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WORK TITLE: Zodiac
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://www.samwilsonwriting.com/
CITY: Cape Town
STATE:
COUNTRY: South Africa
NATIONALITY: South African
https://www.penguin.co.uk/authors/sam-wilson/122887/ * https://www.mysterytribune.com/sam-wilson-the-america-of-my-crime-novel-is-divided-by-astrological-signs/
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in London, England.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, director, and developer of television shows.
WRITINGS
Also writer for comic book series Scorch. Contributor to anthologies, including Pandemonium: Stories of the Apocalypse, Jurassic London, 2011, and to periodicals, including Chew magazine.
SIDELIGHTS
Sam Wilson lives in South Africa, where he writes, directs, and develops television programs. His first novel, Zodiac, was published in 2016. The story is set in San Celeste, a world where one’s zodiac sign determines one’s class in life, and families that give birth to children under less desirable zodiac signs often lose their status. Capricorns rule in the caste-based system, while Aries are considered to be the lowest caste. The police force is run by Leos, and the ritual murder of the police chief sets off the action. Police officer Jerome Burton is assigned to the case. Both the deputy chief and the mayor believe that the murder was carried out by a group of caste rebels known as Aries Rising. While Jerome would prefer to reserve judgment and work the case for clues, his supervisors insist that he work with renowned astrologer Lindi Childs. Lindi draws up star chart after star chart, all determined to identify the suspect or suspects. However, Lindi’s charts do not prove to be very useful, and the body count is beginning to rise. Could a serial killer be to blame?
Discussing his book in a statement posted on the Mystery Tribune website, Wilson remarked: “The idea of a world divided by zodiac signs seemed so obvious that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before. After all, it’s a way to divide people that everyone understands, but it doesn’t have the emotional charge of race or religion. It was a way to look at social divisions from a different angle, and maybe see something we missed.” The author added: “Beyond that, it also struck me as a great setting for a crime novel. It’s familiar, but not too familiar. I could tell a story that had all the elements of a typical genre thriller, but it wouldn’t play out the way you expect, because this isn’t our world.”
Booklist correspondent Christine Tran felt that Wilson succeeds in his endeavor, asserting that the author’s “take on caste offers an interesting lens for viewing social justice.” However, a Kirkus Reviews contributor complained that “Wilson’s efforts to whip up suspense around the multiple murder case fall as flat as his characters.” Proffering more enthusiastic applause in Xpress Reviews, Michelle Gilbert announced that “Wilson weaves a complex plot that builds in intrigue and tension with a completely original premise and engaging characters.” Clint Travis, writing in Reviewer’s Bookwatch, was also impressed, and he commended Willson’s “authentic and extraordinary storytelling skills and ability to consistently engage his reader’s attention from cover to cover.”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, December 1, 2016, Christine Tran, review of Zodiac.
Kirkus Reviews, November 15, 2016, review of Zodiac.
Publishers Weekly, November 28, 2016, review of Zodiac.
Reviewer’s Bookwatch, February, 2017, review of Zodiac.
Xpress Reviews, December 23, 2016, Michelle Gilbert, review of Zodiac.
ONLINE
Mystery Tribune, https://www.mysterytribune.com/ (August 28, 2017), Sam Wilson, author statement.
Sam Wilson Website, http://www.samwilsonwriting.com/ (September 20, 2017).*
By: Sam Wilson February 15, 2017 Blog
Sam Wilson: The America Of My Crime Novel Is Divided By Astrological Signs
Zodiac is a crime novel set in a version of America divided by astrological signs rather than race or religion. The date and time of your birth determines your place in society. The Capricorns are the elite, the Cancers are conservative, the Sagittarians and Aquarians are liberals, the Tauruses are cops, and so on.
Here’s the secret of the Zodiac world: Even though astrology is the basis of society, there’s no evidence that it’s actually true.
