The Maker storyline spans the entire globe, and incorporates many fascinating cities and structures.

In this section, learn about those intriguing destinations, and why Wes chose them for this story.

 

Major Locations

The story found in The Maker spans the four corners of the globe. From Middle America, to England, to Paris, The Maker is truly a global story.

In 2332, the globe is divided into three parts, called Columns. The Western Column is made of North, Central, and South America (though the word 'America' does not appear in 24th century vocabulary). Rio De Janeiro is the capital of the Western Column.

Then, on the other side of the globe, is the Eastern Column, made up of eastern asia, including China and Japan, as well as Indonesia and Australia. Beijing is the center of the Eastern Column.

Finally, there is the Central Column, made up of modern day Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Paris, France is the Global Capital, and the axis of the Global Government. The image below shows the major points of interest in this futuristic world.

 

Omaha, Nebraska:

Likely terrain of Omaha in 2332

Today, Omaha, Nebraska is a vibrant city of over 400,000 people situated in the heart of America's agriculturally rich mid-west.

But in 2332, it's a dry, desert wasteland. The after effects of the G-CoN attack coupled with natural changes in temperature and humidity levels have given it a landscape more like Afghanistan than Middle Amerca.

Why did I chose Omaha? When you read the story, you'll find that Adrien's team had decided to research northern Western Column people groups (what we know as the North American Indians). Omaha would have been a logical place for him to find and decide to study given the Indian populations that flourished in that area in the past.

Here's a great site to check out to learn more about Omaha.

Paris, France:

Paris is today a city of over two million people, and has long been a significant city in both European and world history.

In The Maker, I intentionally went back to America's enemies of the past and avoided altogether the Middle East and terrorism. Personally, I grow tired of constantly hearing about al Qaeda and the Middle East, and I find Europe a much more picturesque setting for a big story like The Maker.

So I thought of all the cities in Europe I found most fascinating, and Paris won the day! Since my basic premise is that the European Union is the spearhead of anti-Americanism and the One World government plot, it seemed logical to pick a major western European city like Paris.

Future Paris is not much like the present. At first I tried to imagine only minor changes, but then I decided it would be completely remade by the G-CoN and Global Sovereign. I envision it with miles and miles of skyscrapers, like modern New York, with many expensive structures built to pay homage to the Global Government.

If you'd like to learn more about Paris, check out this site.

Paris at Night (Image: Wikipedia Commons, Benh Lieu Song)


Munich, Germany:

Munich Town Hall Wikipedia, Frank Spakowski

Inasmuch as the villian of the story, Damien Addergoole, was a German, it seemed fitting to have the headquarters of the GSS in the Motherland. Damien, after all, hates beareaucrats and would demand his command be where he wanted it.

I wanted to avoid Berlin because it is so well known, but I needed a large city to justify the presence of the GSS. Munich is the third largest city in Germany, with a population of over 1.2 million, and fit perfectly.

You can learn more about Munich here.

Lismore, Australia:

The purpose of including the family from Australia in the story was to show how a typical family in a small town somewhere in the world would be affected by the oppressive Global Government half a world away.

I had included places from just about every other corner of the world, so I thought it would be fitting to pick a town in Australia. (Plus, I've always wanted to go there anyway!)

Lismore came from a search of cities in Australia. Again, I didn't want to pick a well known city, so Lismore fit the bill perfectly. Lismore is a city of over 30,000 on the eastern coast of Australia, about twenty miles from the Coral Sea.

This site will give you more information about Lismore.

Tinsley, England:

Adrien's father, Traugott, needed a friend from which Adrien could learn about his father's past. Because Traugott lived and worked in Europe, I felt like I needed this friend to live somewhere in Europe. I'm also fascinated with England, so I chose a small, unknown town about 150 miles north of London for the home of Bana O'Shea.

You can check out Tinsley here.