Welcome to this Track of Words Author Interview, in which I chat to author S.A. Sidor about his new novel The Last Ritual, his first for Aconyte Books. It’s the second Aconyte novel to be set in the world of Arkham Horror (after Josh Reynolds’ Wrath of N’Kai), and looks like being a fascinating read for horror fans and Arkham aficionados alike. Keep an eye out for the ebook and the US paperback edition releasing on the 3rd November, with the UK paperback edition coming a little bit later on the 10th December.
Without further ado, let’s get straight on with the interview!
Track of Words: How would you describe your new novel The Last Ritual?
S.A. Sidor: A mad surrealist’s art threatens to rip open the fabric of reality, in this twisted tale of eldritch horror and conspiracy, from the wildly popular world of Arkham Horror.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
SAS: Alden Oakes is a wealthy young painter searching for an artistic vision. Nina Tarrington is a writer digging into a series of strange ritualistic murders. They find their way to the New Colony, a secretive art commune in Arkham. A famously flamboyant Spanish surrealist arrives in town to inspire the art world and shred the veil between our dimension and what lies beyond. What will happen when they meet? Who will survive?
ToW: For anyone not familiar with the world of Arkham Horror, how would you describe the setting and your particular take on it?
SAS: Simply put, the world of Arkham Horror to me is a mash-up of 1920s pulp noir and the Cthulhu Mythos. I took a native son of Arkham, who happens to be a painter, and put him on the cusp of the Surrealist Movement as well as a dimension-shattering series of sinister magical happenings in his old hometown. I built the story on a trio of society parties where the artistic movers and shakers of Arkham meet to indulge and take part in their ‘rituals’.
ToW: What appeals to you about Arkham Horror and the Lovecraft mythos as a setting for writing novels?
SAS: The Lovecraft mythos has evolved into a fertile and diverse universe that continues to expand well beyond the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. As a reader, I prefer the riffs on the original. Lovecraft’s strength lies not so much in character and plot as a sense of existential dread and paranoia. Horror is all about tone. The world of Arkham Horror is full of great characters (investigators), and the gameplay creates an improvisational plot that’s new each time you open the box. I love that. Making my own characters and dropping them into this well-established, eerie world was cool.
ToW: Where did this specific story come from? Of all the Arkham Horror stories you might have written, what made you choose a surrealist art angle for this novel?
SAS: It started with an investigator from the game: Preston Fairmont. Preston comes from Arkham’s elite upper class. I wondered, “Who might his friends be?” Like the Great Gatsby and his cohorts, they party in the roaring twenties while doom gathers around them like fog. What monsters lurk in the fog? Would an artist see what others miss? Would he surrender to his surreal visions? These were the questions I asked myself.
ToW: How did you find working with the combination of surrealism and horror? Was it a natural fit for you, with both dealing with the idea of making the familiar appear strange?
SAS: Surrealism and horror both rebel against norms. They also insist that “all is not what it seems.” The rejection of order in favor of chaos is at the heart of the Lovecraftian threat. The Surrealists embraced dream logic over consciously controlled thought. Their manifesto openly renounced reason, as well as aesthetic and moral preoccupations. Surrealism is in constant friendly dialogue with horror. It was easy to find connections.
ToW: Could you tell us a bit about the influences you drew upon while writing this book, whether that’s specific elements of the game itself, or elsewhere in wider fiction or the real world?
SAS: From the real world, the biggest influence was a recent trip (pre-pandemic) I took to Cadaqués, Spain where I visited Salvador Dalí’s home in Portlligat. I’ve been a fan of Dalí’s art since I was a teenager. Seeing his home and how he not only painted in a surreal style but viewed his entire world through a surrealistic lens stuck with me. I’ve also been a reader of Lovecraft since high school. One of my favorite stories is Pickman’s Model, which deals with the entanglement of the artist with the visionary and otherworldly, even monstrous, sources of inspiration. I wanted to play with that.
For more S.A. Sidor try his Institute for Singular Antiquities series from Angry Robot
ToW: What do you hope readers will get out of this by the time they’ve finished it?
SAS: The best books are like a shared dream. When you close the book, it’s like waking up with the last wisps of the dreamscape swirling around you, already disappearing. I hope readers have an entertaining time in this nightmarish but strangely alluring world. I want them to feel satisfied and have a desire to go back again. I want them to feel something. If a reader wonders if they’ve walked into a haunted, surreal painting, then I’ve gotten things right.
ToW: Do you have more stories planned for these characters in future?
SAS: We conceived The Last Ritual as a stand-alone. That way the stakes are at their highest, and all options are on the table for the main characters. They may live, or die, or be lost in madness or another dimension forever. Investigators from the game play significant roles in defeating evil as well. And they will go on to fight again, as they should.
ToW: Can you tell us anything about what you’re working on with Aconyte for future release, or anything else you’ve got in the pipeline?
SAS: I love working with the team from Aconyte. Marc Gascoigne, my publisher, and Lottie Llewelyn-Wells, my editor, are absolutely the tops. I’ve never had more fun writing. I pitched them a few ideas they liked. The idea behind Aconyte is tremendously exciting. Merging the worlds of games and books deepens the experience for readers and players. And they’re a natural fit. I’d love to play a part in exploring that concept further. We’ll see!
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Big thanks to author S.A. Sidor for taking the time to answer these questions! If you don’t already, you can follow him on Twitter to keep up with news of future writing projects.
I don’t know about you but I’m looking forward to reading The Last Ritual, and I’ll be sure to get a review ready as soon as I can…
See also: my review of Wrath of N’Kai by Josh Reynolds
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