Anyone living in that world would call me a liar. For them, there’s plenty of evidence. Why are so many Sagittarians liberal activists if they’re not influenced by the stars? Why are so many Geminis yuppies? Why are so many Virgos introverts? The answer is that, whether or not the stars are influencing people, there’s a less subtle force at play: Human nature. We are shaped by our beliefs and the beliefs of the people around us. In the Zodiac world, Capricorns are assumed to be achievers, so their parents send them to the best universities. People-pleasing Libras get sidelined to the service industry, and the impulsive and fiery Aries are swept into the slums. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Their social position is a self-fulfilling prophecy, and when Capricorns succeed or when Aries fail, it’s just proof that astrology works.
Until something finally snaps…
I had the idea for Zodiac a few years ago, when I read about a psychological study in which they asked people about their personalities – how introverted or extroverted they were, their likes and dislikes and so on – and then compared the answers to what their zodiac signs predicted. Amazingly, there was a high correlation. The predictions of astrology were true – but, here’s the twist, only for people who already believed in astrology, and who knew how they were meant to behave. For everyone else, the predictions were no better than chance.
Now, I know that there are a lot of possibilities. For instance, if you’re an introvert and astrology predicts that you’re an introvert, you’ll be more likely to believe in astrology. But what hooked my attention was the idea that astrology is, at least in part, a self-fulfilling prophecy.
There’s something deeply creepy about self-fulfilling prophecies. Fictions can turn into facts. A girl gets told that she’ll be bad at math, so she turns to the arts. A boy gets treated like a criminal his whole life, so he turns to crime. The girl may end up mathematically illiterate, and that boy may be a terrifying criminal. The truth is undeniable. It’s reality. But… it wasn’t always true.
So maybe if you tell a Scorpio that they’re passionate, that gives them permission to explore that side of their lives. It shapes how they see themselves. It influences their choices and their actions, and, over a lifetime, it becomes a part of who they are. It’s a fiction that becomes true.
As you may have guessed, I don’t believe in astrology. But if you do, and you’re getting annoyed at me for my cart-before-horse misreading of your beliefs, then bear in mind that even if what I’m saying isn’t true of astrology then it certainly applies to society as a whole. I live in South Africa. More than 20 years after Apartheid the country is still deeply divided – most obviously by race, but also by whether you’re rural or urban, Christian or Muslim, English, Afrikaans, Zulu or Xhosa. If you put aside racism, bigotry, historical inequality and justified grievance, these factors still shape your life. They determine the culture you consume and inhabit. They shape the assumptions you make about other people, and the assumptions that other people make about you. They skew your friendship groups, your job opportunities, and your relationships. They determine which places make you feel welcome or unwelcome. They define what you think of as normal. It doesn’t matter whether or not you believe in these differences. You can overcome them, but you can’t avoid them.
People want to feel like they belong. It’s deeply ingrained. If you’re put in a box, you mold yourself to fit in. After fifteen years living in South Africa, I have a South African accent. I didn’t want it, but my voice has literally changed. What else have I unwittingly absorbed over this time? What ideas? What tastes? What attitudes? And how different would I be if I had lived in a different box?
This was on my mind when I read about the astrology study. The idea of a world divided by zodiac signs seemed so obvious that I couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard of it before. After all, it’s a way to divide people that everyone understands, but it doesn’t have the emotional charge of race or religion. It was a way to look at social divisions from a different angle, and maybe see something we missed.
Beyond that, it also struck me as a great setting for a crime novel. It’s familiar, but not too familiar. I could tell a story that had all the elements of a typical genre thriller, but it wouldn’t play out the way you expect, because this isn’t our world.
At least I thought it wasn’t. When I originally had the idea, I thought it would be a comedy. My agent turned down the idea at first, saying that satire would be hard to sell. But as I researched it, and talked to people about it, I found out that astrology can be a serious business. I read an article in the New Republic about the growing popularity of western astrology in China, where employers are reportedly hiring and turning people down based on their sign. Even in South Africa, I know of people who refuse to work with Virgos because they’re ‘too high maintenance’. Astrological discrimination, as crazy as it sounds, is a real thing.
