Foodie Lit
Martyn Ellington and Steven Stiefel's Tomorrow's Flight
There are so many reasons that Tomorrow’s Flight is an excellent novel.
First is the intriguing and unusual plot keeps the reader and many of the characters guessing.
Second is the attention to detail that ground a fantasy in many aspects of reality, as in the cargo plane, which the authors’ designed (It doesn’t exist—they created it!), a new view of dinosaurs with feathers, a realistic setting in the Cretaceous Era, the archeological dig and other areas to help suspend our disbelief.
Third is the evolution of the characters in the three times that they inhabit, changing and developing in satisfying ways.
Last is the concept of time, a theme in the novel and perhaps the most important “character” that challenges the meaning and essence of time. This is not a typical time travel novel, rather the playing with time questions our beliefs of who we are as people, what we would do to survive and how, if the opportunity is given, would we change fate.
Martyn Ellington, one of the authors, told me, “It’s intriguing to contemplate the ‘what-ifs’ of altered timelines.” He continued, “[The characters are] having trouble believing what’s in front of them because even though they can see it, it’s still inexplicable to them… I view time as fluid and not necessarily linear….”
A commercial flight goes through turbulence and then crashes into an unknown time and place which turns out to be in the Cretaceous Era, when humans did not yet exist. Dalton, the youngest plane passenger muses, “There’s so little about this world or time that we understand. And, really, we have no idea where we are.” The other characters (and many of use readers) agree. Characters and readers learn a great deal—a new feathered view of dinosaurs, such as T-Rex, also presented as more intelligent and aware than earlier views of dinosaurs had been. These theories are gaining more traction in science today.
Alert! A great Book Club choice!
Steven Stiefel
Martyn Ellington
The novel is peopled with characters that are realistic. Martyn told me that many of the characters come from people that he and Steven have known, another grounding in good fantasy novels.
Throughout the novel, the diary of one of the passengers, Sarah, brilliantly unites all the time periods of the plot line, from the author’s release of emotions to, an historical artifact and lastly a source for Sarah’s novel of a past that no longer exists.
The ending of the book is one of the best I’ve read, allowing characters and time to evolve in ways not expected and letting the characters’ strengths and deceptions to play out. The authors are working on a limited mini-series, which I hope is picked up. The writing is so vibrant that I can already envision it! Steven shared, “In addition to publishing the novel, we have drafted a pilot episode for a 12-episode limited series. Book Pipeline continues to work with us, seeking a production company with the resources to produce this complex story.”
Creating a recipe proved to be a challenge as I wanted to use one that could work in the Cretaceous Era. Not able to use the large insects from that time or T-Rex steaks, I instead tried what I know ancient peoples ate—roasted root and seasonal vegetables that were placed in stews. I did add seasoning for modern palates!