Where Did He Come From?

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

In discussing my inspiration for Mr. Reese, I am afraid it is impossible without divulging some key details. As such, I implore you to exercise caution before proceeding, for if you persist in reading, you may find that the entire crux of The Curator is revealed prematurely. I hope the journey leading up to this revelation is far more enjoyable when experienced within the pages of the book itself.

*** Spoilers***

Of all the characters I have created, Mr. Reese holds a special place in my heart. He may have had humble beginnings but has become my favorite creation.

As a fervent admirer of Doctor Who, I found myself contemplating what my version of the Time Lord might look like. My musings led me back to an idea I had many years ago after viewing the third Matrix film. I envisioned a world in which Neo awakens to find himself in a sterile, white room, surrounded by rows upon rows of beds occupied by comatose human bodies. These bodies were cared for by robotic medical assistants, and the entire human race had evolved to live within a collective experience, with their physical forms relegated to an afterthought. The Matrix and the fear of artificial intelligence, I imagined, stemmed from a deep-seated resentment of the medical droids that tended to their forgotten bodies, turning what should have been a utopia into a dystopia.

Although I had shared this idea with friends at the time, it had remained nothing more than a flight of fancy. It was only when I began to flesh out the world of The Curator that I revisited this concept and began to truly delve into it.

The result was the creation of a society in which there exist people who are unable to enter the collective consciousness system. These individuals are outcasts, deemed useless by their own kind, and relegated to the lowest rung of society. It was within this context that Mr. Reese began to take shape. What if one of these "useless" individuals had the ability to travel through time and was considered a genius wherever he went - except in his own time and by his people?

To me, this was the genesis of a truly remarkable character. No matter how polished or highbrow he might appear to others, Mr. Reese would always feel inferior, forever plagued by a sense of inadequacy.