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 Gav Thorpe about his latest 40k novel Wild Rider, the second in his Rise of the Ynnari series after the excellent Ghost Warrior, and which is available to order right now.
As usual, let’s get straight to the questions and Gav’s answers.
Track of Words: What’s the elevator pitch summary for Wild Rider?
Gav Thorpe: Having spent most of his life speeding away from his responsibilities, Wild Lord Nuadhu Fireheart cannot run any longer when he awakens the ancient threat of the necrons. Short of friends among the clans of Saim Hann he must seek alliance from beyond the craftworld and finds common cause with Yvraine and the Ynnari.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
GT: The novel focuses on Yvraine and Nuadhu. Yvraine is the Emissary of Ynnead, the aeldari god of the dead, and is seeking five mystical Croneswords to bring forth her deity to save the aeldari from the curse of Slaanesh. Nuadhu is Wild Lord of Saim Hann craftworld, heir to his clan’s leadership and famed for his daring in battle. We also return to Aradryan, who was last seen at the end of the Path of the Outcast, a newcomer to the ranks of the Ynnari.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
GT: It takes place around the current timeline for 40K – so part of the Dark Imperium era. The action is split between the craftworld Saim Hann and a maiden world that has been discovered to actually be a necron Tomb World.
ToW: Is there anything that you’d recommend fans check out before reading this?
GT: While it’s not essential to read the first book of the Rise of the Ynnari, Ghost Warrior, it does follow on from that book. Also there’s a short story, Fireheart, that looks at how Nuadhu precipitated the events of Wild Rider. Another short story, Shadow of Heaven, shows how Aradryan is drawn into the orbit of Yvaine and her followers.
ToW: Why this story? What made you want to write this in particular?
GT: The Rise of the Ynnari is an opportunity to explore all parts of aeldari society and characters, so having revisited one of the older characters – Iyanna Arienal in Ghost Warrior – it seemed a good idea to take a look at another of the larger craftworlds. I created the character of Nuadhu Fireheart for the Codex: Craftworld Eldar at the same time and that gave me a good launch point. As I expanded on ideas about Yvraine and her quest it occurred to me that pitching her against the Necrontyr, ancient enemies of the aeldari, would give a wonderful context to Ynnead, the cycle of the aeldari and other aspects of their cosmology.
ToW: What were your main influences when writing it?
GT: As always with the aeldari it was the extant background, teasing out themes and ideas that run through the material for three decades now. I love to find a little nugget of old lore and give it some new relevance.
ToW: How do you structure the middle installment in a trilogy? Is there anything in particular that you aim for, whether that’s narratively, structurally or anything else?
GT: It can be a real difficulty, but thankfully the Rise of the Ynnari is a series of connected stories rather than a single ongoing narrative. There’s a chronology starting with Ghost Warrior but each novel will be self-contained, and that removes any ‘middle book syndrome’.
ToW: How does the final product compare to your original concept? Has anything changed much from your first ideas?
GT: There’s much more about Nuadhu and his family relationships than I first envisioned, fleshing out the Fireheart clan. Also, exploring Yvraine’s motivations has led into some new areas too, which I’ll continue to expand on in future books hopefully.
ToW: How does this story compare to the rest of your work? Is it a familiar style, or a departure?
GT: It’s very much like Ghost Warrior, and I’d say Legacy of Caliban, with multiple points of view and storylines all building to the big finale. A conceit I’ve been using for this series is that each book is sort of narrated by one of the minor characters, bringing a slightly different authorial voice to each one. I wonder if readers can guess who might be relating the events of Wild Rider?
ToW: What can you tell us about what we can expect from the third book in the Rise of the Ynnari trilogy?
GT: It’s got the working title Queen of Blades. I think that probably says a lot already for those that know their aeldari…
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Thanks as always to Gav for taking the time to answer these questions. Keep an eye out for a review of Wild Rider coming soon!
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.