Checking In With Viekko And Cronus

Author's Commentary

Templum Veneris Chapter 2

Writers are an odd lot. You kinda have to be to spend hours talking to invisible people you made up. That is not healthy behavior.  Among our psychoses is that most of us hate our own work. It's just a condition born of writing, rewriting, rewriting again, and then looking at it and realizing that it's as good as you can make it, and it's still not as good as some of the books you are reading.

Clearly, I need to read worse books. But that's not the point.

The point is, every once in a while, we create something we dearly love. For me, that is the beginning of chapter 2.


Maybe it's me channeling Chuck Palahuink or the way Viekko's deadpan humor brings some light to a dismal situation. Or maybe part of me identifies with him here. In this scene, we find Viekko in a triple-T recovery program, and it's pretty clear why he's here. Way back in Saturnius Mons when he had to finally come out and admit that he was addicted to the drug, Althea demanded that he enter a recovery program. And he did it, no doubt, for the hint of a chance of a possibility that they could be together. And right here, when Althea's support would be most needed, she has, for her own reasons, abandoned him. If the story doesn't turn here, it's only a matter of time before he relapses. So it's a funny, heartbreaking scene. Maybe that's why I like it.

And then we get a glimpse into Cronus' romantic life. And, as would be expected, it's kinda weird.

For me, Cronus is the logical endpoint of humans disconnected from humanity. He essentially comes from a culture that has tried the synthesize every human need. The result is a man who is a little off-kilter, is plagued with an obsessive personality, and has a deep craving for something 'real'. And for Cronus, someone who's lived in a world that is almost perfectly tailored to him, 'real' means imperfect. Real means 'dangerous'.

He had a taste in Saturnius Mons, and he clearly wants more. And since love, romance, and sex are major themes in this book, one can probably infer what aspect of Cronus' sheltered existence we are going to explore.

Who among us wouldn't pound that button like... er.. nevermind.

If we go back to the idea that people crave a romantic relationship to feel complete, then Cronus has been playing that game with cheat codes. Now he wants to try it the regular way. For Viekko, the first step is to probably let go of Althea, but he's so twisted right now that he couldn't see that if it were on one of the posters in that recovery clinic. So we will see how it goes for both of them.