“People complain they’re tired of seeing the same old thing re-hashed and repackaged. My own work is absolutely a work of Fantasy, but has a strong undercurrent of Gothic and doesn’t shy away from Horror. It’s surprising how resistant some people are to this blending of genres. I’m not sure I see the point of writing Fantasy if I’m not allowed to fetch my favourite ingredients down from the shelf and include all sorts of sweet and sour in the mix. Surely the Fantastic demands to keep pushing at boundaries and tropes? While I take as much comfort in the familiar as the next reader I’m happy to embrace writing that tries to be different.”
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@Den_Patrick
The Boy with the Porcelain Blade
Lucien de Fontein is one of the Orfano, the deformed of Landfall. He is lonely, tormented by his difference and a pawn in a political game. The reclusive king and his majordomo rule from the vast castle of Demesne, but the walls are no barrier to darkness from without. Or within.
Landfall is a harsh world of secrets and rivalries, where whispers are lethal, where control is fragile and the peace waits to be broken. Lucien must rely on more than his blade to protect the ones he loves.
… and to give you a few insights into this year’s nominated authors, we’ve asked them all a few questions…
Tell us one of your early favourite fantasy novels?
There was a copy of The Elfstones of Shannara lying around the retirement home where my Grandpa was staying. I must have been about fourteen. He said to me, ‘You can take it, no one reads here.’ And so I did. I’d not read a book that long before, my reading habts were generally confined to 2000AD and White Dwarf. Eventually I found a copy of The Sword of Shannara too and became quite attached to Shea Omsford and the druid Allanon .
What fantasy novel was a real game changer, shifting the way you thought about epic fiction?
My tastes are largely contemporary, so I’d have to say that all of Joe Abercrombie’s output always piques my attention. If I had to pick one I’d say The Heroes – that’s such a fine example of a modern Fantasy novel. When I began reading Fantasy all the heroes were well-intentioned, square-jawed types who would stop at nothing to save the day. I feel as if Fantasy has matured (and it is young in terms of a literary movement), embracing all the flaws and deceptions of the human spirit. We’re less interested in the quest to mount Doom, if you like. The emotional or spiritual journey the character undertakes is at least as important.
What do you like to see on fantasy novel cover art? What puts you off?
‘The Hooded Man’ argument (or fatigue) is a few years in the grave now, but it does provide a sort of short hand for readers. They invariably know what they’re getting. That said, Peter Newman’s cover for The Vagrant is stunning. I on the other hand, like the evocative vistas of Stephan Martiniere. He does incredible work. You can see his art on Chris Wooding’s novels.
What classic fantasy themes always get your interest on the cover or in the write up of a new book? Any pet hates?
We’re a long way from the black and white morality of commercial Fantasy, I’m thinking of David Eddings here. That said, I do like an evil Empire or a tyrant in need of a toppling. My pet hates revolve around race and gender. Just because we assume that sexism and racism were rife in medieval times doesn’t mean they have to be rife in fictional worlds that exist at a medieval level of technology.
What’s the next big thing you’d like to see in epic fantasy fiction?
I’d like to see more working class heroes. Fantasy unconsciously veers towards the nobility, and I include myself in that. I blame Aragorn. I was on a panel last year talking about working class heroes and we all agreed Sam Vines fitted the descriptor perfectly. I could happily read more novels featuring protagonists in that vein.
Den Patrick was born in Dorset in 1975 and shares a birthday with Bram Stoker. He has at various times been a comics editor, burlesque reviewer, bookseller and Games Workshop staffer. Anything to avoid getting a real job in fact. He lives and works in London.