Wrentham Resident Publishes First Novel

Wrentham resident John Murzycki has released his debut novel, titled Elthea’s Realm, a science fiction, fantasy, and technology thriller. The desire to write a book was always there, he says, but other obligations relegated his writing to a hobby until now.
“When my daughter was a young child, I would write for an hour or so each night after reading her a bedtime story,” said Murzycki. “I always wanted to write fiction, but earning a living took priority. Over time I finished a half-dozen manuscripts, but I knew they weren’t good enough to see the light of day. I would think about plot ideas while I worked as a marketing manager at various technology companies. I would consider how technology could be used for good as well as for harm. That idea persisted and made its way into my novel.”
The setting for the book is the fictional world of Elthea’s Realm. Five friends who have drifted apart after college are involuntarily brought to this land. Here they are befriended by a race of people called the Astari. These people were once computer software programs on Earth, but they evolved, gaining intelligence and becoming mortal beings. Their nemesis is an evil race called the Bots, who gained physical form after beginning their existence as destructive computer virus programs. Now the Bots are pursuing the five friends because of their participation in a nearly forgotten college course called The Utopia Project.
“I enjoy writing about lands that have just a bit of magic in them, so that you know things there are different, but not so unbelievable,” explained Murzycki. “In many ways, Elthea’s Realm could be Earth. But the main focus of my story is about how five ordinary people, just like you or me, react when not only they are threatened, but the Earth itself is endangered. What are they feeling and thinking? But mostly, how do they respond.”
He adds, “My characters are unlikely heroes who struggle with frailties and imperfections as they face dangers they would never have thought possible. Only then do we find out what we are made of. I like to explain that the book is a story about what makes us human.”
Murzycki is currently working on the next book in the series. Elthea’s Realm is available in both paperback and Kindle eBook. Sign up for his newsletter at www.johnmurzycki.com.