Please tell us about what inspired you to write A World Without Men.
Language and concepts in the broader society like #MeToo, toxic masculinity, rape culture, incels, declining rates of men in higher education, dominant feminism, boys drugged so they’ll behave more docilely, the rising feminization of men. At the height of this language and actions taken, it seemed like there were those in society that favored a female-dominated society, which we are far closer to than many realize. After all, when you survey the expanse of history, men have been in charge of most of the wars and the accompanying destruction and atrocities that followed. While some feared we were in danger of men reasserting their dominance, I saw a different world, and thought, wouldn’t it be fun to imagine a world without men? Thus, I wrote the novel.
What draws you to create science fiction?
Science fiction and horror were among the first types of stories I became enthralled with when I was a boy. I made it a project to watch every sci-fi and horror movie on TV, and see as many in theaters as they came out. I grew up in Los Angeles and there were a lot of stations that had weekly horror movie shows. Once my family got a portable TV, and I figured out I could pull in stations from San Diego, I began watching staticky broadcasts of movies on those stations in addition to those in Los Angeles. Saturday was the primo day for watching sci-fi and horror, and I could watch it almost nonstop from 3pm to 1am. When I made 8mm movies, they were horror and sci-fi as well. H.G. Wells, Jules Verne, and Ray Bradbury were early influences, as was Bram Stoker. More recently, I became enthralled with Edgar Rice Burroughs, reading the entire Barsoom series, as well as his Tarzan of the Apes works. Even Tarzan has fantastic stories that are more akin to science fiction and horror than the earthbound flicks Hollywood produced.
However, when it comes to my current whirlwind of effort, I write in a great many genres. Including science fiction, I have written historical, urban paranormal, horror, detective noir, fantasy, and even romance. As for science fiction, I’ve always been fascinated with the future, even alternate futures. While I’ve enjoyed many science fiction novels and films, I’ve been disappointed once we pass a milestone in time and what was predicted failed to come to pass. 1984 (though some may think we’re closer to that than ever); 2001: A Space Odyssey; Blade Runner; and others, all took place in times we’ve lived through, and the fantastic worlds their creators imagined failed to transpire. While I’ve written several near-term science fiction tales, I prefer writing about a far-distant future that those living today won’t live to see. In some respects, science fiction is like fantasy. The author constructs a world that doesn’t exist by infusing it with things that do. In that sense, I strive to make an unbelievable world believable.
What social ideas and questions do you tackle in this book?
I think about how much we misunderstand what it is to be a human being. All of us are human, but the homo sapiens consists of both the feminine and the masculine. Without the contributions of each sex, there would be no humanity. And that goes beyond the physical joining of the sexes. Both the feminine and the masculine are essential parts of the duality of our species, without which, we would not exist. The aggression of the male warrior was necessary in ancient times to protect the women and children of their village from rival men from other villages who wished to conquer them for the riches found within, including the women and children. Of course, that would be after they killed all the men of the village and raped their women, keeping the girls and younger boys alive. The feminine has been a civilizing force in men, demanding peace and tranquility, a roof over their heads, a more dependable food supply, as well as protection. Thus, men evolved from the hunter-gatherer society of ancient times to become farmers who built more permanent domiciles than a simple lean-to men might have been satisfied with but for the objections of the women. Ancient times saw rare matriarchal societies that faded into eventual oblivion, even if the ruins of their palaces survive, such as the palace of Knossos on Crete. Even if men were eliminated from society, masculine aggression would still be necessary, and vice versa, if women were removed, it would be necessary for the nurturing of the feminine to continue.
Beyond these things, there are some simple truths about humanity I’ve maintained. Corruption, hypocrisy, social stratification, the quest for dominance over others all remain in my vision of a single sex society. Wickedness plagues each and every one of us, whether male or female. Humanity will never be perfected, no matter how much some of us wish it to be. All the flaws reflected by the Sumerian gods of the people of those ancient times exist in human society today.
Where can we find more information about you and your work, including a place to buy the book?
My website, randallmoorefiction.com, contains a list of my sixteen published works, fifteen of them self-published. On my website are cover thumbnails of each of my books. Just click on a cover and you’ll be taken to its Amazon sell page so you can order it. I also maintain an author page on Amazon. My work can be found on Amazon in different countries around the world. Since A World Without Men is available on Ingram, you can order it from your local bookstore as well as Barnes & Noble. I maintain a page on Goodreads and BookBub. Please send me an email to rmoore@randallmoorefiction.com so I can keep you abreast of future developments.
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