Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with 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 veteran Black Library author Gav Thorpe about his new novel The First Wall, the third book in the Siege of Terra series. After its initial release in Limited Edition hardback in November 2019, it’s now available in standard formats, so if you want to find out what happens next in the concluding part of the Horus Heresy, now’s your chance. Here’s Gav to give you a head’s up on what to expect…
Track of Words: Congratulations on your 40th Black Library novel! To start things off, what’s the elevator pitch summary for The First Wall?
Gav Thorpe: The traitors have landed, they’re at the walls. This is the first proper clash between the Iron Warriors and the Imperial Fists, immovable object versus irresistible force.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
GT: There are three narrative strands to the book. The first is focused through the stories of Imperial Fist Captain Fafnir Rann and Forrix of the Iron Warriors. The second sees Amon of the Legiones Custodes teaming up with someone from the series’ distant past. The third follows a new character, Zenobi of the Addaba Free Corps, a volunteer Imperial Army detachment.
ToW: Can you talk a little about whereabouts this takes place on Terra, and at what point during the Siege?
GT: This immediately follows The Lost and the Damned, with the main battle being for possession of Lion’s Gate Space Port. Amon’s story takes him across the Sanctum Imperialis and into some of the zones ravaged by the Death Guard in previous attacks. Zenobi’s story starts in far off Afric and charts an arduous journey just to reach the battle zone.
ToW: Are there any key themes or ideas that you’ve focused on in this book, and which you can talk about without giving any spoilers?
GT: As I talk about more in my author’s notes for the Limited Edition, the main theme was attrition: physical, mental and spiritual. As the war intensifies, both sides are starting to come apart under the relentless pressure.
ToW: Aside from the first two Siege of Terra novels, are there any key Heresy stories or arcs that you would recommend readers are familiar with before starting this?
GT: It follows up characters from Graham McNeill’s Angel Exterminatus, while Amon first appeared in Dan Abnett’s Blood Games short story. Rann’s and Sigismund’s arc from Templar also continues. To be honest, there are so many strands going into the Siege of Terra at this point, we’re drawing on everything that has come before and there are references small and big to many other works from the series.
ToW: Like Guy’s The Lost and the Damned you’ve gone for a human protagonist for part of this story, but Zenobi is very different to Katsuhiro. Where did the inspiration come from for her character?
GT: I loved the Stalingradesque Katsuhiro narrative (and he gets a couple of scenes in The First Wall) but he is a conscript, and with Zenobi I wanted to show someone that believes in a cause and is eager to fight. It was a way of showing how the Heresy has affected Terrans beyond the obvious ‘getting bombed by heretics’ angle. And Addaba hive was another way to look at the Emperor and Unification.
ToW: What was your preparation for this book like? How much research did you have to do in order to make sure you had all of the details right?
GT: As we’ve all mentioned before, there’s a ridiculous amount going into each of these books, both directly and tangentially, as well as setting up strands that will feed into later titles. More specifically for this book I compiled a list of novels and stories and audios that were referenced totalling about 750,000 words to absorb! We are leaning heavily on each other in meetings and on email to make sure everything fits properly in terms of plot and characterisation.
ToW: Once that research was done, how did you find writing this in comparison with your previous Heresy stories?
GT: Hard but rewarding. Fitting in everything that needed to be covered, trying to get the balance between scale and personal stories, as well as jst getting things accurate, has been a labour. But also massively proud to have had this opportunity. I’m pleased with the final result but it was a long, hard road getting there.
ToW: Do you have a favourite element of the novel? Something you really enjoyed writing, or are particularly proud of?
GT: There’s a really short scene involving a couple of dockworkers from Lion’s Gate space port that really gives a view of the conflict from the bottom up. Aside from that, I really enjoyed writing Angron’s contribution.
ToW: Looking back on the Horus Heresy series, how do you feel now that we’re on the home straight?
GT: It’s a conflict of feelings – of pride but also sadness, all with a thick veneer of relief! To be part of what has become a unique publishing phenomenon is an immense privilege, and to be included in the writing team for Siege of Terra was an honour. Being part of the writing team has been immensely rewarding and not only has it been professionally rewarding, it’s been personally amazing – I have friendships that exist only because of this series!
ToW: What do you think young Gav – playing Adeptus Titanicus and Space Marine – would think if he/you knew that you would be writing this book and contributing to the Siege of Terra itself?
GT: I think he would have expected there to be more Titans! Most of all, young Gav would be astounded by the idea of there being an entire series on the Horus Heresy, never mind being a part of the writing team. I suspect he might also play the Horus Heresy board game a lot more in preparation.
ToW: What do you hope Horus Heresy fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
GT: First of all, I want them to enjoy the story, both in itself and as part of the larger narrative. I hope it does justice to some of the characters they have been following for all of this time, and to have some understanding of the very different, fractured forces, agenda and powers at work during the siege.
ToW: Finally, are there still stories you’re hoping to tell in the Horus Heresy setting, whether as part of the Siege of Terra or later, once the dust has settled?
GT: There are plenty of bits and pieces to fill in, like characters that may have moved off-screen during the siege, but they still have to be stories worth telling, not just boxes ticked off the completionist list. The thing is, if I spent time thinking about it I could come up with another half a dozen cool stories, but for the moment my brain is directed elsewhere. Until I spend that time, there’s nothing that I feel has been left out.
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As always, massive thanks to Gav for taking the time to answer these questions. If this has whetted your appetite for The First Wall, you can check out my review here. If you’d like to have a read of my reviews of some of Gav’s other Black Library stories you can find them all here.
Check out the main Horus Heresy reviews page on Track of Words.
Click this link to buy The First Wall, or this one for the audiobook version.
Click here if you fancy taking a look at some other Rapid Fire interviews. If you have any questions, comments or other thoughts please do let me know in the comments below, or find me on Twitter.