Interview with David Eddings

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Were you asked to participate to the LEGENDS anthology?

No. They wanted short fiction, and I write long fiction.

Is there a reason why there is no "official" website dedicated to your work? With so many authors with their own websites, many fans find it odd that there is nothing out there about you and your books.

I don't own (or want) a computer. I don't even use a typewriter. (Maybe that made her sulky and she shut down to get even with me.) You're looking at the form of copy I send to my typist. She has no trouble with it. I've been using this form for years. (I can't even read my script writing.)

Note from interviewer: Interview was received handwritten, via fax)

PAWN OF THE PROPHECY was first published in 1983. How does it feel to see it still in print and on bookstores' shelves after more than 20 years?

Lester del Rey told me, "You've written a classic." It will probably still be in bookstores long after I'm gone.

THE SEERESS OF KELL hit number 1 on the NYT list. A select few fantasy authors have achieved this feat since then. Describe how you felt when the book topped the charts.

After the success of "The Belgariad" I wasn't at all surprised when "Seeress" hit the top. The popularity of the previous books made "The Seeress" almost inevitable for number one.

Do you read a lot of fantasy? If so, what authors/series rank among your favorites?

I do not read other fantasy books. I have a sub-conscious burglar lurking in my mind. If I read a good fantasy, six months later it's mine, and it's likely to show up in my next book.

How would you like to be remembered as an author? What is the legacy you'll leave behind?

My books will be around for a while, but the opinion of the readers is up to them, not me.

THE DREAMERS was not welcome with the same sort of enthusiasm habitually associated with your books by both the fans and the critics. Was there ever a time when you considered making certain changes to the series based on readers' feedback, or was such a thought never even an alternative?

I don't take orders from readers. The multi point of view in "The Dreamers" was derived from "The Alexandria Quartet" by Lawrence Durell. It does get a bit repetitious (as my editors have all advised me). Durell's quartet involved politics, but mine involved war. It's been cleaned up, but it was very tedious in the original form.

(Nobody's perfect.)

Readers from the 80s hold you and a number of other authors in high esteem. But the "new" generation of fantasy readers doesn't always consider your novels with the same regard. Admittedly, the fantasy market has changed dramatically since the emergence of writers such as Robert Jordan, Tad Williams, George R. R. Martin, Terry Goodkind, and many others. But do you feel that this "new" generation gives your books and those of Raymond E. Feist, Terry Brooks, etc, the respect they deserve? Because without such authors to pave the way, there is no Jordan, Martin, Erikson, etc.

As I said in #14, I do not read fantasy books by other authors, I'm not equipped to answer this point.

There's always a sense of camaraderie pervading your books, with people you genuinely care about because they genuinely care about each other. How do you go about infusing your works with this bantering energy? What part of your own life do you draw from to create this atmosphere?

I listen carefully when people talk to each other, so I recognize various attitudes. "I like you" is a good approach to conversation. (But so is "I hate you.") Conversations in books must be realistic, or the book will collapse. The characters must have their own peculiarities.

After creating a number of fantasy universes, what part of world building do you enjoy the most?

I create people and places that I find very interesting (almost always derived from real places). I like some people and places and I hate some of the others. For some reason the ones I like always win. Isn't that odd?

What do you think draws people to fantasy? Is there something people can get from this genre that they can't get otherwise? That is, does fantasy offer something no other genre can?

Fantasy takes people away from the real world and almost everybody dislikes the real world.

Once again, many thanks for accepting to do this. We wish you continued success and best of luck with the release of THE YOUNGER GODS. In addition, when posts were made inviting fans to submit their questions for this interview, a multitude wished to simply thank you for all the wonderful stories you have shared with us in the last two decades or so. May you continue to capture our imagination for years to come!

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Interview by Patrick
fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com