Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, part of my ongoing series of quick interviews with authors talking about their new or upcoming books. 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 the fantastic Gareth L. Powell about his new novel Light of Impossible Stars, which is the third and final volume of his Embers of War trilogy. With the release of this book, all three novels are out now in paperback, ebook and audiobook formats from Titan Books, and if you’re after engaging, character-driven British space opera then this series should definitely be on your list. Especially if you’re a fan of worn-down, relatable characters and sentient, talking spaceships!
Without further ado, over to Gareth…
Track of Words: Light of Impossible Stars is the third book in the Embers of War trilogy; for anyone unfamiliar with the series so far, could you give a quick rundown on what to expect?
Gareth L. Powell: The Embers trilogy is a space opera set in the aftermath of a dreadful war between two human factions and follows a small group of characters from both sides of the conflict as they work together to come to terms with what they did and who they were. One of these characters is the sentient warship Trouble Dog, who has unexpectedly developed a conscience and now seeks to save rather than take lives.
ToW: Bearing that in mind, what’s the elevator pitch summary for Light of Impossible Stars?
GLP: Low on fuel and hunted by the Fleet of Knives, the Trouble Dog heads to the Intrusion – a place where reality itself becomes unstable. But with human civilisation crumbling, what difference can one battered old ship make against an invincible alien armada?
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
GLP: The main characters are the Trouble Dog, her captain, Sal Konstanz, a young scavenger named Cordelia Pa, and the warrior poet, Ona Sudak. The choices these four will make determine the fate of the universe.
ToW: Can you talk a little about the universe in which this series is set?
GLP: The trilogy is set a couple of hundred years after humanity has spread to the stars. We were rescued from a dying planet by an alien freighter that stumbled on the solar system and sold us the secret of FTL [faster than light] travel. So, it’s not a Star Trek future in which we solved all our problems before heading into space. In this universe, humanity dragged all its baggage with it, including factionalism and war. This results in an epic conflict known as the Archipelago War. Embers of War is set three years after the end of hostilities
ToW: How does this compare to the first two books in the series – have you taken it in a different direction, or given it a different tone this time around?
GLP: Light… is a direct continuation. The three books are one long story, and could easily be combined into a single volume.
ToW: I know you’re a huge fan of space opera as a subgenre, but this series is always focused on worn-down, tremendously relatable characters. Did that just come naturally to you, or was it a conscious decision to contrast the grand scope of the setting (complete with sentient, talking space ships) with these sorts of regular, very human characters?
GLP: I think I was influenced by Delany’s Nova and the Alien movies, which show space populated not by heroic types in capes and shiny boots, but by normal people doing their jobs and living their lives the best way they can. I wanted to show the lingering effects of the war for the grunts in the trenches, rather than the politicians and generals in their shiny palaces.
ToW: If you had to pick one book/series/author as the main influence on the Embers of War books, who or what would it be?
GLP: I just mentioned Nova by Samuel Delany. I would also include Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion series, and Iain M Banks’ Culture books.
ToW: What do you hope sci-fi and space opera fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
GLP: On the one hand, a page-turning adventure featuring relatable characters, with plenty of action and humour; on the other hand, some serious questions about war, humanity, and how much freedom we should or shouldn’t give up in exchange for security.
ToW: If someone finishes Light of Impossible Stars and wants to dig into your back catalogue, which of your other books would you recommend they start with?
GLP: The Recollection is another space opera with a sassy talking starship (I can’t get enough of them!).
ToW: Do you think you might come back at some point in the future and revisit this universe, whether with the same characters or not, or are you firmly looking ahead to new settings and universes?
GLP: This tale is told, and I have no plans to return. However, I won’t rule out further stories in this universe in the future, because you never know…
ToW: With that in mind, can you tell us anything about what you’re working on at the moment?
GLP: I’m currently writing two new standalone space operas for Titan Books.
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Thanks so much to Gareth for taking the time to answer these questions. I really can’t recommend this series enough – I had already read the excellent Ack-Ack Macaque (check out my review here) when I heard Gareth reading from Embers of War at an event several years ago, and I instantly knew I had to know more about the Trouble Dog and her crew. I had to wait a good year or so before Embers was released, but it was worth the wait – you can check out my reviews here for Embers of War and Fleet of Knives, which will hopefully give you a sense of just how good these books are. Keep an eye out for a review of Light of Impossible Stars as soon as I’ve been able to read it!
If you don’t already follow him, you can find Gareth on Twitter @garethlpowell, where he’s a fantastically positive, supportive presence, so make sure you check him out.
Click this link to buy Light of Impossible Stars, or here for the audiobook edition.
Click here if you fancy taking a look at some other Author Interviews. If you have any questions, comments or other thoughts please do let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter.
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