over-the-top, like those classic 1950s sci-fi and horror movies: The Incredible Shrinking Man, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, The Day the Earth Stood Still. Isn't it fun to have a title like that for a novel?
- I was also inspired by the movie All the President's Men.
- Another major influence was a famous 1938 event that demonstrated the power of media —Orson Welles's radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds. Orson was called "the man who terrorized the world" — not just the U.S., but the entire planet. (You know how Americans sometimes think they are the world!)
- I finished writing the novel in 2001 and then just shelved it. Literally —I put it aside and forgot about it. Now I don’t even remember why. That same year, 9/11 happened —an event that deeply shocked me, much like the violence in my own country, though here the criminals aren't kamikazes. I mention this because the novel touches on some of these dark themes as well.
- In 2005, I submitted the novel to a Spanish speculative fiction contest called the Andromeda Award. It didn’t win, but it did receive an Honorable Mention —just a mention, no publication.
- So, when did The Men Who Terrorized the World finally come out? In 2007. It's amazing how long a book’s journey can be, isn't it?
- Then, in 2016, the novel was reissued after I won a publishing grant from my city's mayor's office. I joined other local writers in that competition and was lucky enough to get funding. That gave me the chance to revise and improve the book. It was actually the first time my city offered grants for art and literature. Looking back, it's surprising they only started doing that so recently —but hey, as the saying goes, "better late than never!"
The Men Who Terrorized the World is an adventure-filled sci-fi thriller about cinema, dreams, and humanity’s darker instincts.
You can find the book on Amazon:
Por Diego Darío López Mera
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