We need to be very careful about the divisions we make. In this age of polarized information bubbles, confirmation bias and fake news, we are growing too comfortable at putting each other into boxes, and molding ourselves to fit the box we’re in.
Be mindful of those boxes. They only start as fictions.
Biography
Sam Wilson has written, developed and directed a number of television programs and documentaries. He lives in South Africa and Zodiac is his début novel.
Murder in a world governed by astrology: Sam Wilson chats about his new book Zodiac – recommended by Lauren Beukes and Sarah Lotz
by Jennifer on Dec 13th, 2016
Published in the Sunday Times
Murder in a world governed by astrology: Sam Wilson chats about his new book Zodiac – recommended by Lauren Beukes and Sarah Lotz
ZodiacZodiac
Sam Wilson (Penguin Random House)
****
Sam Wilson’s debut novel Zodiac deserves to be a smash hit: set in an alternate universe in San Celeste, a generic US city, the book features a society governed by an absolute belief in astrology, where an individual’s future is predetermined by the date of his birth.
Like most cops in San Celeste detective Jerome Burton is Taurus, and when he starts investigating a series of particularly nasty murders he looks for the killer among the Aries underclass who are responsible for most of the city’s brutal crimes.
Wilson (a dodgy Aries himself) is not a believer. “I read a study that found that your zodiac sign really does match your personality, but only if you already believe in astrology and know what it says you should be, otherwise it’s no better than chance.”
With the help of profiler Lindi Childs (a Leo), Burton discovers – certainly in his own case – that the sign system is flawed, but reason cannot beat belief.
“I made a world in which it doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. If enough people believe, then it becomes an unavoidable part of life,” says Wilson.
The victims are born under various signs and are killed in different ways – a chief of police (Taurus) is disembowelled then buried in the ground (the Taurus element), the host of a popular TV show (Leo) is shot and burnt (Leo is one of the fire signs).
Wilson says “beliefs and society shape who we are”, but says he had fun turning Burton into someone who firsts doubts the status quo and then has personal reasons for rejecting it.
The “signism” in Zodiac can be seen as a form of racism or anti-Semitism. However, Wilson says he had no overt political agenda.
“I thought that the zodiac world would be interesting and fun to write, and I came up with a story that wouldn’t work anywhere else.”
In this world a school called the True Signs Academy teaches problem children to embrace their true element; people live in designated areas according to their star sign; and a police “ram squad” (get it?) is tasked with dealing with the notoriously criminal group born in Aries.
Wilson makes it clear that signism is a bad thing. But despite the parallels a reader might be tempted to draw between the zodiac world and other oppressive regimes, the Cape Town author does not consider himself a political writer.
In fact, his influences are readable, accessible and popular.
“I was inspired by Lauren Beukes and Sarah Lotz for their high-concept thrillers, although I can’t compare my work to theirs,” he says.
“And I loved … some of the great writing on TV shows like Black Mirror and The Wire.”
Wilson is researching another thriller set in the same universe, but with a different situation and characters.
However, his message to those who loved Zodiac is that Burton and Childs may get a cameo. Fingers crossed! — Aubrey Paton
Book details
Zodiac by Sam Wilson
EAN: 9780718181536
Find this book with BOOK Finder!
Zodiac
Christine Tran
Booklist.
113.7 (Dec. 1, 2016): p33.
COPYRIGHT 2016 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist_publications/booklist/booklist.cfm
Full Text:
Zodiac. By Sam Wilson. Feb. 2017.452p. Pegasus, $25.95 (9781681773186).
