The inspiration for Novalyne
As I wrap up Novalyne, I've been going over the project and trying to remember where it all started. As tends to happen, there isn't a single point in time in which the whole idea for the story was born, but rather multiple streams of thoughts and ideas that merge into one which eventually becomes the base for the story.
In this case, the three biggest inspirations for the book were The Italian Renaissance, Michaelangelo & the sculptors of that era; and The Isle of the Dead paintings by Arnold Brocklin (and the romanticism movement to which they belong).
I'd like to speak a bit about each one in more detail.
The Italian Renaissance:
There's several layers to this one. Before I ever had a story, I had a setting. Anyone who has ever been to the Tuscany region of Italy will instantly understand why I was compelled to use it as a basis for the world in which Novlayne takes place; it's cities and landscapes are gorgeous, the beautiful cypress tree is everywhere, and in Florence in particular it feels like stepping back in time. A truly wonderful place.
But that's not all, it was a period of renewal, of discovering (or re-descovering, even) new ways of creating and seeing the world. A period in which labour was structured in monopolistic guilds, with all the good and bad that brings.
All of these ideas made their way into the story, hopefully striking the right balance between using these locations and societal structures as inspirations, not as direct reference (Novalyne isn't a historical novel, after all.)
The Isle of the Dead by Arnol Brocklin:
I've liked this painting ever since I saw an online picture of it. It's one of those well known romanticism paintings that everyone knows about, and for good reason. One summer I happened to be visiting Basel, and I headed to the Kuntsmuseum to soak in some art and I stumbled upon the painting (or rather, one of the five versions that Brocklin painted). As I observed it, and observed the boatman ferrying across what appeared to be a deceased person, the idea of Nova appeared. A man ferrying his loved one across a body of water into an eternal grave.
This in itself, whilst a powerful image, did not feel strong enough of a motive to drive the story. But the memory stayed with me.
Michaelangelo and the sculptural movement:
At another point in time, I went to visit my brother who was studying in Rome, and since I had some time in my hands during the week, decided to take a detour to Florence as I hadn't been there in years.
When in the city, we decided to go and see Michaelangelo's David, perhaps the most iconic piece of sculpture known to the world (is that a bit hyperbolic? Maybe, but I'm going to stick with it.) Crucially, I was expecting the statue to be incredibly overrated, but instead was floored by it. It truly is an incredible piece of work, and as I walked around it and observed it from all angles, its image was burned into my mind.
Fast forward some period of time, and the videogame project I was working on at the time got cancelled after spending two years of my life on it. Two years doesn't seem much compared to some other brutal cancellations the industry has seen, but I did not enjoy having the fruits of my labour taken and shut away in the graveyard of projects, never to see the light of day. And so it was that the idea of creating a project of my own began, something that would either succeed or fail based on my own merits and actions.
Then it all came rushing back – the trip to Florence, the incredible sculptures, plazas, streets, foods, people and weather. The mightyness of Michaelangelo and his work. The boatman ferrying across the water that Brocklin had depicted. The frustration I felt at the cancelled project. The desire I had to learn and improve in my craft. It all came back and knotted itself into the very messy idea that would eventually become Novalyne.
It just took two years and a bit to untangle it all.
Thanks for reading,
Hector
02.06.2026