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 Black Library author Darius Hinks about his new novel Blackstone Fortress: Ascension, the follow up to his excellent 2018 novel Blackstone Fortress. It’s available to pre-order in a variety of formats – including a swanky Special Edition hardback – and promises to be another tremendously entertaining 40k novel exploring the stranger, darker corners of the setting. If you haven’t already checked out Black Library’s range of Blackstone Fortress stories, now is as good a time to start as any!
Over to Darius for the lowdown on the novel, and some of the great characters it features…
Mauro Belfiore’s beautiful cover art for Blackstone Fortress: Ascension
ToW: How would you describe Blackstone Fortress: Ascension?
Darius Hinks: On the Western Reaches of the galaxy, a mysterious, deadly star fort called the Blackstone Fortress is transforming itself, entering a new stage of its existence. Geomagnetic storms are lashing the treasure hunters who came to plunder it and, as the Blackstone changes, its weapon systems are coming online and a host of new threats are rising from its depths. Rogue trader, Janus Draik, abandons his personal agendas and leads a last-ditch attempt to avert a galactic catastrophe but, as the situation worsens, he finds that his time in the fortress has changed him in ways he could never have predicted.
In this novel, the story of the Blackstone Fortress shifts from one of treasure-hunters risking their lives, to a tale of disparate, mis-matched heroes finding themselves on the front line in the battle for the Imperium’s survival.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
DH: Janus Draik is the hero of the novel. He’s an aristocratic rogue trader who came to the Western Reaches to rebuild his fortunes, but, in this novel, we find out how profoundly his time on the Blackstone Fortress has transformed him. He’s accompanied by a disparate cast of characters, many of whom appeared in the various Blackstone Fortress games. The religious zealots, Taddeus and Vorne feature prominently. The kroot tracker, Grekh, plays a key part in the story, as do the unscrupulous ratlings, Rein and Raus. Draik’s companions, Audus and Isola are still with him and a duplicitous alien called the Archivist is also a key player in the novel.
ToW: Presumably it’s set – at least mostly – in Precipice and upon the Fortress itself; how would you describe these two locations to someone who isn’t familiar with them?
DH: Precipice is an anomaly in 40k. Thanks to a fragile truce, xenos and human explorers live alongside each other. It’s a great chance to explore tensions and rivalries as former enemies are forced to work together. The Blackstone Fortress is a vast star fort of unknown origin that has lured the above-mentioned explorers with rumors of priceless xenotech and mysterious relics. In this novel, however, we find out that it’s far more than just a drifting reliquary.
ToW: Is this a direct follow-on from your first Blackstone Fortress novel? Is there anything else readers should check out before making a start on this?
DH: Yep, it’s a direct sequel. I’ve tried to write it in a way that means it works as a standalone but it will definitely be more fun if you’ve read the first novel. Fans of the setting should probably dig out the whole range of Blackstone Fortress fiction, but I’d definitely recommend reading Nick Kyme’s Rein and Raus stories [Motherlode and The Last of the Longhorns] as those two reprobates play a big part in this book (and I think they’re my favourite 40k characters).
ToW: It sounded like you enjoyed writing the first novel – how did you find returning to Draik and the Fortress?
DH: I enjoyed it even more the second time round. I really felt like I was getting to know the characters and, to be honest, I made the book far longer than I intended because I was enjoying spending time with them. Usually I have several crises of confidence when I’m writing a novel, but this one was fun from beginning to end.
ToW: With much the same elements – the characters, Precipice, the Fortress itself – how did you go about setting this apart from the first book?
DH: It’s hard to explain without spoilers, but that wasn’t really a problem. The situation on Precipice and the Blackstone changes drastically near the start of this book, as do the goals of the adventurers, so it’s an inherently different story.
ToW: You’re pretty much the Blackstone Fortress expert these days – what would you say it offers as a setting which sets it apart from the main range of 40k stories?
DH: Normally, most of these characters would gun each other down on sight. It’s great fun watching them have to work together. Also, we’re away from the usual 40k frontline battle scenes, so the Blackstone Fortress stories have a different pace and flavour.
ToW: Finally, which character in your Blackstone Fortress stories have you had the most fun writing about, and why?
DH: The ratlings, Rein and Raus. They’re hilarious but also kind of endearing. They’re scumbags but they’re scrappy, determined survivors and they always stick up for each other. I think they kind of embody 40k. I love the idea of writing a Rein and Raus novel, actually (glances hopefully at the BL editors).
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As always, thanks so much to Darius for taking the time to answer these questions! If this has got you interested in Darius’ other Blackstone Fortress stories then you can check out my review of the first novel here, and the audio drama The Beast Inside here.
See also: RAPID FIRE: Darius Hinks Talks Blackstone Fortress.
Pre-order Blackstone Fortress: Ascension.
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.