Interview with Tobias Buckell

Q: What authors make you shake your head in admiration? Many SFF authors don't read much inside the genre. Is it the case with you?

I love the genre. I think we're in the middle of an incredible burst of coolness going on right now, and that I am now reading so many great books. It sucks to list a handful, because then I leave out others who I feel deserve props. But here is a current list of authors I'm digging on right now: Alistair Reynolds, Sean Williams, Neal Asher, Mark Budz, Linda Nagata, Karin Lowachee, Paul Melko, Paulo Bacigalupi, Karl Schroeder, Scott Westerfeld, John Scalzi, Ian McDonald, Peter Watts, Sean McMullen, Daniel Abraham, Tim Pratt, Ken MacLeod, Chris Roberson, Philip Reeve, Charles Stross, Cory Doctorow,China Mieville and David Anthony Durham (I just started reading Acacia last night and am about halfway through, people, check this Fantasy out, it's seriously freaking awesome, and considers the political implications of all the high fantasy tropes out, it's great). I'm also a very fast reader, I do a book every couple days, many in a day if I really like them.

Q: Cover art has become a very hot topic of late. What are your thoughts pertaining to that facet of a novel, and what do you think of thecovers that grace Crystal Rain and Ragamuffin?

It's so killer important, and authors as a whole have usually so little control. I know I pick up books with killer covers myself. Myself, I've been super fortunate with the collaboration between my editor, Paul Stevens, Irene Gallo, Tor's art director, and Todd Lockwood, the artist for both my books (and for the third, it looks like). Tor has done me well, and I love both my covers for those books. I think they kick ass and promise the same.

Q: To what degree, if any, are groups such as The League of HumanAffairs influenced by what we see happening in the world today?

You know, it's always interesting to me when modern analogues are drawn from my work. It's flattering and interesting in that it supports my age old belief, from English major days, of Reader Interpretation theory. In that I believe a book and its reader and what the reader draws from it is king, not necessarily what the author would like to force on them.

The League actually draws most of its inspiration from Toussaint L'Overture and his Haitian freedom fighters. Slaves led by Toussaint basically kicked the French off Haiti, in pitched military battle, much to Napeleon's surprise in 1803 when he had his brother-in-law try to reinvade the island to reinstate slavery (and by the way, the Louisiana purchase comes about after France then gives up on the idea of Caribbean and North American dominance after losing Haiti to the slaves, thus adding to the US Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma,Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota and chunks of other nearby South-West territory). After freeing themselves from bondage, Haitians suffer under military strong dictators who rise to power continuously. I imagine the League to be fighters against a great evil, who make so many sacrifices in fighting that greater evil they become something of a lesser evil, but an understandable one. You can understand Haiti's progress, anything is better than slavery, so they make the choice of a strong leader, decisive in military action. I see Americans today who say that in war for your right to freedom you have to give up other civil liberties, and early independent Haitians made a similar choice, it's just that when you cede leadership with that mentality in mind, it can trap you.

Q: Another theme that I noticed in your Nanagada-related stories is that of imposed change, whether it be the Loa altering themselves, the Gahe-controlled humans, or Nanagadans interacting with the League in "Necahual." Would it be safe to say that there are many complex interrelationships going on beneath the surface of your stories as these disparate groups mix and mingle?

Cultural power dynamics fascinate me. I'm trying to show that they're complicated, and gray, and that it also creates a lot of ground for conflict. And a novelist's trade is all about conflict! People do try to dodge talking about these sorts of things, I think making it far away in a bizarre future helps people decouple a lot of their own baggage and engage with the concepts a bit more.

Q: The fact that there is a website dedicated to your work is an indication that interaction with your readers is important to you as an author. How special is it to have the chance to interact directly with your fans?

I love answering questions, blogging, and meeting my readers in person. They're the ones who spread the word, and that my career hangs on, and hey, they're cool enough to read my work, so that means they have to be people I'm interested in! :-)