Grimdark Fantasy discussion

Anthony Ryan has kindly agreed to do a Q&A with us! Have any questions? Fire away!

Thanks to the GrimDark God Michael R. Fletcher for setting this up!

***PLEASE USE SPOILER TAGS***

Happy to help!

Very cool!,

thanks, Michael

Thanks Michael and I am absolutely loving this book Anthony

Brad wrote: "Thanks Michael and I am absolutely loving this book Anthony"
Thanks Brad, much appreciated.

Thank you Michael and Tracey and of course Anthony! Guess I gotta get going, just bought it yesterday.

Hi Anthony,

I read Blood Song some time ago already and liked it quite a lot. I still think it is the strongest of the three books in the series, probably because I am not alone in being a sucker for growing-up tales

One thing that struck me when reading it was the non-linear temporal narrative. Could you comment on how that came about? Was it a deliberate writing choice from the start, an exercise in creative writing, or did it grow organically as you kept working on the book?

Drsilent wrote: "Hi Anthony,

I read Blood Song some time ago already and liked it quite a lot. I still think it is the strongest of the three books in the series, probably because I am not alone in being a sucker ..."

Hi Dr,
I wrote the book in chronological order, including the scenes from Verniers POV, so it was definitely a deliberate choice, although a fair amount was fleshed out in the rewrite. The book's structure came out of a need to cover a narrative that spans several years without losing the drama, otherwise there would have been a lot of Vaelin sitting in a prison cell.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony

all done with book one and wow I just absolutely loved this book.i think it may be the fastest I've read a book,lost sleep due to it but loved every page of it.now on to the next with a very optimistic eagerness that the next ones are as great as the first one was..Thank you very much Anthony for this fantastic read and truely making it come to life in my head..good on ya!

Brad wrote: "all done with book one and wow I just absolutely loved this book.i think it may be the fastest I've read a book,lost sleep due to it but loved every page of it.now on to the next with a very optimi..."
Thanks Brad, glad you liked it so much.
Anthony

Hi Anthony! First of all, big thanks for doing this, it really means something to your fans. Secondly, I've been thinking of what to ask you for a few days now and I think I have my question(s).

1. Dragons. What do you think of them? How do you like them? Big or small? Old or young? Mindless or sentient? Why do you like them? I always figured that putting them front and centre for your new series a brave move, especially since there seems to be a saturation with them in fantasy these days. I can't wait to get to reading A Waking Fire when the paperback releases (when's that, by the way?).

2. Now, about Raven's Shadow. Unfortunately, as much as I'd liked Blood Song, I wasn't that big on the latter ones. I think it's only fair to say and not be a hypocrite. I still enjoyed them for Vaelin mainly, and even though I perfectly well understand the logical decision of splitting the narrative a bit, it just wasn't my thing. Blood Song is, though, and always will be, one of my favourite fantasy books ever. That said, I have to ask you something, regarding the ending. (view spoiler)[Firstly, I really appreciated leaving the stone a bit ambiguous in power. Was it a conscious decision NOT to have Vaelin deal with the Ally? Did you have the ending planned since the start or did it just come as a natural succession of the process? (hide spoiler)]

With that over and done, I'd like to share my love for Blood Song and Vaelin especially. And there's a story for that.

So, once I was going to a big party, just having finished reading Blood Song, and I was, naturally, piss drunk. And, y'know, there were girls and all and through the so-very-masculine process of courting, I introduced myself as a certain Vaelin Al Sorna (should have stated the rights, sorry). All I got was blank stares. Why do you think that is?

/sorry-for-the-huge-post

Pavle wrote: "Hi Anthony! First of all, big thanks for doing this, it really means something to your fans. Secondly, I've been thinking of what to ask you for a few days now and I think I have my question(s).

..."

Hi Pavle,
Who doesn't like dragons? I'd had a yen to write something dragon related for some time and the story for The Waking Fire had been hanging around my head for a long time and was ready to come out by the time I'd finished the Raven's Shadow series. I won't say too much about my take on dragons to avoid spoilers but I generally tried to present them as real world animals with a role in the ecosphere - they're also really dangerous.

Re. the ending to Queen of Fire, there's not much to say except that it made the most sense to me when I was writing it. Also, Vaelin's story isn't done and he will be back, eventually.

As for fantasy character name dropping to talk to girls at parties, probably best to go with Aragorn, they might actually have heard of him.

Anthony wrote: "Pavle wrote: "Hi Anthony! First of all, big thanks for doing this, it really means something to your fans. Secondly, I've been thinking of what to ask you for a few days now and I think I have my q..."

Blegh, Aragorn has nothing on dear old Val. Thanks for answering and you can't imagine how happy you made me by the "Vaelin will return" comment! Can barely wait to get to Draconis now, bumping it up my queue.

Hi Anthony,

I can understand where you draw your writing style and cruelty after learning you have been a member of the British Civil Service. P.S. Is it as authentic as Yes, (Prime) Minister?

Now, on topic, what's your one taboo topic - something you dread and/or would not dare write about?

Igor

Igor wrote: "Hi Anthony,

I can understand where you draw your writing style and cruelty after learning you have been a member of the British Civil Service. P.S. Is it as authentic as Yes, (Prime) Minister?

No..."
Hi Igor,
I have to say that 'Yes Minister' & 'Yes Prime Minister' are probably the most accurate depictions of the UK Civil Service I've seen.

