Jake Brownlee
asked
John Gwynne:
Hi John! Thank you for writing my favorite fantasy series ever! One of the reasons I loved the series so much was the amazing since of morality, and the stark contrast of good and evil. I was wondering why, in a time when popular fantasy books seem to be morally dark and far from uplifting, you wrote a book based on love, loyalty, and above all TRUTH AND COURAGE!?
John Gwynne
Hi Jake,
Thank you for the message, I'm so, so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Faithful and the Fallen. To try and answer your question about the contrast between good and evil, I grew up on what is now often referred to as 'old school fantasy,' - the first fantasy book I remember reading was The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander, closely followed by the Hobbit, and then it was a slippery slope of magic rings, talking lions, swords in stones and fire-breathing dragons. When I began writing Malice, the first book in the series, I wanted to capture something of the nostalgic glow I felt when thinking about those fantasy books that I loved, but I also wanted to mix it up with a feeling of history, of mythology that could almost have happened ( I think I get that from reading mountains of historical fiction, especially the likes of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Christian Cameron). As to the second part of your question, about Truth and Courage :) when I began writing I had no aspirations of being published, I was writing for a small audience - myself and my family. I hoped that my boys would read it, even if it was just because they felt sorry for their poor old dad. So I wanted to write something that would encapsulate my own feelings about family and friends, and maybe pass that on to them in the form of Corban and his loved ones. Family is very important to me, and also friendship - I have the good fortune of having a handful of wonderful friends who are very dear to me. Also, I do have a faith, and while never wanting to be preachy I suppose something of who I am has been expressed in the series. I hope that goes some way to answer your question. :)
Thank you for the message, I'm so, so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the Faithful and the Fallen. To try and answer your question about the contrast between good and evil, I grew up on what is now often referred to as 'old school fantasy,' - the first fantasy book I remember reading was The Book of Three, by Lloyd Alexander, closely followed by the Hobbit, and then it was a slippery slope of magic rings, talking lions, swords in stones and fire-breathing dragons. When I began writing Malice, the first book in the series, I wanted to capture something of the nostalgic glow I felt when thinking about those fantasy books that I loved, but I also wanted to mix it up with a feeling of history, of mythology that could almost have happened ( I think I get that from reading mountains of historical fiction, especially the likes of Bernard Cornwell, Conn Iggulden and Christian Cameron). As to the second part of your question, about Truth and Courage :) when I began writing I had no aspirations of being published, I was writing for a small audience - myself and my family. I hoped that my boys would read it, even if it was just because they felt sorry for their poor old dad. So I wanted to write something that would encapsulate my own feelings about family and friends, and maybe pass that on to them in the form of Corban and his loved ones. Family is very important to me, and also friendship - I have the good fortune of having a handful of wonderful friends who are very dear to me. Also, I do have a faith, and while never wanting to be preachy I suppose something of who I am has been expressed in the series. I hope that goes some way to answer your question. :)
More Answered Questions
Marc Jones
asked
John Gwynne:
Hi John Quick question if you have the time So far ive only found the one short story from you (the camlin one in rogues) are you planning any other shorts / or do other shorts exists and would you be up for writing more to bridge the gap between your series ? Also just out of interest you ever think your going to try your hand at sci-fi ?
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