|
James Barclay's Published Titles The Ascendants of Estoria The Legends of the Raven The Chronicles of the Raven Additional Raven-related titles
|
|
Shout for the Dead (Victor Gollancz, January 2007) More info from Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract If I never have such trouble writing a book again, I will be a very happy man. And it had all started as smoothly as I had anticipated. With Cry of the Newborn safely away to the printers, I decided to get stuck straight into the second volume. All the ground work was done, the research was still fresh, the characters live in my imagination and I knew where the story was going. If writing a novel can ever be described as easy, this should have been so. But after maybe fifty pages into the first draft, I struck iceberg after iceberg. Now normally, I say to people: look, if you're stuck at any point, you might like to try just bullet pointing your intentions for the scene / chapter / whatever and then move on, coming back to it afresh in a week or so. So I tried that. And found the next iceberg right behind the one I'd just dodged. It took me far too long to realise that something absolutely fundamental was wrong. Even if it didn't necessarily impact on the meaning of the scene I was writing, it was there in the background saying... "yeah, but you see, this won't work. None of it'll work til you fix me, you know that, don't you?" I'm also a one for saying: Look don't plan too much. Get started, see where you are, know what happens at the end and the rest will take care of itself. Now I know what happens when that method just doesn't work. You see, the thing that was wrong was at the core of the book itself. Without it working perfectly, the book would fail. It was the dead. The dead were not working and the mechanisms by which to make them work within the rules of my world were not there. I couldn't make the dead walk and be credible to the world of the Ascendants and that fact was completely crippling. So, come February 2006, well behind on deadline and questioning whether I could actually finish the bloody thing, I went where I have been before when trouble strikes and I need a helping hand from a man in the know. I went to see David Gemmell. Now pretty much everyone reading this will know that David died on July 28th 2006. That made this trip my last as it happened and therefore to be treasured. Really bitter-sweet because I wasn't really there all that long. Following a major glass of champagne and an even larger slice of cake, we sat and talked, sometimes along with Stella, Dave's magnificent wife. He only had to ask me one question and off I went, rambling and ranting about the problems I was having. He sat there, listened, paused and then said in that deep, sonorous voice; "We need to take this one piece at a time, James." And so we did. Dave was so expressive and enthusiastic when talking about all things fantasy. So physical in his descriptions. We talked about how it would feel to have the power of the earth through you. What it would be like to wake up not realising you were dead. How the earth can give strength but also carried sickness and how channelling that through your body would manifest itself. We considered what it would be like to have the voices of ten thousand dead in your mind. What a God delusion would feel like. How did the dead function? What will did they have? Did they rot or did the magic sustain them? Could they rebel and how much of their lives could they remember? It was in all regards a most uplifting moment in time. We didn't finish talking until the early hours and by then had drifted on to many other 'authorly' topics, played out some battles in 'Rome: Total War' and discussed Dave's latest work, the third part of the Troy trilogy, Fall of Kings. What he gave me that day and night was the wherewithal to finish the book to the standard I wanted. He never handed out answers, just opened doors and let you walk through them. Many's the writing student to have benefited from his teaching and he taught me a great deal in the midst of being a great friend. The writing was going tremendously well until he died. My wife, Clare was pregnant and the world was a very happy place. But Dave Gemmell's death was a hammer blow. The thought of writing was abhorrent for a couple of days until I remembered something else he'd said. And that is that writer's must use every experience in their work, either expressed in the narrative or to drive them on. It became terribly important that A Shout For The Dead was my best book yet. My attempt at a legacy for a great man as well as to satisfy myself. This I believe I have done and early reports suggest that readers agree. I hope you do too.
