Brought to you by OBS reviewer Angie.

• Be sure to read our review for “Blood Mercury” at OBS, here.

Angie: In an age of preparation for the end of the world in December 2012 and the prediction of the Zombie Apocalypse, how do you see your story fitting in?  

Malachi King: Blood Mercury fits into a dystopian view of the not-too-distant future and explores the very real danger of over-medicating at the risk of increasing our biological vulnerabilities.

Angie: Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

Malachi King: My own frequent hand sanitizing and abhorrence of touching bathroom door handles inspired me to wonder what the world would look like if our very lives depended on avoiding even the most common of germs.

Angie: How do you think that our country would really fare in a crisis such as this?

Malachi King: Our country has a significant medical infrastructure, but, as in any such pandemic, there would be shortages of medicine.  The optimist in me hopes the cure would be distributed fairly, but reality crushes any such hope.

Angie: What social message were you trying to convey with the idea that our First World country was worse off than many Third World countries?

Malachi King: Blood Mercury presents a disease for which everyone is susceptible, wealthy nations included.  I think this speaks to the false sense of security many of us have in our medical establishment; we’ve nurtured it to the point of addiction.  “We placed our faith in medicine and now we pray for redemption.”

Angie: Is there any significance to the cover art for the story? If so, what is it?  

Malachi King: The cover art exhibits an island of mystery and symbols of hidden meaning of apparent great importance.  In the world of Blood Mercury only the ones with the secret knowledge of the cure have a chance of survival.  Caleb, the main character, breaks through the divide of those that “know” and those that don’t.

Thank you to author Malachi King for a great interview!