Regular Track of Words readers will probably be familiar with SFF author Danie Ware from her excellent IP fiction, but like many writers Danie also has a rich catalogue of original fiction with novels published by Titan Books and Fox Spirit Books, and short stories in all sorts of anthologies (there’s even a short story of Danie’s available to read for free right here on Track of Words!). As part of an ongoing series of ‘Spotlight On…’ author guest posts, I’ve invited Danie onto the site to tell us more about her original fiction, and in particular which books she recommends as starting points. So settle in, and get ready for some new books to hit your TBR list!
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Danie Ware: My original fiction starts in two places – with the Ecko trilogy (the first book is Ecko Rising), published by Titan, or with the standalone Children of Artifice, published by Fox Spirit.
Ecko Rising takes a cyberpunk assassin and drops him in a fantasy world. It’s a story about culture shock, not so much a blending of genres as a crashing them together to see what happens, and it’s definitely a Marmite thing – you’ll either love it or hate it. If you’re a gamer, I suspect you’ll get it – get my sense of humour, get Ecko’s personal sarcasm and bad language, get his slightly askance insights into the fantasy genre and its trusted tropes. But, while Ecko himself might have an attitude, he’s set against something that’s familiar and much more ‘old skool’ – a big, sweeping story, with a full map, proper heroes, welcoming taverns, epic battles, and steamingly huge bad guys who trash cities and whup ass. All of the good shit.
Ecko Rising is followed by Ecko Burning and Ecko Endgame!
At the end of the day, though, Ecko does have a ‘message’ of sorts. There are some subtle layers as to what Ecko really believes is happening to him, and it’s less a tale of ‘good vs evil’, and more about the might of sheer (and occasionally crazy) passion – the strength of belief, of utter recklessness, of the courage to face impossible odds. It’s also about the opposite of that passion, the cold, empty, grey ‘Nothing’ that is the absence of any feelings at all, and is perhaps the worst enemy of all.
Ecko has a lot of stuff you’ll recognise, from fantasy and cyberpunk both. And a lot of new ideas as well!
Children of Artifice is a very different book. It’s a queer romance, an adaptation of that age-old fairy story that’s the prince in his high tower and the common-born lover from the dockyards. It’s rich and sensual, a story about family and identity and about falling in love with someone you shouldn’t. It touches on disapproving parents, abusive relationships, the issues and expectations of your financial caste, and on what happens when you find love so completely unexpectedly.
It’s a very different book, for me, because I tend to write adventure stories. Artifice is more political, and quite intricate in terms of its relationships, both sexual and otherwise. It’s a deeply personal book, and something I remain genuinely proud of having written.
In both cases, just as a final note, the stories had been with me for a very long time. Ecko began life in my then-boyfriend’s front room in ‘91, when I started thinking about ‘bikers on horseback’ and made some notes about the Banned. Artifice was a couple of years later, with a short story called ‘Til Death Do Us Part, the original exploration of the Caph/Aden dynamic.
All of these characters have been on quite the journey, from imagination to print. It gives them a depth, I hope, a genuine reality and relatability. And I hope you enjoy discovering them!
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Thanks so much to Danie for giving us the lowdown on Ecko Rising and Children of Artifice. If you’re keen to get hold of one or both of these books, make sure you check out the links earlier in the article to order* them! In the meantime, here are a few useful links if you’d like to read more about Danie’s work:
Original fiction: Valkyrie by Danie Ware
All of my reviews of Danie’s work
All of the interviews I’ve done with Danie on Track of Words
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*If you buy anything using one of these links, I will receive a small affiliate commission – see here for more details.