|
|
Cry of the Newborn (Victor Gollancz, August 2005) More info from Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract This book was written in my first full year of working full time as an author. So here's a bit of a consciousness dump about how it all felt. Nothing like chucking everything you've been familiar with out the window... The transition from City-worker-who-writes-books to full time full-time professional writer was interesting to say the least. I'd spoken to a few writers about it and despite much sage advice, the sheer scale of the change is something I wasn't quite prepared for. All of a sudden I had massive amounts of time on my hands (or so it appeared) and no manager or rigid task list to complete. No deadline barring the one for the first Ascendants book and that was nine months away. And so I made a classic mistake and did far too little in the early weeks. Yes, I read and researched, planned and jotted notes and felt terribly happy with my lot 'being and author'. But I didn't do nearly enough and quickly found myself a long way behind. I wouldn't like to say when the change happened but literally one day, I awoke to the enormity of the challenge I was facing. I couldn't rely on what I'd known with The Raven. This was a new book, a new concept, world, plot and crucially, new characters that I couldn't afford to be pale echoes of past favourites. It was then I began to work and so fall in love with the Ascendants and really know why it was I felt I had to devote all my time to the project. It was, and is, huge. There was an immense amount of grounding I needed to do to make every element credible. Making battles work, the magic system logical, the religious difficulties reasonable not ridiculous... understanding the workings of the minds of rulers, senior generals, and people who are the first of their kind ever to walk the earth. It was fascinating and I was lost in it for a time and found writing more pleasurable than ever before. Paul Jhered quickly became a huge favourite and I loved writing the dynamic between the four young Ascendants. And between them and him. I felt I was writing something important... to me if not to anyone else. I felt I was genuinely growing as an author and stepping outside my comfort zone and the challenge was exciting and frightening. The change hadn't finished mind you. In October, I moved in with my girlfriend and within the happiness that brought was further disruption to my work as I struggled to find a new space and rhythm. If there was one disappointment it was that for the first time, I didn't hit my delivery deadline. I like to think I am a disciplined author but I lost that at various times in the year. And if there is one joy it is that I genuinely feel I have written the book I set out to write. And indeed exceeded my own expectations. I hope all who read it enjoy it for the great sweeping adventure it is meant to be.
|
|
Demonstorm (Victor Gollancz, August 2004) More info from Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract Demonstorm is the third and last of the Legends of the Raven and the last book about The Raven (while you should never say never, I have no plans for more) and as such, I was very keen it should live up to what had come before. As usual, I plunged into the story with no real certainty of where exactly it would go before reaching the conclusion I'd had in my head for ages. It was a real rollercoaster ride for me, trying to make sure I played every character and scene to its best while trying equally hard to avoid slipping into pathos (which I did deliberately once or twice) and overplay. It was another year in which my job interfered with my writing life (and as I write this, that problem is consigned to the past at least for now). It was also one in which I lost a good friend, Richard Bould, who I had lost touch with and was only re-acquainted with in his last few months during which he lost a long battle with cancer. It was a book I didn't want to finish. I knew I'd grown to love Hirad, The Unknown, Denser et al during the years of writing them, but I wasn't aware quite how much when it came to the last few chapters. The thought of not writing their dialogue and action wasn't a happy one, even though I had another and hugely exciting project ready to go. Writing 'The End' was a really bitter-sweet moment. Got to say though, I love the result.
|
|
Shadowheart (Victor Gollancz, July 2003) More info from Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract Shadowheart presented an interesting task. Life background was that I was single and not happy about it; and getting bored with my job and losing motivation as a result. There was also the small matter of the Japan World Cup which was a diversion I let become too big for too long. This was the first writing year (February to November 2002 to be exact) when I turned my thoughts seriously to how to extricate myself from the office life. As in earlier bibliography entries, I'm not looking for sympathy but there's no doubt that the attritional effects of holding down a busy job and writing 160,000 words while trying to have a life, were making themselves felt. Mainly in the areas of occasional fatigue and an unwillingness to write in the evenings because of the need to relax. It added up to a disjointed approach to writing Shadowheart. Fortunately, I was aware of the potential issues this raised and instead spent those times when I couldn't face the PC noting new scenes, and planning further ahead than usual in the cause of ensuring continuity. It worked and actually, writing Shadowheart was a joy. I loved the pace and the action of the book and found my characters, already very familiar, helping me out; providing answers, developing tensions and doing those things that come so naturally to them... Where the system fell down was in the editorial detail. My editor, Simon Spanton, must have been tearing his hair out with the small typos and sometimes clumsy sentencing that came as a result of not having the time before deadline to read and clean as thoroughly as I wanted to (not at the end of the process, nor throughout the year). Still, I think he forgave me and I was, and remain, delighted with the result.
|
|
Light Stealer (PS Publishing, March 2003) More info from Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract When, over a beer at Fantasycon 2000, Pete Crowther asked me to write a Balaia-based novella for PS Publishing, I was honoured. Having seen some of the excellent work already produced and the caliber of authors on the list, it was a simple decision to agree. And, having mulled over ideas for, literally, minutes, it was blindingly obvious to me that a story about the man who gave rise to all The Raven's adventures was the only choice. So off I went, merrily penning words about Septern the mage and Dawnthief the spell in the spring of 2001. Only to come to a dead stop when I realised how tricky it was going to be to create a self-contained story in only 25,000 words. You see, I've never been a short story writer of any great volume, though I enjoy the discipline. And 25,000 words is just long enough to lure you into that dangerous space between short and novel. Back at the drawing board, I planned every event from first to last to be sure I wasn't going to overrun. This is at odds to how I write The Raven, where events suggest themselves as I go and will either make the cut or not – but at least I have the word count to play with. I cut away all the extraneous information, concentrating very hard on three things: Septern's character and actions, his students' reactions and the final denouement. I found writing the novella very rewarding but it took me far longer than I could really afford – about three months. I was writing Elfsorrow at the time as well and hours became precious. But the result, delayed though it was in reaching publication, was worth the effort. A fascinating look into a new discipline for me and a lesson in keeping it very tight...
