Sri Lankan Author Releases Humorous Science Fiction Novel

Most people would scratch their heads and wonder where Sri Lanka was if the country's name ever came up. Fahim Farook, an author from this small, island nation which has been ravaged by civil war for over two decades, has released a novel in English, science fiction at that, and as a free e-book no less. Given the dearth of Sri Lankan authors publishing English books internationally, except for the occasional Michael Ondaatje of "The English Patient" fame, this is quite a feat. What's more interesting is that he did it while living in Sri Lanka.

"Honest, the Martian Ate Your Dog" is a story about a man who sold his wife's dog and his flight from her wrath, cities run by gangsters, a dozen bounty hunter clones and an intergalactic detective in search of a mysterious artefact, an enigmatic religious sect that believes in the power of jokes, and, most of all, a Martian with a fondness for dogs. As a delicacy. Normal Kint is a man on the run in a world which is familiar to our own, but not quite. Together with Johnny Goolbhai the android, they're determined to get to Kabul City despite highwaymen, scheming opponents, and the occasional cop on the take.

"Honest, the Martian Ate Your Dog" is available either as a free e-book download or in a traditional book format for US$15, both through Lulu (http://www.lulu.com/content/213630). When asked why the e-book was available at no cost, Fahim Farook answered, "Having a book published internationally when you live in a country that people haven't heard of can be difficult. Additionally, it's impossible to get readers interested in your novel when you're a new author no one's ever heard of . By offering a free e-book, hopefully I'll attract new readers."

He further went on to say, "Most international Sri Lankan authors, like Michael Ondaatje, Romesh Gunesekera, and Shyan Selvadurai, found international fame through publication by virtue of living in a developed country at the time of publication. I'd like my novel to find international fame from within my home country."

Fahim Farook, a native Sri Lankan, has been paid for his writing since 1995 when he got his first column in a national newspaper, the Sri Lankan "Sunday Times", which he parlayed into more columns and articles. Since then, he has had other regular columns and articles appearing in Sri Lankan publications such as "Adoh!", "Urban Brown", and "Travel Sri Lanka" as well as Sri Lanka's national "Daily News". More recently, he became editor of "C3", Sri Lanka's first gadget magazine. When he's not writing, he can usually be found writing software or threatening to kick his wife's cat in the hopes of being more like Normal Kint, his protagonist.