Synopsis: The Selfless

My old summary was bad, awful, stinky, not worthy to see daylight. I am ashamed I left it exposed for as long as I did. For those of you who were affected, my deepest apologies. A 16-wheeler full of e-cookies has been ordered as compensation.

So, instead of a stanky summary, have this rambly one instead:

My story idea was originally inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender. Much like how the series drew from elements of different Asian and Inuit cultures, I wanted to take a similar approach with Africa to counter the popular notion that Africa has only AIDS, diamonds, and orphaned children. I appreciated the way Avatar handled characters of color more or less on their own terms. Aang's commitment to justice as well his as no-kill methods towards peace resonated with me, so I knew my story would focus on that as well.

The Selfless is set in a fantasy world that begins in Mali and spans across the Sahel/Sahara into Turkey and the Near East, and may dabble in the Mediterranean. It follows the journey of a boy named Esan who was orphaned as a baby and raised by mystics of the Order of the Selfless. As an young initiate, he must learn to lose his "self" so that he may connect to the divine, which lives through all things.

Esan gets himself into trouble when he stops a group of boys from attacking a strange group of "ghost people" who have appeared near their village. In the ensuing chaos he and another boy from the village, Xenge, is implicated in the attack. Along with the mischievous boys, the elders banish Esan from the village until he can prove himself worthy of return.

From a simple test of growth, Esan's journey develops into a gauntlet as he is thrust in the middle of a world war. From the north are an invading force of pale, "ghostly" people, set on converting everyone into their faith. Following in the their wake of their conquest is a death cult that believes killing everyone and everything can bring an end to the suffering under the invading empire.