“THE FACELESS”: WHAT IS IT, AND WHAT INSPIRED IT?
By Graham S.
Galaxy from Getty Images Pro Created in Canva
Recently Graham S., a journalist working for the NorthStar Navigator, has brought back the Navigator article series known as “Cliffhangers” in the form of his recent short story, “The Faceless.”
“Cliffhangers” was an article series where each publication came with a short story written by one of the Navigator’s journalists. “The Faceless” is a sign of a possible revitalization of the series and will be published in two parts, one after another in the upcoming publications. The story is intended for more mature audiences in the late middle school to high school range, as it contains elements of violence, psychic magic, some dark themes, and a slight aspect of horror. The story has an overall grim tone but is not depressing.
Graham would like to note that, despite the somewhat edgy tone of “The Faceless,” he is totally, definitely, one hundred percent sure he is not an edge lord and is certain it is not a phase.
“The Faceless” is a sci-fi story set on a frozen, borderline inhospitable planet, detailing the story of an explorer named Otheym. Having been sent by a mysterious intergalactic empire which is only vaguely referred to as the Leagues of Omen, Otheym and his comrades are the last remaining survivors of a team sent to colonize a planet and collect the resources produced by the terrifying, mind warping, alien fauna known as “The Faceless”.
The short story draws heavy inspiration from other dark sci-fi settings, particularly Dune by Frank Herbert and Warhammer 40000 by Game Workshop. While inspiration can be noticeable, particularly if the reader is familiar with either genre, the story still is original and does not draw too heavily from Dune or Warhammer.
Graham has stated that the universe is something that has been floating around his mind for a while, and he had been looking for an opportunity to put it to writing. Said opportunity came in the form of the NorthStar Navigator, which gave him a chance to publish his writing as an article. He has been considering expanding the universe in future short stories, perhaps into a full series.
Read the series here:
The Faceless, Part 1
The Faceless, Part 2
The Faceless, Part 3
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Graham S. lives in Africa, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been studying at Northstar for two years and is in tenth grade. He enjoys reading, writing, video games, Dungeons and Dragons, and Warhammer 40k. He hopes to one day be an author but currently is enjoying being a journalist for the Navigator.