What does everyone think of James Barclay?

James Barclay...

Where's your forum?

I'm reading Cry of the Newborn and enjoying it!

MASSIVE book. James, can you tell us a little bit about your vision for this ambitious book, how did it feel to leave the Raven world?

Also, your main character, is a warrior taxman! I've never seen that before, can you tell us a bit about where that came from and how you researched the character and indeed, the premise of Martial Tax Enforcers, or Gatherers, as you call them?

Cheers
 
Hi Juzzza,

Ah, the forum... it has temporarily bitten the dust, I'm afraid. Not sure why. We're moving to a hopefully more robust system and paying more attention to some of the threads with the higher post counts when it relaunches. Haven't got a date but it won't be long.

It was very strange to leave The Raven. But it was utterly necessary for me to break out and do something totally different. I'd had the kernel of the idea of Cry of the Newborn knocking around my head since 1988 and it matured very slowly over the years. The base premise is about the birth of magic in a world that had not seen the like before - that was the fascinating part, what the effects on society would be. Huge, was my conclusion. All based in a roman-esque world because I didn't want to write medieval fantasy this time and I absolutely love the Roman model. Plenty of legions marching to war, senators lounging around in togas, that sort of thing. :)

As for my warrior taxman, Paul Jhered he's called, I set out with the intention of creating an elite fighting force (Raven readers will have seen such things before) and then decided to give them a fitting job. Tax collecting is the most despised role but also the most important in an empire so sprawling as the Estorean Conquord. It demands a big organisation that can defend itself and it needs a hugely powerful character to be the figurehead. Hence Jhered.

The Gatherers are revered as much as they are hated. Every soldier wants to be asked to join. Every tax dodger hates the sight of their cloaks. Every village under threat from raiders views them as saviours. Depends on your point of view. At stake, though, is the continued success and expansion of the empire and that means you cannot cut corners. Money has to be raised.

And Jhered himself? Didn't take much researching at all. I based him on a very good friend both in terms of physical presence and character. A man whose heart goes into every word he says and every action he takes. Incorruptible, fearless, courageous and with an unshakeable belief in his calling, his ruler and himself. A man who you would not wish to be against you and who chooses his friends carefully and sticks with them for life. He would die for those he loves and for his country. I could go on but I won't. Love him to bits. My best character to date.

I hope that helps but please ask away if you need more.

NOM
 
For what it's worth, highly recommended by me too: review HERE. and Interview HERE.

review said:
At the risk of sounding clichéd, if you want an epic Fantasy, then this comes highly recommended. What makes James’ book stand out from the majority of similar sounding Fantasy is that this is more than just ‘another Fantasy’, and pleasingly well written to be different from the usual.

I can see this being one of my favourite reads of the last few years. I look forward to the second book, A Shout for the Dead, due out late 2006.
Click to expand...

...for which I'm trying to clear shelves, ready. :)

Hobbit
 
Yep. A copy made its way across the pond to the states. It's sitting on my shelves waiting for the TBR pile to get shaved down a bit.
 
Laziness really,I could do a search and find the answer but Shout of the Dead is due out later this month isn't it? And set about 20 years after Cry of the Newborn?
 
Shamefully, I delivered A Shout For The Dead somewhat late. It's due out in mid-November. At the typesetters now, I believe.

It's set ten years after the first one, as it happens, making the original Ascendants twenty-four years old. This was to give the world time to recover, the empire to pick itself up and begin to come to terms with the new power and for the Ascendants themselves to mature.

NOM
 
Nothing shameful about that, Nom!

Ask George R R Martin!

How much research did you do on Romans, were you interested in this topic before planning the series... also, how on earth did you reasearch the tax angle, or is this just something you already knew from bitter experience with all those royalties, heh?
 
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I did a lot of research on the Romans, a civilisation I've always admired. I reckon I used about five percent of the information I assimilated - I was determined not to info dump but only include that which was necessary to illustrate the story. So I looked deeply into military life, political and religious life, society, economy and culture. It was far more than strictly necessary but I look at it like this... you cannot write a summary if you do not know all that you are summarising. Stands to reason.

A quick name-check here... Adrian Goldsworthy. Excellent historian, expert on Roman civilisation and particularly the military. For those wanting to know about how the great generals fought their battles, read In The Name Of Rome. It is a superb account.

