Stephen Aryan’s debut fantasy novel, Battlemage (review), hit the shelves this past September. He kindly took some time out to talk to me about the novel, plus a few other things. Read on…
MC – Steve, thanks for taking to time to speak to us at SFFWorld about your debut novel, Battlemage. First things first, can you tell us a little about the book?
SA – Hey Mark, I’m very happy to talk to you about it. Battlemage is an epic fantasy story that is most definitely not set in our own world. It features non-human races and in your face magic in the shape of Battlemages, who are essentially wizards who have become nothing more than weapons of mass destruction. The finer and more delicate art of magic has been lost and to earn a living they’ve become protectors for hire. In this novel a war has dragged a large portion of the world into conflict and the story is told from three main points of view. The front line warriors, the Battlemages and those directing the troops, the Generals. There’s a lot of fighting, but also espionage, politics, religion and plenty of action.
MC – There definitely is plenty going on, and I particularly liked the way you interweaved each thread with the history of the world and its inhabitants. How thoroughly did you plan it all out before getting started?
SA – Pretty thoroughly. I’m definitely a planner and not someone who writes by the seat of their pants. I had all of the major characters, events and the main beats of the whole book down on paper before I started writing it. There was some creative wiggle room in there for me to explore between the milestones, so there was still some discovery during the writing process.
MC – It’s also pretty clear that there is much more going on in this world than we discover during Battlemage. How did you balance giving enough information to hook the reader, but not too much to give the game away?
SA – That’s very tricky do to and it required a bit of fiddling in the editing stage. In Battlemage I am introducing a whole new world, new races and lots of new characters, so I have to work hard to not slow down the book with too much exposition, and keep the story moving. At the same time I have to give the reader enough so that they understand what is going on, where they are, and the stakes involved in any given situation. I trimmed out some fat and world building stuff in an earlier draft, as the start of the book was much slower. Some of the information I trickled in throughout the book, but the majority of it came out completely. Hopefully if the reader is interested and wants to know more they will come back for more adventures and slowly the world will open up to them with each new story.
MC – I, for one, am very interested and want to know more – you’ve created a very interesting world. What were your influences for Battlemage, and just in general?
SA – Without a doubt the biggest influence on my work is David Gemmell. I’ve had a couple of people comment on Battlemage and they’ve said it reminds them of his work in terms of style, which I take as an enormous compliment. Other early influences from my childhood are David Eddings, Terry Brooks, the DragonLance novels by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and the Earthsea books by Ursula Le Guin. I’ve been reading fantasy novels all my life, so I’m sure there are lots of other things that have seeped in from modern authors. For example some of the grit from James Barclay is definitely in the mix. However I’m also consciously featuring some older elements that I’ve not seen as often in modern fantasy, such as overt magic and non-human races, and mix it with modern storytelling, while putting a twist on certain familiar archetypes. I’m also influenced by some very well-known writers outside of fantasy, such as Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and TV/film writers like JMS and Joss Whedon. There are lots more, but those are the ones I can reach for the easiest.
MC – Even though I’m not a huge fantasy reader I did spot some of the older genre elements you mentioned, and you’ve done a great job of shining them up for today’s audience. While you’ve listed some of the older well known authors there, are there any more recent authors who have inspired you?
SA – Definitely. I admire many modern authors and they spur me on to improve my own work. Authors such as Jim Butcher, Mike Carey, Peter V. Brett, Scott Lynch, Joe Abercrombie, Patrick Rothfuss, Alden Bell, Chris F. Holm, Chris Wooding, Greg Rucka, Tad Williams, Douglas Hulick, Jen Williams, Den Patrick, Peter Newman, Mike Shevdon, China Miéville. The list goes on and on.
MC – How much reading for pleasure do you get these days? And had anything in particular stood out recently?
SA – Not as much as I’d like. In the last 2 years my pace has been particularly slow as I’ve been busy working on my trilogy. Particular standouts from the last few years include, Exit Kingdom by Alden Bell (sequel to The Reapers are The Angels), The Copper Promise by Jen Williams, The Boy with the Porcelain Blade by Den Patrick, The Vagrant by Peter Newman, The Oversight by Charlie Fletcher, The Girl with All the Gifts by Mike Carey, Sworn in Steel by Douglas Hulick (sequel to Among Thieves). I’ve also only recently started reading Robin Hobb for the first time and, as everyone told me, they are amazing. So I’m taking my time and savouring them.
MC – Each author has their own story of getting an agent, a publisher, and finally seeing their book on the shelves. Can you share yours with us?
SA – It’s a long, long story. So long in fact I wrote a two part blog post on my website about it here http://stephen-aryan.com/2014/07/29/how-i-found-an-agent-part-1/ and here http://stephen-aryan.com/2014/07/31/how-i-found-an-agent-part-2/.
The short version is that I have been writing for many years, and Battlemage is my eighth or ninth complete novel. I submitted to agents many times over the years, and received many rejections. This was starting in the days when the Internet was in its infancy and everything was done on paper, with a self addressed envelope with return postage. I mostly wrote fantasy novels, but also dabbled with crime, SF, horror and short stories. I returned to my first love, fantasy, with Battlemage and then submitted it to Juliet Mushens. She read the first few chapters, asked for the full manuscript and then asked if I could visit her offices in London to discuss the book and possible representation. About two years on from that first meeting, and after several edits with Juliet and then with my publisher Orbit, the book hit the shelves last month. Seeing it on the shelves is an amazing feeling. The best thing has been when people all over the UK and then the world, send me photos of Battlemage in their local bookshop. Someone tweeted me a photo of themselves in Taiping, Malaysia with a copy of Battlemage which is probably the country the furthest away from England so far. I’m waiting for Australia or New Zealand, which will just pip it to the post for distance!