In San Celeste, a strict caste system based on the zodiac orders society. Capricorns are at the top of the social ladder, the
majority of the police force are Leo, and the the lower class are Aries. When San Celeste's police chief is found
ritualistically murdered, star cop Jerome Burton is tapped to lead the investigation. The deputy chief and mayor are
convinced that the murder is a sign-related attack by Aries Rising, a rebel group fighting against the SCPD Ram
Squad's mistreatment of the lower castes. Despite his protests, Jerome is ordered to partner with Lindi Childs, a
renowned astrologer. As Lindi's star charts point them toward dead ends, the murders of a pot-stirring television
commentator and the mayor ignite violence between Aries Rising and those demanding the arrest of the rebels'
charismatic leader. Wilson's take on caste offers an interesting lens for viewing social justice, and the swiftly mounting
tension between the foundering investigation and San Celeste's increasing violence offers strong appeal for fans of fastpaced
dystopian fiction.--Christine Tran
Tran, Christine
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Tran, Christine. "Zodiac." Booklist, 1 Dec. 2016, p. 33. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA474718743&it=r&asid=dca9bffd1db7b63eda9a6fffd400920e.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A474718743
8/13/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1502658564494 2/5
Zodiac
Publishers Weekly.
263.48 (Nov. 28, 2016): p44.
COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
Full Text:
Zodiac
Sam Wilson. Pegasus Crime (Norton, dist.), $25.95 (452p) ISBN 978-1-68177-318-6
South African author Wilson's clever if unwieldy debut boasts a highly original setting: the corrupt African dystopia of
San Celeste, in which people are segregated not by rate or religion but by their zodiac sign. Capricorns sit at the top of
society, while Aries are considered the violent underclass. A child born on an undesirable birthday causes the family's
status to plummet. Det. Jerome Burton of the SCPD and astrological profiler Lindiwe Childs reluctantly team to
investigate a series of murders of people with different signs. Are the murders the start of a revolution or a serial killer
at work? Meanwhile, Daniel Lapton, the scion of a family owning an international chain of hotels, uses his wealth and
power to search for the daughter he learned about only after his father's death. The timeline--Daniel's story spans
decades, whereas Jerome and Lindiwe operate in the present--can be confusing. In lavishing so much attention on the
various tiers of San Celeste society, Wilson neglects to develop his characters. Still, crime fans looking for something
different will be satisfied. (Feb.)
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Zodiac." Publishers Weekly, 28 Nov. 2016, p. 44. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA473149885&it=r&asid=fd76f21bdfa1e84fda381f643b6cf01c.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A473149885
8/13/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1502658564494 3/5
Wilson, Sam: ZODIAC
Kirkus Reviews.
(Nov. 15, 2016):
COPYRIGHT 2016 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Wilson, Sam ZODIAC Pegasus Crime (Adult Fiction) $25.95 2, 7 ISBN: 978-1-68177-318-6
A serial killer is on the loose in a society ruled by its citizens' zodiac signs.In San Celeste, the caste system is alive and
well, though it's based not on wealth but on astrology. When Chief of Police Peter Williams is found murdered in a
trench in his backyard, a Taurus symbol drawn around the makeshift grave, Detective Jerome Burton wonders if the
crime is motivated by the stars or something closer to Earth. Joined by astrological profiler Lindiwe "Lindi" Childs, the
taciturn Burton, a by-the-book Taurus cop, investigates the possibility that Williams' murder is linked to a fringe radical
group, Aries Rising, which protests against "rampant signism" in the justice system, just one of the ways Wilson
attempts, and fails, in his debut to turn the ridiculous plot into social commentary. As the investigation grinds on and
more bodies turn up, each one a different star sign, the action shifts between the present day and past efforts of
industrial playboy Daniel Lapton, a Capricorn who's sure he knows everything, to track down the daughter he never
knew he had and, in the process, uncover shady goings-on at a secret school for children born under the wrong sign.
The use of astrology, while intriguing, is not enough to hang an entire novel on, let alone an entire fictional society, and
Wilson's efforts to whip up suspense around the multiple murder case fall as flat as his characters.
