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 George Mann about his latest 40k audio drama Soulbound, which is available to order direct from Black Library, or alternatively on Audible.
As usual, let’s get straight to the questions and George’s answers.
Track of Words: What’s the elevator pitch summary for Soulbound?
George Mann: A squad of super elite Raven Guard, the Shadowmasters, are sent to the planet Delephron to infiltrate a speeding mag-train and retrieve some information that risks bringing their Chapter into ill repute. Only, what’s waiting for them on the mag-train isn’t at all what they expected…
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
GM: The main characters are the four Shadowmasters who make up the squad: Qeld and Illith, both Shadow Captains pulled from their own companies; Artarix, a sergeant who’s nevertheless exhibited the ability to ‘shadow walk’; and Mordren, a Captain from the Knights of the Raven successor Chapter, whom the others are somewhat unsure of and whose methods are a little more direct than those of the Raven Guard.
In this story we’ve also got an Inquisition presence, comprising the sinister Interrogator Bledheim and a guest appearance from Inquisitor Sabbathiel, who’s a character I first introduced during my recent run of Warhammer 40,000 comics from Titan.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
GM: It’s set on the planet Delephron, and more specifically on board a speeding mag-train rushing through a desert between hive cities. There’s also a framing device set after the main action, during which one of the Shadowmasters is providing a mission debrief to Chapter Master Shrike. Listen closely to that. I’ll say no more for fear of spoilers!
ToW: Is there anything that you’d recommend checking out before listening to this?
GM: Soulbound can be appreciated on its own, but it also serves as the next installment in the story we began in last year’s The Geld, so if people wanted to hear more about the formation of the Shadowmasters squad and an earlier introduction to the characters, that’s where I’d suggest they start.
ToW: Why this story? What made you want to write this in particular?
GM: Stealthy Space Marines and a speeding train…surely that says it all!
ToW: What were your main influences when writing it? Did you draw upon any real-life experience to help you plan or write it?
GM: I think my main influences, although they might not seem initially obvious, were stories such as Murder on the Orient Express and, in particular, the movie Horror Express. I’ve also been reading a lot about the recent developments with the Death Guard, so some of that very much influenced the direction I took.
In terms of real-life experiences – while I’ve been on plenty of trains, I’m pleased to say I’ve never had to fight off plague raptors or hide from shadow walking Space Marines. At least not yet…
ToW: How does the final product compare to your original concept? Has anything changed much from your first ideas?
GM: The fantastic thing about writing audio is that they nearly always turn out better than you could have imagined. Once the actors get hold of your lines and bring their own interpretation to them, they really come to life in ways you weren’t expecting. The whole package – the performances, the sound design…I’m constantly blown away by the quality that Matt (the Producer at Black Library) is able to bring to each release.
ToW: How does this story compare to the rest of your work? Is it a familiar style, or a departure?
GM: I think it’ll feel pretty familiar to anyone who’s read my other 40K work (both prose and comics), although it’s a little different from my non-40K stuff, just in terms of tone. When I write 40K, I try very hard to capture the tone and mood of the setting, and my other writing tends to be a lot lighter.
ToW: You’re known for writing comics as well; do you find that there are similarities between writing comics and audios that help when you’re working on an audio drama?
GM: I think they’re similar in that they’re often about economy – with a comic you’re working within the confines of 22 pages, and with an audio you’re limited by scene length and overall running time. You’re also not writing the end product in either case – with a comic you’re writing for the artist who’s going interpret your words and turn them into images, and with an audio you’re writing for the actors and the sound designers.
There are also differences, though. With a comic you tend to write what happens between the action, in that you’re presenting a series of stills – cause and effect. You don’t show the punch being thrown, you show someone pulling their fist back, and in the next panel, the person they’ve hit is reeling. In an audio you’re mostly writing the action, and you’re thinking about how it will sound rather than how it will look, so they’re definitely different disciplines.
ToW: Do you have plans to continue any aspects of this story, or is it a standalone piece?
GM: I’d definitely love to return to these characters. I don’t want to give anything away, but if you listen to Soulbound, there might be some hints about what I’m hoping to do next…
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Many thanks to George for taking the time to answer these questions. As and when I get a copy of Soulbound I’ll be sure to post a review, so keep an eye out for that.
If you fancy taking a look at some other Rapid Fire interviews, just click here. 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.