MC – You’re on the road to global domination! You’re also a big comic reader and have some leanings towards writing in that medium – can you tell us a little about that?
SA – I’ve been reading comics since I was very young and have been writing comics for quite a long time too. Next year I will actually have some more concrete news on at least one project that should come to fruition. I’m co-writing a couple of projects with a friend, Pete Rogers, and there are some samples of art floating around on the internet. Writing comics is very different to novels. It’s a lot more collaborative as there are normally 2 storytellers, you and the artist. So there’s three with Pete, Maysam our artist, and I. It uses a different set of writing muscles and I’m constantly learning about what works on a page and doesn’t.
MC – Perhaps we’ll see a Battlemage comic/graphic novel in the future too?!
SA – Who knows! Maybe one day, or a fill -n graphic novel for more stories between the books.
MC – I’ll certainly keep my fingers crossed that something along those lines sees the light of day at some point 🙂
Now, not that you clearly aren’t busy enough with novel writing and comic happenings, but you also co-host the Bags of Action and Comic Book Outsiders podcasts, and have been involved with the Nineworlds podcast track in the past. How did the podcasting come about?
SA – When I started podcasting, 8 years ago, we had a sign on our table at a comic book convention that said ‘Ask us about podcasting’. People would regularly come up to the table and ask ‘What’s a podcast?’ Back then not that many podcasts were being produced and it was a very new technology. I started because the few podcasts I listened to back then were talking about a lot of mainstream comics and I was reading more stuff outside the main publishers. I knew they weren’t getting as much attention because they were less well known, so I wanted to spread the gospel, as it were. So, a friend and I started CBO to discuss comics from Image, Dark Horse, Boom!, IDW, Dynamite, Oni and indy publishers. We added different segments and over the years the show has evolved, where we now talk about a mix of mainstream and independent comics, movies and TV. We’ve interviewed a whole host of creative people from writers to film directors and all sorts of people with unique projects. Once a month I record CBO with Scott, and I also indulge my love of action movies with a monthly dose of Bags of Action, which I record with my other co-host Pete.
I got involved with the podcasting track at Nineworlds when Barry Nugent, from Geek Syndicate, asked me to lend a hand. We had panel discussions, a geek themed quiz, educational panels to help people who want to get started with podcasting and a guest speaker. This year, Scott, Barry and I, ran it together and as well as more awesome panels and another great guest speaker, we had the 2nd Annual Podcaster Games, the ultimate geek quiz and another team of podcasters went home with the coveted golden microphone awards!
MC – And when you’re not doing all of the above, what do you do to relax?
SA – I really enjoy good storytelling, on TV and in films. It used to be there was so little genre TV or quality films. Now there is so much stuff I can’t keep up! So when I’m not watching geek-related TV shows or reading books or comics, I’m out walking in the countryside, usually on my way to a local pub to sample some real ale and tasty grub. I took up archery last year and am still getting to grips with it. I find it very challenging but also very relaxing.
MC – Back in the day we used to review together at Walker of Worlds – how does it feel to be on the receiving end of reviews rather than dishing them out?!
SA – It feels very strange indeed! When you and I were doing book reviews on WoW, if we didn’t like something we would take the time to say why. We never just wrote ‘This book was awful!’ and didn’t explain where we struggled. I know how long it takes to write a book, never mind get it published, so we always took the time to articulate our reaction, positively or negatively, and I think that’s a reasonable expectation from any reviewer.
MC – Personally, I really enjoyed the novel, but have you come across anyone that didn’t? Do you read all reviews for Battlemage?
SA – I don’t read reviews as a rule, but I do look at those that are sent to me. I’ve decided on that approach after speaking to friends who are authors and listening to their experiences. Also I remember a great story Patrick Rothfuss told about how no matter how many good reviews you have, the bad one will sit on top in your mind and you can’t look past it to see the good ones underneath.
MC – Sounds like a good rule to live by! Before I leave you to some peace, can you give any hints at what we can expect in the next novel, Bloodmage?
SA – The Age of Darkness is not a typical trilogy where each book is only one third of the story. Each book is fairly self-contained so there is a complete and satisfying story, but there are dangling plot threads and ideas that are picked up in the next book, and the three form a larger story. Bloodmage is set a year after the events of Battlemage, and the main characters are not the same as the first book. But that’s not to say familiar faces are not in the story! Bloodmage has a strong crime element to the story and the magic we see is quite different to Battlemage as there is a mix of overt and subtle magic. The story is mostly focused around one city in the West, and the fragile peace that exists is being threatened. It features criminals and spies, a serial killer and one or two surprises along the way.
MC – Sounds great – I’ll be looking forward to it! A big thanks for taking the time to talk to me, Steve – anything else you want to add?
SA – I’ll be at the one day SLEDGE-LIT event in Derby on Saturday 21st November if anyone wants to chat in person.
MC – I’ll see you there at the bar for a nice cold pint!