|
|
Elfsorrow (Victor Gollancz, August 2002) More info at Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract Elfsorrow brought its own pressures during initial drafting and the trickiest editing process I've been through so far. This is the first 'Legends' book and I was very keen to make sure it was the right start, developed the issues laid in Nightchild, and repaid the faith that Gollancz had shown in me to sign me up for another three Raven novels. At the same time, I wanted to write a book that had greater depth than its predecessors and, well yes, was in every way an improvement on the Chronicles series. I think I've achieved that to a large extent but I found it a tricky book to write, particularly in balancing the detail I wanted to include with the pace that has become a vital trademark. This book was the first written with my new 'part-time' working arrangement - four days at the office doing the suit-wearing thing and the other day at home novelising. It's fair to say I was sometimes phased by the extra time I had and actually didn't make the most of my free day for a few months. Editing was tough. My editor identified a problem with my time-line and this sparked considerable redrafting. I was, at this time, living in my kitchen since the flat was being totally revonated and needless to say that was not conducive to clarity of thought. But, the effort was worth it. The result is a novel I really like, one that contains a couple of excellent new characters (even if I say so myself!) and that brings a new dimension to that staple of fantasy - the elves. I hope you feel the same way.
|
|
Nightchild (Victor Gollancz, 2001 / re-issue 2003) More info at Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract This novel, the last in the Chronicles series, caused me the most problems. 2000 was a difficult year, with the sad break up of a long-term relationship and the tragic death of a close friend and writing partner. I'm not looking for sympathy, but mention this because bad times are a double edged sword. On the one hand, they rob you of concentration and sometimes the desire to write (which is profoundly worrying). On the other hand, I found they acted as reminder of the depths of emotion, both positive and negative. As a result, Nightchild has the best interpersonal scenes I've written so far. I'm sure I can do better, but like everything, writing is a never ending learning curve and everything you experience in your life is useful to a greater or lesser degree. This book sees The Raven laid bare at times as a group of people with all the problems, insecurities and desires of anyone else. They may be 'heroes' but that doesn't make them super-human. Writing this book was difficult and brought with it plenty of anxiety about quality and depth. Now it's finished, I look on it as a fine achievement and a fitting end to the Chronicles.
|
|
Noonshade (Victor Gollancz, July 2001 / re-issue 2003) More info at Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract The sequel to Dawnthief and, I was warned, the 'traditionally difficult second book'. Not only that, from being able to tinker to my heart's content with the Dawnthief text, I was now under contract and due to deliver a finished manuscript in 15 months. At the same time, as is reasonably well documented, I had a full time job. Now, I've built up the full horror, I have to come clean. Noonshade caused me very few problems. Indeed, you could describe it as a breeze (compared to expectations). I found I'd learned a great deal from writing Dawnthief and more importantly, had gained confidence from being published. I'd begun to develop a two part approach to my writing which will characterise all the Raven books. First, to leave the guts of the book deliberately unplanned. At the outset I knew the central story threads, who was alive at the beginning and who was alive at the end. Everything else was free to develop during the writing process and I believe it adds to the pace and 'reality'. For instance, battles are written very quickly because to plan them would allow them an order which wouldn't exist. Also, chaos begets mistakes which change the course of a skirmish. I thoroughly enjoyed writing Noonshade and I think it's a better, more rounded novel than Dawnthief.
|
|
Dawnthief (Millennium, 1999 / Gollancz re-issue 2003) More info at Amazon.co.uk :: Read an Extract My first published novel and the first in The Chronicles of The Raven. The writing process was lengthy. It was in production for five years before being accepted for publication. I submitted it all over the place and have the rejection letters to prove it. I guess the lesson is, if you believe in what you're doing, don't let anyone put you off. Dawnthief came from a personal frustration with the pace, style and character matter of other fantasy novels I'd read and has its roots in role playing. I wanted my principal characters to already be the best at what they did and not the classic 'stable boy becomes hero/king' types. Having The Raven as mercenaries introduces a moral greyness which means readers can't assume they'll always do the 'right' thing. The aim is to entertain readers and for me, the ideal reaction on reading Dawnthief would be 'bloody good read that, think I'll buy Noonshade' (as opposed to 'crumbs what a fascinating insight into the human psyche, think I'll go for a lie down').
|