I’m desperate to visit China to see the tomb of the ancient warriors so when Will Ruff got in touch about his novel The Tomb of the Primal Dragon, I had to invite him on the blog.

The Tomb of the Primal Dragon was published on 27th November 2017 and is available for purchase here.

The Tomb of the Primal Dragon

Arthur Biers is an aspiring historian looking for his path to graduate school when he gets invited to help tell the story of one of history’s deadliest tombs.

In 1974 two farmers digging a well outside of Xi’an, China, discovered a clay statue and a pot that belonged to China’s first Emperor. The site they discovered was the second pit of his mausoleum, and is one of the most interesting historical finds of the 20th century.

But the Emperor’s Tomb has yet to be excavated as claims have arisen from conspiracy theorists that the site is a fraud. The Tomb of the Primal Dragon tells the story of a group of researchers vying for the inside scoop on the tomb’s excavation as each source they investigate suggests there’s much more going on at the Museum than the excavation of historical relics.

Led by worldwide bestselling pseudo-historian, Bruce Philips, and technologist, Wyatt Waller, Art embarks on a journey across mainland China as they hunt down every lead to show the world what deadly secrets are buried inside the tomb.

Why We Need Fiction In A Rapidly Moving Technological World

A Guest Post by Will Ruff

When you look at how fast technology is moving in the world today, and you look at how few people read, it’s become evident that the art of storytelling is more important than ever.

And in a world that’s grown politically divided over every single topic, skepticism of the source is a concern that’s causing the general population to refuse to read news stories altogether. Everyone seems to do it.

This is why fiction is more relevant now than ever, because fiction at its best, can explore the world as it is, as we’d like it to be, and as we fear it will become, and when it’s done well, whether that’s in the form of a romance novel, a thriller, or a work of contemporary fiction, when it resonates, it creates unity within humanity instead of division. It celebrates the curious detours, and the inevitable challenges of life, and reminds us that we’re all a part of the same journey, that it’s the persistence through these struggles that makes us human.

Fiction challenges us to think about our core emotions, and successful fiction does so in a way that the reader is left looking inward at something else that gave them a similar feeling, and when they have none, and the writing is exceptional, the reader can’t help but feel empathy. When it’s done well, fiction is a unifying medium for all mankind.

Technology by contrast should be a similar force, but the trend in technology has been more brevity, more shallow appeal, and more “what can I get right now?” There is very little deferred gratification, and there is very little thought in the words you consume on these mediums. Let me be clear: they have value, and I don’t reject these tools, but the goal of these platforms is making as much money as quickly as possible with no regard for how it affects society.

To take a more optimistic approach, fiction has the power of influencing business and technology. It can draw attention to this technology, and start a conversation among crowds to better educate them about its abilities, and it can inspire people to celebrate their line of work. This is more evident in film and television, but I can think of a handful of doctors who celebrate every drama, and comedy out there that highlights their lifestyle. I can think of security people who praise the authenticity of shows like Mr. Robot, and I know that a combination of reading Jurassic Park, and watching Indiana Jones, inspired me to pursue a degree in history. Finally I can think of someone who went into the world of information systems when she was a young girl watching the original Tron in theaters.

What is the power of fiction? What is the allure of watching a story we know isn’t real? It’s exactly that. We have plenty of fields of study that try to explain the way things are, and they’re all incredibly important to follow, but fiction is the format that challenges us to ask, what if?

The next time you find yourself endlessly scrolling through some social media feed, I hope you’ll consider moving over to your bookshelf and picking up a novel you haven’t read. You might just find what you were looking for.

About Will Ruff

Will Ruff is the author of the newly released The Tomb of the Primal Dragon, which is available on Amazon Kindle. The novel follows a young historian who gets invited to help research one of history’s deadliest tombs. You can learn more about Will here and follow him on Twitter @WilliamLRuff.