The book
Runner
was inspired by a
Time
magazine article
that appeared in the May 2, 1994, issue. The piece, under David Van Biema's byline, but with additional reporting by Patrick E. Cole in Los Angles and Jefferson Pemberthy in New Delhi, ran under a subhead that read, “Two different boys claim to be the reincarnated master of a popular school of Buddhism.”
That alone was sufficient to capture my attention, but the body of the article, which went on to detail the ongoing battles between two different factions of the Black Hat sect to control “assets worth $1.2 billion, and the reverence of up to a million followers,” got me to thinking about the possibility of a novel.
But ten years were to pass between the moment of initial
inspiration and the actual writing of the book. Part of that was due to the fact that I had other projects to pursueâbut part of the delay stemmed from the fact that I wasn't sure how to handle the concept. Finally, having married the intergalactic courier outline that I had developed years earlier to the Buddhist story, I came up with a science fiction novel that honors fantasy and reacts to religion.
I feel it's important to note that while the story was inspired by one aspect of Buddhism, and those familiar with the religion may see numerous similarities between “The Way” and Buddhism, it was not my intent to replicate the Eightfold path or any other religious tradition. In fact the religion laid out in the book includes concepts borrowed from many faiths, all of which have value, and my respect.
For more information about author William C. Dietz and his upcoming novels, visit his website at
www.williamcdietz.com
.