Abdul Malik
asked
Sebastien de Castell:
Hey Mr Castell!! I loved "Traitor's Blade" and I read that chilling scene with the fey horse, Falcio and the little one. It was one of the most tense and brilliantly heart stopping scenes I have ever read. Was it intended to bring out such a reaction? I can't wait to read the remaining books in the "Greatcoats" series.
Sebastien de Castell
Hi Abdul,
First off, thanks for the kind words! I’m delighted that you enjoyed Traitor’s Blade and that the scene with the fey horse affected you. To answer your question, what drove that scene for me was wanting to reach the moment when Falcio feels a kinship with the horse - a beginning realization that he’s broken and maddened in the same way she is. So I certainly wanted to reach for that effect, but it was more about Falcio (and the reader) seeing the parallels rather than simply aiming for the emotional beat. Interestingly, in the early stages of writing the novel, I’d actually considered having Monster be a wolf, but that didn’t quite feel right, and so the fey horse came to be.
Hope that answers your question!
Best,
Sebastien
First off, thanks for the kind words! I’m delighted that you enjoyed Traitor’s Blade and that the scene with the fey horse affected you. To answer your question, what drove that scene for me was wanting to reach the moment when Falcio feels a kinship with the horse - a beginning realization that he’s broken and maddened in the same way she is. So I certainly wanted to reach for that effect, but it was more about Falcio (and the reader) seeing the parallels rather than simply aiming for the emotional beat. Interestingly, in the early stages of writing the novel, I’d actually considered having Monster be a wolf, but that didn’t quite feel right, and so the fey horse came to be.
Hope that answers your question!
Best,
Sebastien
More Answered Questions
Shannon (Media Shadow Reads)
asked
Sebastien de Castell:
Hi, hello... just wanted to say, just read 'Spellslinger' in one sitting and really really enjoyed it. Amazing writing, so so easy to follow! But anyway, my questions are... 1) How did you come up with the original character names? 2) How did you ever manage to come up with the 'squirrel-cat' concept for Reichis? (who may I add is the most awesome character ever) 3) And will said Reichis be in the 2nd book?
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