Ged Maybury And NZine Break New Ground

NZine Editor – 27/8/99

On September 4 "The Dream of Bones", the first Internet interactive fantasy
novel in New Zealand will appear in NZine.

Ged Maybury

Ged Maybury

Ged Maybury is no stranger to readers of NZine although they know him as
Designasaurus, who writes the entertaining critiques of architecture, children’s playgrounds, supermarket trolleys, etc.

Since 1986 Ged has written seven children’s science fiction books, four of
which are still in print, a book of performance poetry and a recent humorous children’s novel.

Self-motivated into books Asked whether he had been an avid reader as a child Ged replied that there
were few books in the house as he was growing up and no one read him stories. He taught himself to read from comics.

He didn’t discover a library until he was at Intermediate School and then
began to read with some enthusiasm and as a hobby wrote stories of his own
imitating what he had read. He dabbled in writing in his later years at
secondary school to entertain his mates, but it was not a serious involvement.

The creative impulse at work Ged’s books for children lead readers to share his enjoyment of science
fiction with books for different age ranges between eight and fifteen, but
actually greatly enjoyed by adults, often reading to children longer than
usual because they are books that cannot easily be put down.

‘Time Twister’ 1986) deals with time travel in a video game. ‘The
Gift’, the ability to time travel, takes the characters on a scary mission.
This suits readers in the 10-13 age group.

The same year saw the production of ‘Tubes of Light’, a book of performance poetry for adults, with some of interest to children.

‘Silicone Stew’ (1990), for ages 8-11, has mutant toys running amok
as sad-sack Stew meddles with some weird futuristic science.

In ‘StarTroopers [the Final Episode]’ (1991) reality mimics fiction
as two children uncover some uncomfortable truths about the mighty Byzandaar
Empire and avert a Galactic war. This appeals to ages 10-15.

‘The Triggerstone’ (1993) was short-listed for the AIM Book Awards
1994. It is a history-mystery as bad science collides with Maori culture
and starts to shake the present. Again Ged writes for ages 10-15.

‘The Seventh Robe’ (1993) deals with serious themes for teenagers.
Trouble besets a women-ruled society when a boy gets the mythical ‘seventh
robe’. Meanwhile another culture arrives by sea with guns and religion,
and starts to stir rebellion in the Noogiyan men.

‘Hive of the Star Bees [the First StarTroopers]’) (1995) is an action packed ‘Prequel’ to StarTroopers revealing how the first StarTroopers meet in dire circumstances. This attracts readers in the 10
to 15 age range.

‘The Rebel Masters’ ( 1995) is a sequel to "The Seventh Robe" and
again for a largely teenage readership. Fear, control and conservatism
soon create rebellion in women-ruled Noogiya as the foreigners start to
fight dirty.

In ‘Horse Apples’ (1998) Ged moves away from scifi, and writes for
teenagers a story of greed, lies, money and manure as one boy tries to control an increasingly chaotic fund-raising venture for his school (and
get revenge as well!). Gross-out ending!

In the new millennium look for ‘Crab Apples’, a sequel to ‘Horse
Apples’, due out September 2000, with, Ged promises, an even grosser ending.

How does Ged see the idea of having readers contribute ideas to ‘The
Dream of Bones’?

"I think it’s rather scary and risky, but I’m looking forward to the challenge. I like the idea of engaging people.

"Herge, the author of Tintin books, did it once in the 1930s with a book called
‘The Cigars of the Pharaohs’ which he published in one-page serial episodes
in a Belgian newspaper.

"The slightly scary part is that it is a journeys story and people’s ideas
may lead people off the track. Only the introductory chapters have been
written."

Watch for the opening chapter of ‘The Dream of Bones’ in the next issue
of NZine.