You might remember, a couple of months ago I shared what I hoped would be the first in a new series of character interviews.
Next up is Jack Smith from action adventure novel 2089 by Miles Hudson.
In 2089, technologists have developed a system for remotely tapping into the optic and auditory nerves of all humans. Everything that people see and hear is published publicly online; nothing can be secret. It is the ultimate surveillance society. Jack Smith becomes disillusioned with the omnipresent monitoring and he blows up the old GCHQ building in Cheltenham, destroying the surveillance computers, before going on the run across a climate-changed, post-apocalyptic Gloucestershire…
The interview
Introduce yourself: who are you and what’s your story?
I’m Jack Smith; I’m the monitor of the all-pervasive surveillance feeds for Highnam Village in Gloucestershire. It’s 2089, two generations after the end of the Times of Malthus, and I blow up the old GCHQ building and go on the run down the River Severn. My old friend Vicky Truva comes along with me as we try to avoid the posse (including Vicky’s brothers) that has been sent after us.
Why would a reader care about your story?
Reading my story will make you consider questions about how society should be set up. Is privacy actually a basic human need? How much technology is good for us? Do we even need technology? In the scope of the length of human history, are mod cons actually making human existence a happier experience?
Living in this surveillance society and wanting to effect change, how could we convince people of the need for a revolution? I choose to take direct action, and then much of my story is the adventure of the chase across climate-changed and gently post-apocalyptic Gloucestershire. Will I escape the posse long enough for the people to see how great life is when you can have those private moments that are not viewable by everyone?
Tell us a secret that your author didn’t put in the book.
My birthday is 12th April 2060.
How did surveillance become such a huge part of your society?
By the end of the Times of Malthus, people were struggling so much to survive against bandits that it was a relief for everyone when the Covenants of Jerusalem finally insisted that the total surveillance be switched on. They could see raiding parties coming before they arrived in town and either ambush the bandits, or successfully hide themselves. The audiopt surveillance system very successfully brought us a peaceful society.
But it was never meant to be permanent. Humans have spent millennia being able to enjoy their privacy and now, in 2089, we don’t have the security difficulties that were prevalent 50 years ago. It’s the right moment to switch it all off. We should keep it and use it to investigate crime, but there’s no need to be constantly watching each other.
If you could go back in time and change one thing, what would it be?
I’m very sad that I was not there when my grandmother, Ellie, passed away. She was so important in my life; it ripped me apart when she went. If I could go back in time, I’d visit her for the few weeks before she died. We’d have a chance to say goodbye.
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