As for taxation, that was part of the research. I had a look at various ancient taxation systems and cobbled together one I thought robust enough to keep the Conquord running. Money is the lifeblood of an expanding empire but it is important that citizens see a return on the tax they are paying beyond more legions marching to war. There are growing social issues in the books because ordinary people think taxes too harsh and protection too thin. And tax doesn't just come in cash terms... men, horses, foodstuffs etc, all can be levied and that can hurt the individual. One of the things I touch on is that an empire which gets the balance wrong... too few people to farm the fields, too many soldiers on the move, too much expansion too quickly... can implode at a frightening rate if just one factor turns against it.

NOM
 
Hi James,

I read your first book when it came out but didn't follow it up (not for any particular reason - I did enjoy it). Anyway, I'm thinking of contributing to your royalties and buying the next Raven book but I can't remember anything that happened in the first. I don't like re-reading books (and don't have it at the moment anyway); do you know of any plot summaries out there so I can refresh my memory.

Cheers
 
Hi Steve,

Thanks for thinking of offering a few coppers to help a poor author :)

Much appreciated. As for plot summaries, hmmm. There is the official sffworld review which is here:

http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/14.html

That might tweak the old memory. Understand you not wanting to reread books... I rarely do it myself.

Obviously I can't give away the ending here but suffice to say that, it being a Raven novel, the good guys do win, sort of, but not all of them live to see the end and there are consequences. Lots of consequences.

NOM
 
Hopefully it will come back to me. All I can really remember is some sort of canyon where lots of people get killed and a big hall of some description at the end.

I like the covers of the later editions (the ones in the shop now) of the series. I have one of the early ones and its not as good IMO.
 
I'm a little late to the scene, but I got to chime in on how much I've enjoyed reading The Raven. I just finished Demonstorm a couple of days ago, and it's like I'm finally able to get a breather - the frenetic pace of the Legends books is amazing.

James Barclay has the rare ability to write pulse pounding action with incredible feats of bravado, and still have genuinely emotional moments. A great example is the climax of Demonstorm. It's a testament to his skill that a minor character like Ark got such a kick ass moment, an iconic image of heroic fantasy that even Frank Frazetta or Boris Vallejo would be proud of.

Mr. Barclay has made my short list of writers whose books are automatic purchases.
 
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That's nice. I don't know how official it is, but here's a picture of the proposed cover for Shout for the Dead:

0575076216.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V64042325_.jpg


Really like that one. (Even if it says Book One! Note: Later changed to Book Two...)

And according to that reliable source known as Amazon, due out in the UK 16th November.

On the Christmas list!

Hobbit
 
Tis a good cover indeed, I like it a lot. Yep, mid-November is a pretty accurate publication date, I'd say. Fingers crossed... I should say, by the way, that the cover is still a mock up. It is subject to change.

Thanks, Wu-Z, for your comments. Very much appreciated. I am flattered.

NOM
 
Any update on the publishing date for A Shout for the Dead? Amazon.co.uk has it for Jan 2007.
 
Killer Chicken said:
Hey now, no attempted assinations... Just to make this clear, I am not, I repeat, not Terry Goodkind.
Click to expand...

Well you would say that wouldn't you Terry:p

Got Dawnthief on my to read pile.

Joe Abercrombie (The Blade Itself) posts on here under his own name.
 
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Yep, fraid so. 4th Jan to be precise. Production issues it seems. Typesetting took a huge amount of time. Bizarre since the text was supplied on disc but there you go. Disappointing but these things happen to the best of us, I guess.

And as for that Joe, well, subtley was never his strong point if you ask me... as for me, my cunning disguise had people fooled for seconds, literally. Ha! I am the master of subterfuge and none shall know my true identity. I will outwit you all.

Cheers
James

I mean, NOM, of course.

Oh drat.
 
Well I finally took the plunge and bought the first three Raven books off Amazon.co.uk (only 3.99 each, hurry while stocks last! ;) ) I'd been meaning to read some of NOM's stuff for a while, especially after I found out the type of novels that they are (ie, high-octane fantasy with plenty of deaths ;) ).

I'm a little over halfway through Dawnthief and am enjoying it. I think maybe Talan and Richmond could have done with a little more depth to them, but a debut novel is always going to have one or two flaws (pretty minor ones in this case). Otherwise I think it is an exciting story and I particularly like the way the magic works, and the different colleges, etc. Interesting idea and of course makes for good storylines. :)

So, good stuff so far NOM. Oh, I also picked up Cry of the Newborn in a charity shop for like a couple of quid. That was definitely steal of the month!
 
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