Will you ever find someone to love you as much as Dream Child loved Tahala-Lan? In a world designed to erase memory and feeling, one love endures. Discover the story that will make you believe in impossible devotion. Set in a fractured world, Ian Faith’s The Void explores a society divided by the aftermath of the Unity War—a conflict that promised freedom but delivered only oppression. The Higher Lands are reserved for the elite, while the lower orders inhabit remote, scattered townships like Chahibra, living under constant surveillance and the illusion of peace. The only connection between these realms is the Light Ways—shimmering, silver threads of pure thought-driven transit lines that require unwavering will to traverse. The story centers on Dream Child, a Dream Analyst, preacher, and poet, whose memories and perceptions make him sensitive to the subtle manipulations of history and identity imposed by the ruling Higher Forces. Alongside his wife, Tahala-Lan—a justice seeker haunted by the atrocities she uncovered during the end of the war—Dream Child navigates a world where dreams are monitored, memories are manipulated, and truth is a dangerous commodity. Across the Lower Lands’ desolate expanse, the last remnants of civilization cluster in six enigmatic house-shaped towns. These structures rise like emerald beacons, their green glass windows glow to conjure an artificial night. Each town is a geometric haven against the hostile world outside, its forms casting intricate shadows as if the houses themselves are ancient guardians standing watch over the broken land. Centers are hubs of futuristic entertainment and mind-bending technology. Here, citizens gather for work and diversion, engaging in mental duels with virtual staffs and shields, their scores displayed on headgear as thoughts become both weapon and play. The Centers are alive with holographic spectacles, neural games, and the subtle hum of surveillance, offering both distraction and control. As memory fragmentation spreads and people are erased from existence, Dream Child and Tahala-Lan become quietly rebellious, seeking to uncover and preserve the reality beneath the regime’s manufactured narrative. Themes of surveillance, memory, resistance, and the cost of truth run deep as the characters struggle to maintain their identities and relationships in a society where even thoughts are currency and chains. The novella weaves poetic language, psychological tension, and dystopian world-building into a meditation on love, loss, and the fight for authentic existence. The Void is a place where fantasy and technology entwine: where the earth is a grave, the sky a prison, and hope flickers in the green-lit shadows of house-shaped sanctuaries. It is a tale of resistance, longing, and the unbreakable power of memory in a world determined to erase it. Reviews from Sci-Fi and Fantasy Fans "A Luminous Dystopian Fantasy" The Void is a dazzling blend of dystopian science fiction and dreamlike fantasy. The six house-shaped villages, glowing with emerald light under a pitiless sky, are as memorable as any fantasy realm. The Light Ways and psychic duels at the Centers are pure speculative magic. Highly recommended for fans of Le Guin and VanderMeer. "Unforgettable World-Building" Ian Faith's vision of a barren earth with multiple suns and floating citadels is breathtaking. The Centers, with their mind games and holographic entertainment, feel both futuristic and mythic. Dream Child and Tahala-Lan's struggle against memory manipulation is as tense as any epic quest. "A Must-Read for Fans of Literary Sci-Fi" The Void delivers a richly textured world and a cast of characters you'll root for. The world-building is top-notch, with its endless day, artificial paradise, and the ever-present threat of the Void. The novella's exploration of memory, identity, and resistance is both timely and timeless. I couldn't put it down. About the Author Ian Faith was born in Coventry, England, in 1966. A creative from his earliest memories with music, art, and writing shaping his world. The romance of what the future holds was always a driving force for Ian, and it shines through in the story, and integrity, love, and imagination. Ian has always encouraged family and friends to tap into their creative juices and make the world a more beautiful place, one day at a time.   "The Void" was originally written in 1984 in Coventry, England, and expanded on using a typewriter in Sydney, Australia, in 1989. This final version was edited and completed in Scottsdale, Arizona, in 2025.   "When we leave this world, if we leave something behind that colors in dreams for those who want to find a temporary escape from their day-to-day world, then we leave the world a better place," Ian opines. "The Void" is a work of science fiction; all truth is God's truth.   ~ Ian Faith