In terms of taboos, I don't consciously limit myself and I don't think any subject should be off-limits for writers. That being said, although I've alluded to sexual assault in my work I can't see myself ever writing a rape scene.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony

Good to hear, it is one of my favorite TV series of all times.

Here's my next question, if you've answered this before or in some other medium, then I apologize. Will you ever write contemporary or sci-fi grimdark, or will you stay in the realm of fantasy and magic?

If you want me to stop with questions, then you must use a Sir Humphrey quote, something like: Rome wasn't built in a day, or It's the thin line of the wedge.

Igor

I liked what you did with the "potential" love interests and the non-irritating romance. I need more books with non-love interest female characters who can stand on their own. So, kudos on that part.

My first question is about the Order itself. Do you model them based on the Templars or any warrior priest group? And what about the inclusion of female sisters in every Order? Is the Sixth the only one that does not allow women?

Igor wrote: "Good to hear, it is one of my favorite TV series of all times.

Here's my next question, if you've answered this before or in some other medium, then I apologize. Will you ever write contemporary o..."
Can't recall any full Sir Humphrey quotes without resorting to Google, but I do remember my favourite Yes, Minister exchange:
Hacker: I want to give honours to people who've actually done something to deserve them.
Sir Humphrey: But that's unheard of!

I've already written and self-published a Sci-fi Noir series of novellas called Slab City Blues (available on all good outlets, folks). I hope to write in other genres as and when time allows, particularly horror. It'll be a while before anything appears though, the Draconis Memoria is taking up all my time just now.

Anthony

Silvana wrote: "I liked what you did with the "potential" love interests and the non-irritating romance. I need more books with non-love interest female characters who can stand on their own. So, kudos on that par..."

Thanks Silvana.
There were a number of militant religious orders during the medieval period, the Templars were just the most famous. There were also The Hospitiliars (much more war-like than the name suggests) and the Tuetons, amongst others. However, the warrior-monk or warrior-priest does turn up in various cultures throughout history, eg. the Shoalins of Kung-Fu fame. I was inspired by all of them but didn't follow their practices too closely as I wanted the Sixth Order to have its own traditions.

As for women in the Sixth Order, without giving too much away the series is a depiction of a society undergoing rapid change through conflict which overthrows many of their traditions (*cough* Book Three *cough*).

Anthony

Oh my, I am intrigued!

Another question, it is mentioned somewhere that the Sixth and the Fourth (or Fifth?) had very close relationship and often work together. Could you give an example on what kind of work?

About the culture/nations, the merchants in the West, from where did you get the inspiration? Does it correspond to the real world's Asia/America? I always think of the Realm as Europe and Alpiran as Africa just based on the skin color and cultural depiction.

Silvana wrote: "Oh my, I am intrigued!

Another question, it is mentioned somewhere that the Sixth and the Fourth (or Fifth?) had very close relationship and often work together. Could you give an example on what ..."

The Fourth Order are the main bureaucrats in the Realm and also had a remit to catalogue 'Denier practices' which eventually grew into a version of the Spanish Inquisition, hence their close co-operation with the Sixth Order, until Aspect Arlyn put a stop to it with the appointment of the fanatical Aspect Tendris to head the Fourth Order.

Yes, the Far West is loosely based on ancient China, though I played around with the social structure a lot - Merchant Kings rather than emperors etc. One of the advantages of writing fantasy is that you can steal from history and change it to suit your story, and no-one can sue you for it either.

Anthony

Here's another one - do people often mistake you for Mark Lawrence, and I guess, vice versa?
Igor

Igor wrote: "Here's another one - do people often mistake you for Mark Lawrence, and I guess, vice versa?
Igor"

Not yet, and certainly not during awards season (I'm not bitter).

Hi Anthony,

Loved Blood Song. You wrote an amazing book that I will always cherish.

I really liked the training part of the story. Could you recommend a book with something similar?

Naveen

I have a follow up question on Naveen's question. How do you decide which training to take and when? It is interesting, the curriculum.

Naveen wrote: "Hi Anthony,

Loved Blood Song. You wrote an amazing book that I will always cherish.

I really liked the training part of the story. Could you recommend a book with something similar?

Naveen"
Hi Naveen,
Struggling to think of a fantasy book with a similar training sequence - war movies and books were more of an influence, see The Short Timers by Gustaf Hasford (the basis for Stanley Kubrick's 'Full Metal Jacket'). However, I remember the flashback scenes to Roland's apprenticeship in the first of Stephen King's Gunslinger series were a major influence. Also, David Gemmell always handled the training/learning part of the warrior's journey really well.
Thanks for reading.
Anthony

Silvana wrote: "I have a follow up question on Naveen's question. How do you decide which training to take and when? It is interesting, the curriculum."
Hi Silvana,
The cirriculum is a mix of modern day special forces training and medieval martial arts. I wanted to cover the major skills and attributes a brother of the Sixth Order would need - extreme physical fitness, combat, survival etc, along with a high degree of mental fortitude. It was structured to convey a sense of escalating difficulty and danger to underline the deadly serious nature of life in the Order, culminating in the Test of the Sword which provides a climactic moment to Vaelin's education.
Best,
Anthony

thanks Anthony, great answer.

I'd like to ask a general question, if you could write a grimdark piece (short story/novella/whatever) in a world created by another author, which world would you pick? I hope the answer is more than one. And it could be classic or modern fantasy (the original does not have to be grimdark)