"Untouched by Fire" published
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKGv22LNNigiMm8bBz0OWBvR1AN-4o7ZVBo-7Dq8IdbVelHmb3GM7OfEL22ML2iR1981-H3U-IyOp2nrujgDe4Q2RtlV6W_DSxBpqOoGCM-qDJAEBbfXhz69yw2cd11dtUMsR1Lw/s320/Myriad+Lands+covers.jpg)
So what's my story about? A while back I was contemplating tackling a new novel and had some vague ideas about the setting, which was largely inspired by the history and cultures of India. I dug deep into learning all I could, talking to people who knew it from inside, reading many works of fiction and nonfiction. And I also wrote this short story to get my mind into the setting.
The key to this story is that the culture venerates fire, and so when a high-born girl is burned by fire, it's seen as a judgment for her actions rather than an accident. So she must deal with being suddenly an outcast, untouchable. I really liked the character, Jaritta, and she (along with her still high-caste brother) became a central character in the novel as well, a story set some 10-15 years later.
While more a fantasy than a steampunk story, it is worth noting that this was my first big work deliberately set at the cusp of an industrial revolution and shares a lot of the themes that I like to explore in more steampunk-y settings.
Comments