Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.
In this instalment I spoke to David Annandale about his first Age of Sigmar novel, Neferata: Mortarch of Blood, which is available to order right now. As usual, let’s get straight to the questions and David’s answers.
Track of Words: What’s the elevator pitch summary for Neferata: Mortarch of Blood?
This is the story of two struggles Neferata faces to hold on to her throne. One is in the Age of Myth. The other is in the Age of Sigmar. Though a vast gulf of time exists between the two battles, they are also linked. The narrative weaves back and forth between the two eras.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters, and where and when is it set?
Neferata, of course, is the lead, and we see her deploy her formidable powers of deception and subterfuge. But she is also a dangerous foe on the battlefield, and we’ll see that too. In the Age of Myth, her principle foe is Mathas Hellezan, who leads a conspiracy of vampires and mortals to overthrow her. In the Age of Sigmar, in the wake of the razing of Nuhlamia during the Realmgate Wars, Neferata has lost control of a portion of her city to Venzor, a lieutenant of Arkhan’s. Venzor would like the entire city for himself. For that matter, so would Ruhok, a Mighty Lord of Khorne who is leading an army toward the city.
ToW: Is there anything that you’d recommend readers check out before reading this?
The events set in the Age of Sigmar take place in the immediate aftermath of C. L. Werner’s Lord of Undeath, so I would definitely recommend checking that out.
ToW: Why this story? What made you want to write this in particular?
The idea with this book was to firmly establish Neferata in the Age of Sigmar, drawing on the events she has already participated in, but also giving a sense of how much history she has in this realm. Neferata is a being of unimaginable age. It was fun to think about all the knowledge and wisdom she would accrue over that time, and also to think about how adaptable she must be to survive and thrive in age after age, through one cataclysm after another.
ToW: This is your first Black Library novel that isn’t 40k or Horus Heresy – did you find any new challenges writing in Age of Sigmar, compared to the settings you’re more familiar with?
I had written a few Age of Sigmar short stories before this, and I was just really getting the itch to write a novel for this line when Nick Kyme asked me if I would like to take on Neferata (cue much leaping about with joy!). Tackling a new setting certainly comes with some challenges, but the neat thing about writing for Age of Sigmar is that this setting really is new. It’s a universe that is developing and unfolding as we write, and that’s enormously exciting.
ToW: What were your main influences when writing it? Did you draw upon any real-life experience to help you plan or write it?
When Nick asked me to write Neferata, he suggested I think about the books something like “Crimson Peak meets House of Cards by way of Excalibur.” I love the idea of that mix, and so I’ve tried to keep the spirit of that inspired combination in mind. There are two other big influences. One, which shapes how I see Neferata, is Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari’s A Thousand Plateaus. Their concepts of smooth and striated spaces, and most particularly the figure of the nomad, are particularly important in this context. The work of Jacques Lacan also comes into play, but precisely how I will leave vague so I don’t get into spoilers.
ToW: How does the final product compare to your original concept? Has anything changed much from your first ideas?
The book is essentially the one that Nick and I first discussed a year ago. But my editor on it, Hannah Hughes, got me to bring the characters and events into a much tighter focus and better grounding when my initial drafting led me to get a bit carried away with the abstract.
ToW: How does this story compare to the rest of your work? Is it a familiar style, or a departure?
While this is a bit of a departure in that it is my first fantasy novel, it is also steeped in gothic horror, and that, of course, is my great love, so I should think readers familiar with my work will find themselves right at home there.
ToW: Do you have plans to continue any aspects of this story, or is it a standalone piece?
This is just the beginning! The goal is to follow this with a series of full-length novels. The curtain rises with Mortarch of Blood. Now a whole new adventure will begin. As I write this, I’m working on the outline for The Dominion of Bone.
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Thanks once again to David for taking the time to answer these questions. Keep an eye out for a review of Neferata: Mortarch of Blood just as soon as I get hold of a copy! If you fancy taking a look at some other Rapid Fire interviews, just click here.
Click here to buy Neferata: Mortarch of Blood.
If you’ve got any questions, comments or other thoughts please do let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or Twitter, or by emailing me at michael@trackofwords.com.