Bingwen, an old friend of Richard Kryuss, has lived in self-imposed exile in what was once called the Guanxi Autonomous Region of China for at least two hundred years. China is now called Tiān and is ruled by an Emperor who answers to the Sovereign.
Bingwen and Kryuss played in a ’50s cover band together while attending Cal Tech in the early ’80s. Their friendship ended when Bingwen, who was tired of playing “Tequila” and “Johnny B. Goode” in dive bars night after night and was anxious to play more challenging and original music, joined a prog band called Lite Cycle.
He’s disgusted by the Sovereign’s rule, under which human immigrants from Galenia are forced to live in colonies, and he’s disgusted by the overwhelming support for the idea amongst his own kind.
He spends his days fishing, hiking through the Da Yayo mountains, and recording elaborate prog rock concept albums in his home studio, releasing them century after century to his small but devoted legion of fans.
Bingwen appears in Exsilium, the upcoming sequel to Effugium.
Reblogged this on Patrick Walts.
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What a character !
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Kryuss needs a favor from him. He pops up midway through the book.
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This also establishes him as a character who will appear in the Kryuss autobiography at a later date. Just kind of made him up on the fly because I needed somebody for him to contact on Earth. Bingwen is none too pleased about it, but agrees to help for the sake of humanity and Kryuss trying to set things right. Needs him to travel to Antarctica to activate a hidden weapon.
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