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 author Will McDermott, who’s back writing for Black Library after a 13 year hiatus with a brand new Necromunda novel – Soulless Fury, featuring the legendary D’onne Ulanti, more commonly known as Mad Donna. It’s available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats; read on to find out more about this story, its inspirations and why Necromunda stories are so much fun to write.
ToW: How would you describe your new novel Soulless Fury?
Will McDermott: Soulless Fury is basically a cat-and-mouse chase through the Underhive. Although the mouse is Mad Donna, so, I guess, it’s really more of a cat-and-bull-in-a-china-shop chase. When D’onne goes on one of her patented rampages, it’s up to Scrutinator Primus Servalen of the Palanite Enforcers to track her down and bring an end to the carnage.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
WM: On one side of the chase, the story follows Mad Donna and Dog, her Ogryn bodyguard. At this point in D’onne’s story, she has cut ties with all former associates and now travels alone (Dog doesn’t really count; he’s a loyal puppy that she abuses constantly).
On the other side is Scrutinator Primus Servalen. As an investigator and interrogator, she is without peer. Her talents have even earned her the notice of the Lord of Necromunda himself and she carries his personal seal, which can open any door. She is accompanied by her own faithful dog, a cyber mastiff designated KB-88.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
WM: The story takes place at a time after Mad Donna has severed ties with all of her previous associates. She no longer runs with the Escher, the Outlaws or the Orlocks. She is a loner who wreaks havoc wherever she goes and is driven by her deep desire to set the hive on fire and watch while it burns.
The action takes place in various locales. As a chase story, it is a bit of a travelogue. I purposely used some of the same locations Mad Donna visited in Survival instinct, written by Andy Chambers, as an homage to that novel, which really put Donna on the map. So, we start near Dust Falls in a town that has built up around the sludge vats inside the cliffs at the edge of the White Wastes. As the chase heats up, we travel down the Abyss to Down Town and out onto the Sump Lake.
ToW: Does this tie in to any of your previous Necromunda stories, or is it totally separate to them?
WM: Soulless Fury is a totally separate novel. None of the characters that had appeared in my previous novels show up here. We do get to meet many new minor characters that I hope will be as memorable as some I created for the Kal Jerico novels (like Seek and Destroy). One of my favorites is Karga, a Goliath female who runs a bar in Down Town and rides roughshod over her (much larger and tougher) brothers.
ToW: It’s been a while since you wrote your Kal Jerico novels – how did Soulless Fury come about, and what prompted you to choose this story to write in particular?
WM: I held a “real job” for many years (editing a magazine about mortgages, ugh) but when that ended, I wanted to get back to writing fiction again. I emailed Black Library to see if they had any opportunities. Then, in early 2019, they reached out to me with an offer to write a short story as a way to test the waters. I jumped at the chance and sent them several proposals. We moved forward on one (which, I think, will be published later this year, so I can’t talk about it yet).
Shortly after I finished my final draft on the short story, they asked if I’d like to submit a proposal for a novel. They were looking for a story to highlight the new take on Mad Donna and introduce Servalen. The chase idea came from Black Library. I added the reasoning behind the chase (an intriguing character that both women end up searching for throughout much of the novel). The folks at Black Library liked my proposal and I started writing.
ToW: How did you find going back to Necromunda after more than ten years away from the setting?
WM: It was tough at first. I had a lot of catching up to do, but two things helped. First, Will Moss (one of the editors helping run Black Library’s Necromunda line) is a great editor and is a wonderful storehouse of Necromunda information. He really kept me on track through the writing and revising. He also supplied a ton of resource material. Second, these two characters really came alive for me through the writing of the book. I know it’s a cliché, but I found myself really following the characters as they moved through the world. They even surprised me on more than one occasion. For example, Donna’s first escape from Servalen took me by complete surprise. I had no idea she was going to do that until it happened.
ToW: Did you find that you drew from different inspirations and influences this time around, compared to your previous Necromunda stories?
WM: Definitely. I’m at a different place in my life now than I was ten years ago. Seek and Destroy came out of watching my twin sons terrorize the house and Kal’s mastiff very much had the temperament of my dog at the time (a goofy golden retriever). And the Kal books were adventure stories with an attitude, while Soulless Fury is more of a thriller. You have the investigator who is hunting the loose cannon. It’s Jason Bourne or Jack Reacher, except neither of the main characters could be considered good (or evil, really — they each have elements of both in their make-up). So, you’re never really sure which one to root for at any given moment in the story, which I like a lot.
The other major influence that finds its way into this story is that I have, in my life, been surrounded by strong females. My wife, many of my friends, and one of the best bosses I have ever worked for, epitomize the strong female working hard in what is normally a man’s world. I try to bring a lot of that sense to both of these characters. They are among the best in the Underhive at what they do, male or female, and I was happy to be able to write them both as fully realized characters with motivations that reflect not just their roles in the story and the universe, but the fact they are women.
ToW: What appeals to you about writing Necromunda – and in particular Mad Donna – stories?
WM: One of the reasons I’ve written in a lot of fantasy and science fiction worlds is that I love writing action. I really relish a good battle scene, and Necromunda definitely allows me to break out the big guns (both figuratively and literally). The squad-based nature of the game plays well to my style of writing. I like small, intimate battles where there are moves and countermoves, but that a single shot or cut or blow and mean death. It’s very visceral and, to me, a real way to envision fights. Once they start, they don’t last long unless people are missing their targets, and the smartest (and fastest) person often wins.
And don’t get me started about Mad Donna. She is brutal and a true survivor. She will do literally anything to win a battle (or at least survive for the next fight). When her chainblade starts whirring and screaming, you know body parts are about to start flying. That’s a lot of fun to write.
ToW: What do you hope 40k and Necromunda fans will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
WM: Good question. It’s not all chases and battles. These two women represent two very distinct sides to life in Hive Primus (and the Underhive, especially). Servalen is on the side of law and order, while Donna is basically a chaotic primal force of nature. But the stability and peace that Servalen works for comes at a price. The Palanite Enforcers are often just as brutal while maintaining order as Donna is in her nihilistic pursuit of pure chaos.
As we progress through the story, both characters have their outer shells ripped off, which not only allows us a peek at their true inner selves, but allows us to glimpse some of the harsh truths about both their world and ours.
ToW: Do you have plans for any more Necromunda stories still to come?
WM: Definitely. As I mentioned, I have a short story in the can that I believe will be published in a future anthology. I also just finished another short story that I believe will come out around the same time as the novel. Can’t say more about that, but it definitely has some fun fight scenes. After that, I don’t know. I certainly hope to write more Necromunda novels. We’ll have to see.
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Many thanks to Will for taking the time to answer these questions! I’m sure I’m not the only person excited to read about Mad Donna’s latest exploits – check out my review of Soulless Fury here.
Click this link to pre-order Soulless Fury.
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.