Influences

This list will always be incomplete, but it will show you the sheer magnitude of media that has, in some way (great or small), made a contribution to the Dark Pearl Mythology.

Books

“Engines of Creation”, “Nanosystems”, by K. Eric Drexler

“Robot”, by Hans Moravec

“The Holographic Universe”, by Michael Talbot

“The Age of Intelligent Machines”, “The Age of Spiritual Machines”, “The Singularity is Near”, by Ray Kurzweil

“Neuromancer”, by William Gibson

“The Diamond Age”, by Neal Stephenson

“UBIK”, “The Man in the High Castle”, “Valis” (novel series), “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep” by Philip K. Dick.

Films

“Blade Runner”, by Ridley Scott

“The Thing”, “Prince of Darkness”, “In the Mouth of Madness”, “The Fog”, by John Carpenter

“Predator”, by John McTiernan – Screenplay by Shane Black

“Terminator”, “Aliens”, “The Abyss”, by James Cameron

“Event Horizon”, by Paul Anderson and written by Philip Eisner – Is it a Warhammer 40k story about the Immaterium? I say it is. 😀

“Dark City”, by Alex Proyas – Screenplay by Alex Proyas, Lem Dobbs, David S. Goyer

“The Matrix”, written and directed by the Wachowskis

Music

RUSH – The influence of the “High Priests of Progressive Rock” on my life and work cannot be overstated.

• Albums:
  • 2112 – In AETHER, when Priestess speaks to her village elders: They are the Priests of the Temples of Syrinx.
  • Power Windows – My favorite RUSH album, without a doubt. Is it their best? Not a chance. But I discovered them with this album, so it will always have a special place in my heart.
  • Grace Under Pressure
  • Permanent Waves
• Songs:
  • Red Sector A – The place where The Strike Force fights iDub in WARPATH.
  • The Body Electric – “The Mother of all machines” – Legacy.
  • Marathon – my favorite song. A song about life as lived. Pace yourself and don’t burn out. You only have a few short years to leave your mark on history–make them count!
  • Natural Science – A reference to this song is in the Science section of GRIDIRON – “Wheels within wheels, in a spiral array. A pattern so grand and complex.”

What does Dark Pearl Sound like?

Everybody’s Gone to The Rapture, by Jessica Curry – If I could steal a soundtrack and use it for my mythology, this would be it. It’s perfect.

So Let Us Melt, by Jessica Curry – I imagine “A Lullaby of Home” playing as we descend from the satellite to Earth, and meet Countess for the first time in chapter 1 of AETHER.

Hard Stuff

Killer of Giants, by Ozzy Osbourne – I can’t imagine a better theme song for “The Day of Fire”

Radioactive, by Imagine Dragons – After the Day of Fire… Welcome to the New Age.

Carnival, by Project Pitchfork – The time after the Day of Fire. Terrible mutated things roam the surface of what remains of the Earth.

Behind The Walls, by QUEENSRŸCHE – I imagine this playing during the epic battle scenes of WARPATH.

Goliath, by Karnivool – Deep inside Iroquois Warpath… something massive punches its way up through the concrete.

Zeroes And Ones, by Jesus Jones – Quintessential song about The Internet and Artificial Intelligence. I was listening to this song in 1995 when I was dreaming up Dark Pearl.

Moldavia, by Front 242 – There are things out there… in the dark. Could be a good theme song for Infectus.

Final Impact, Mindphaser, Bio-Mechanic, Lifeline by Front Line Assembly – When you’re stuck deep underground in a high-tech madhouse, or a labyrinthine spaceship with a psychotic A.I…

Blow Up The Outside World, by Soundgarden

MORE (INSTRUMENTAL), by K/DA – Theme song for the Rings of Callifrey

Sanctified, Eraser by Nine Inch Nails

Pinball Wizard, The Who – Who is Tommy Sinclair (Westphall), and why is his nickname “Silver Ball”?

Forty Six & 2 by Tool

Electronica

Holographic Universe, by Thievery Corporation – Theme song for The Nexus Matrix?

Wavy Gravy, by Sasha

Hallucinate, by Dua Lipa (Mass Digital Remix)

Lonely Souls, Bloom by Mass Digital (Boris Mijolic)

Endora, by Slow Hearts

In the Same Light (Budakid Remix), by Maarou, Mitch Oliver

Give it Away, by Zero 7

Melancholy

Beauty in Ruin, Last Mistake, Feel Like a Stranger from the album “Trip Hop” by Andrew Britton, Dylan Patrick, Ian Shepherd, Rob Cass, Joseph Taylor, Lauren Archer

Quicksand (Thievery Corporation Remix), by Natalie Walker

How Will I Know, by The Thrillseekers with Stine Grove

I’m Deranged, by David Bowie

Chemical, by Beck “Infatuation shaped like a flower”

Fire and Rain, by James Taylor

Bittersweet Symphony by The Verve – The original will always be a masterpiece, but this version has a magical flavor I love.

Edge Of The Ocean, by Ivy – There’s a lot of coastline inside Dark Pearl

Suspended In Time, by Olivia Newton-John – A love theme for Priestess and Sokolov in GRIDIRON?

Out Of Mind, by Queensrÿche – Asphodel and PHOENIX’s brain harvesting ritual. “So we keep these people inside these walls…”

Violet, by Seal

Darkness, by The Police – Weaponized melancholy–perfect for a rainy day.

Western Themed

Flight Response, Weapon & The Wound, by Days of the New – Perfect for one of my short stories like Apprentice or The Unconquered.

My Silver Lining, by First Aid Kit

Wide Open Spaces, by Dixie Chicks – Dixie Dolly’s theme song, The Unconquered

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?, by Paula Cole

Me And The Devil Blues – Cowboy Junkies

Ghostwind, by Steve Morse

Forty Mile Town, by Eric Johnson