E.S. Raye

I’ve spent a great deal of time introducing readers to the world of my space-western Gas Giant Gambit, and rightfully so; it’s my debut novel and I spent a lot of time crafting its characters, settings, and themes.

But now I’m working on a follow up, and I think it’s high time I give you readers a brief introduction into this new world I’m crafting.

The Story

Without going into too much detail or spoiling anything, the story of Shallow Trenches/Open Skies follows Lt. Bernard Behr, “Griz” to his family and friends, as he is sent to the Western Front in early 1918 to investigate reports that The Red Baron shot something down over Belgium.

The Baron described the object as saucer shaped, and the Germans and Allies alike believed it to be American, as the US was mere days from officially entering the war.

(That part is all a real-world urban legend, by the way.)

The Americans, however, know it’s not theirs. They think it’s an experimental German aircraft so top secret The Red Baron didn’t know about it and shot it down by mistake. The decision is made to claim ownership and send an officer to recover anything they can before anyone else–including the Germans–can find it.

Griz, a recent graduate of West Point, is given that task.

Griz has some big ideas about the war and what his place in it should be, but things go far differently for him than he ever expected when he arrives, and he is forced to reconsider his views about the world, the enemy, and war as a concept.

Setting

The main setting of Shallow Trenches/Open Skies is the relatively quiet Ploegsteert sector of Belgium on the Western Front in early to mid 1918.

This area, including Plogsteert Wood, is part of the Ypres Salient, a bulge in the front line around the nearby city of Ypres, Belgium. However, most of the fighting has, and will continue to, occur north of Ploegsteert. Instead, this sector has become a place for resting and recuperating units on both sides of the lines.

Characters

Lt. Bernard Behr, nicknamed “Griz” (short for grizzly bear) by his family for his broad shoulders and height to match, is ironically extremely unathletic. However, what he lacks in physical prowess, he more than makes up for in intelligence–Griz was at the top of his class, studying electrical engineering, when the war broke out and he was reassigned ahead of the rest of his graduating class.

He often thinks he’s the smartest person in the room–the trouble with that is, he’s usually right. This has lead to a certain amount of arrogance.

Griz’s greatest wish is to get to the front, but his low marks in athleticism and leadership had him headed for a desk job. He jumps at the chance military intelligence offers him.

Sepoy Arjun Mishra is an Indian Sikh fighting with the 2nd Indian Cavalry Division. He is alone in Ploegsteert, as his unit was sent on without him after he volunteered for a dangerous mission and he was sent to Ploegsteert to recover afterwards.

Arjun is based heavily on Lance-Dafadar Gobind Singh, who was awarded the Victoria Cross for his gallantry in the Battle of Cambrai.

Sergeant Thomas “Rob” Robert Grant is an African-American pilot flying a biplane for the Royal Flying Corps. While Rob is American, he was living in Britain when the war broke out. He claimed his mother’s British Jamaican citizenship as his own, and enlisted with the RFC in 1915.

Rob was flying a reconnaissance mission when The Red Baron shot down the flying saucer, and he saw it all–before being shot down himself.

Rob is inspired by a pair of Black WW1 pilots: Sergeant William “Robbie” Robinson Clarke, and Eugene Jacques Bullard.

Private Albert “Albie” Bailey is a young Canadian and would-be journalist who enlisted so they could get out to the front lines and tell the truth about what’s happening there.

There’s more than meets the eye to Albie, much of which spoils things I’m not ready to spoil yet. Suffice it to say, Albie is also inspired by some extremely brave soldiers throughout history.

Hubie is a French bulldog cigarette-delivery dog. She was mistaken for a male dog by a British soldier and named for General Sir Hubert de la Poer Gough, who commanded the British Fifth Army during the initial stages of the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele) in 1917 before being replaced. Despite the misgendering, the name has stuck.

Hubie is inspired by Mutt, a real World War 1 cigarette-delivery French bulldog, and my own Frenchie, Siggy.

Cela & Nabar are the rightful owners of the craft that crashed in Ploegsteert Wood. They come from a very long way away, and must ask Griz, Arjun, Rob, and Albie for help escaping the European war zone, as well as the trouble they brought with them.

They carry their own prejudices and emotional baggage into the conflict.

Krin, parasitic and manipulative, carries a deep, honestly-earned hatred for Cela, Nabar, and all their people. His mission is their extinction, and he has found a kindred spirit in Major Adrian Ochs.

Major Adrian Ochs serves in the German Army Intelligence Agency, and has been sent to Ploegsteert by German High Command to recover the crashed craft his superiors believe to be American.

Ochs is a highly capable officer and holds ultra nationalistic beliefs. When Krin offers him a way to not only win the war for Germany, but to ensure German superiority for generations, he seizes the opportunity to build the future he desires.

Major Themes

The biggest theme I am exploring in Shallow Trenches/Open Skies is hatred and xenophobia. All of the characters are either perpetrators or victims of hatred or xenophobia–many of them are both.

Griz, in particular, who is a white American man, has a lot of learning to do in this regard. He has a special hatred for Germans thanks to a tragedy in his recent past, but he also carries the prejudices of his time and place–things he must and will reevaluate as the story progresses.

Additionally, I’m also touching on themes of diversity and unity, anti-war, and reconciling with the sins of the past.

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If any of that sound interesting to you, stick around! I’m more than half-way through my first draft with the goal of finishing it up around March/April. Then will come lots of editing, reader feedback, and hopefully showing it off to my publisher before the end of the year!