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
"Wilson, Sam: ZODIAC." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Nov. 2016. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA469865683&it=r&asid=481425d17a46df44b915079b1c3e4707.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A469865683
8/13/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1502658564494 4/5
Wilson, Sam. Zodiac
Michelle Gilbert
Xpress Reviews.
(Dec. 23, 2016): p5.
COPYRIGHT 2016 Library Journals, LLC
http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/reviews/xpress/884170-289/xpress_reviews-first_look_at_new.html.csp
Full Text:
Wilson, Sam. Zodiac. Pegasus. Feb. 2017. 452p. ISBN 9781681773186. $25.95; ebk. ISBN 9781681773780. F
[DEBUT] In this alternate reality, where a person goes to school, who they are friends with, what type of work they
pursue, their potential socioeconomic status, and who they will marry are all determined at birth by the person's zodiac
sign. A maid, a Libra, arrives to work a few minutes late to find a murder scene. The chief of police, a Taurus, is dead
in his own backyard. But before the ambulance arrives, the maid is kidnapped by the killer. When a Taurus sign is
found at the scene, Det. Jerome Burton, also a Taurus, hires astrological expert and consultant Lindi Childs to help him
close the case amid mounting pressure. Meanwhile, after the death of his father, Capricorn Daniel Lapton learns that he
has a daughter and is determined to find her. In his quest, he uncovers the suicide of three students, questionable
educational practices, and a shutdown school.
Verdict In his fiction debut, South African television writer and director Wilson weaves a complex plot that builds in
intrigue and tension with a completely original premise and engaging characters. For readers who appreciate a fresh
speculative twist on the police procedural.--Michelle Gilbert, Fox Lake Dist. Lib., IL
Gilbert, Michelle
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Gilbert, Michelle. "Wilson, Sam. Zodiac." Xpress Reviews, 23 Dec. 2016, p. 5. General OneFile,
go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA476730320&it=r&asid=971f1b571a6353e9c6b87024d30e1432.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A476730320
8/13/2017 General OneFile - Saved Articles
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/marklist.do?actionCmd=GET_MARK_LIST&userGroupName=schlager&inPS=true&prodId=ITOF&ts=1502658564494 5/5
Zodiac
Clint Travis
Reviewer's Bookwatch.
(Feb. 2017):
COPYRIGHT 2017 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com
Full Text:
Zodiac
Sam Wilson
Pegasus Books
80 Broad Street, 5th Floor, New York, NY 10004
www.pegasusbooks.com
9781681773186, $25.95, HC, 452pp, www.amazon.com
Synopsis: In San Celeste, a series of uniquely brutal murders targets victims from totally different walks of life. In a
society divided according to Zodiac signs, those differences are cast at birth and binding for life. All eyes are on
detective Jerome Burton and astrological profiler Lindi Childs, who are divided in their beliefs over whether the answer
is written in the stars, but united in their conviction that there is an ingenious serial killer executing a grand plan.
Together, they intend to contend with betrayal, lost love, broken promises and a devastating truth with the power to tear
their world apart. "Zodiac" is a starting new thriller with one of the most original concepts in years, where the line
between a life of luxury and an existence of poverty can be determined by the stroke of midnight.
Critique: All the more impressive considering that it is author Sam Wilson's debut novelist, "Zodiac" clearly reveals his
genuine flair for his authentic and extraordinary storytelling skills and ability to consistently engage his reader's
attention from cover to cover. While very highly recommended, especially for community library Mystery/Suspense
collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that "Zodiac" is also available in a Kindle format ($12.99).
Clint Travis
Reviewer
Source Citation (MLA 8
th Edition)
Travis, Clint. "Zodiac." Reviewer's Bookwatch, Feb. 2017. General OneFile, go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?
p=ITOF&sw=w&u=schlager&v=2.1&id=GALE%7CA487601112&it=r&asid=62ad705f29cb363b30543acac335be02.
Accessed 13 Aug. 2017.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A487601112