{"id":2769,"date":"2010-01-20T09:36:46","date_gmt":"2010-01-20T17:36:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/?p=2769"},"modified":"2010-01-20T09:36:46","modified_gmt":"2010-01-20T17:36:46","slug":"interview-sam-sykes-author-of-tome-of-the-undergates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aidanmoher.com\/blog\/2010\/01\/interviews\/interview-sam-sykes-author-of-tome-of-the-undergates\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview | Sam Sykes, author of ‘Tome of the Undergates’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Every year, we hear about several new authors who are the next great hope for Fantasy fiction. Some of them turn out well (Patrick Rothfuss) some of them… not so much (Robert Newcomb). The mysteriously shrouded Sam Sykes<\/a> is one of those authors. With the upcoming release of Tome of the Undergates<\/strong>, both Pyr Books<\/a> and Gollancz<\/a> feel that Sykes is ready to set the genre world aflame in the same way that Joe Abercrombie did just a few years ago. The kicker? Sykes is only 25.<\/p>\n

Talk about humbling.<\/p>\n

I caught up with Sykes and put him to task. We talk about everything from Tome of the Undergates<\/strong> to Terry Goodkind’s ponytail, flaming urine to the various depictions on hell in our culture, Videogames to Canadian Prime Ministers. It’s a hell of a ride, and just may give you a taste of what Sykes is set to do when his novel hits shelves in April. Oh, and he wanted me to say that this interview put my recent one with Blake Charlton<\/a> to absolute shame. And he has more hair than Charlton. Charlton should be ashamed and give up the gig.<\/p>\n

But, well, we’ll let you all decide for yourselves.<\/p>\n

The Interview<\/h3>\n

Hey Sam. Welcome to A Dribble of Ink<\/em>! Anything you want to say to set the tone for the interview?<\/strong>
\n   Hi there and thanks for having me on A Dribble of Ink!\u00a0 Things you should probably know about me: I wrote a book, it’s called TOME OF THE UNDERGATES, it’s pretty boss, and I can (and have) defeat(ed) nine out of ten Prime Ministers.<\/p>\n

Nine out of ten, huh? I can only assume that the missing one is my very own Prime Minister, the steely eyed Stephen Harper.<\/strong><\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

   Dream on, son. There is no man, animal, manimal or machine that can defeat Putin.<\/p>\n

\n

Lenk can barely keep control of his mismatched adventurer band at the best of times (Gariath the dragon man sees humans as little more than prey, Kataria the Shict despises most humans, and the humans in the band are little better). When they’re not insulting each other’s religions they’re arguing about pay and conditions.<\/p>\n

So when the ship they are travelling on is attacked by pirates things don’t go very well. They go a whole lot worse when an invincible demon joins the fray. The demon steals the Tome of the Undergates – a manuscript that contains all you need to open the undergates. And whichever god you believe in you don’t want the undergates open. On the other side are countless more invincible demons, the manifestation of all the evil of the gods, and they want out.<\/p>\n

Full of razor-sharp wit, characters who leap off the page (and into trouble) and plunging the reader into a vivid world of adventure this is a fantasy that kicks off a series that could dominate the second decade of the century.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Normally I stay away from the tell-us-about-your-book-because-I’m-too-lazy-to-do-the-research-myself-and-can’t-think-of-any-other-good-questions-to-fill-out-this-interview questions, but since you’re a new author, why don’t you tell us a bit about your first novel, Tome of the Undergates<\/em> that can’t be found in the synopsis I’ve included above?<\/strong>
\n   It’s actually a surprisingly philosophical book.\u00a0 Not the overt, beard-stroking, “what is a chestnut” kind of philosophy, but the sort that delves deep into the psyche of people without being boring.\u00a0 It takes the standard idea of the adventurer in fantasy and asks the questions that are presumed to be answered in the genre: what drives someone to become an adventurer, who is largely presumed to be a graverobber, thief and unprofessional assassin?\u00a0 Would a group composed of many different races, religions and professions really get along so well as to perform a quest?\u00a0 How can they presume a benevolent deity is on their side when they continue to suffer and die?\u00a0 How can they presume that they are in the right when they continue to cause others to suffer and die?<\/p>\n

   Beyond this, the book is really about the six companions and what motivates them: racial agendas and what happens when one feels compelled to violate them, atonement through murder, what really goes through the mind of the last of a particular race (hint: it’s not pleasant).\u00a0 Basically, TOME takes a lot of the things you might be familiar with and starts sodomizing them in front of you.<\/p>\n

   Also, there is a scene in which a man gets his crotch stomped into pulp.\u00a0 This is in the first fifty pages or so.\u00a0 They would not tell you about that in a synopsis, friends!
\n
\nPhilosophical and<\/em> testicle crushing, huh? Are we at risk of Sam Sykes turning into the next Terry Goodkind?<\/strong>
\n   Probably not. I can\u2019t grow a ponytail and I\u2019m not particularly afraid of chickens.<\/p>\n

But Terry Goodkind has a bald head now! Like our mutual friend Blake Charlton, just not as shiny! I suppose I’ll take your word for it, Sykes. However, if your seventh novel tries to tell me how to live my life, I’ll come after you\u2026.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>On a more serious (less career threatening) note, Lou Anders, the big shot at Pyr Books<\/a> (and your North American editor) has called you ‘The Second Coming of Joe Abercrombie’<\/a>. Now, for a second coming to occur one assumes that the previous Joe Abercrombie is dead and\/or no longer exists.\u00a0 Did you off him yourself? How do you think he<\/em> feels about this?<\/strong>
\n   First of all, let me answer before Joe Abercrombie can.\u00a0 I have never tried to kill him.\u00a0 I have never hit him in anger.\u00a0 I have never physically assaulted him with anything but his best interests in mind.\u00a0 I say this because, if you ever ask him, he will eagerly tell you that I once defiled his person with an errant finger.\u00a0 Don’t believe it.\u00a0 I was acting in self-defense.\u00a0 But, regardless of this, we must consider two things.\u00a0 First, Lou Anders is a man of decency and honesty and he is no liar.\u00a0 Second, Joe Abercrombie is not yet dead.\u00a0 Thus, in addition for my editor to be correct, Joe Abercrombie must die.<\/p>\n

   I will pay you, Aidan Moher, for this grim and gruesome task.\u00a0 Bring me his head and I shall grant you the youngest of my daughters in marriage.\u00a0 She will bear you many fine sons and your legacy shall continue once Abercrombie’s is ended.<\/p>\n

   Getting more serious, it’s actually a distinct honor to be compared to such.\u00a0 Joe Abercrombie’s books were something of a reassurance to me when I read them, in that you COULD actually create a violent fantasy world and have people not just believe it, but love it.\u00a0 If I had to confirm the comparison, though, I probably wouldn’t without a “but” at the end.\u00a0 I tend to be a little more upbeat and positive in my writing; it works for me just as negativity and darkness works for him.\u00a0 However, it’s pretty interesting to be given another man’s title, nay, his very IDENTITY, while he’s still alive.<\/p>\n

   But I’m pretty sure his wife is hot, so I accept it.<\/p>\n

I’ll, uhh\u2026 pass on that task. Have you seen the size of Joe’s books? One blow to the head from one of those bad boys and I’d be out like a light and Joe no less alive! Thanks, though! <\/p>\n

You have a story in the recent The Dragon Book<\/em> anthology that you co-wrote with Diana Gabaldon. How does a young, as-yet-unpublished author find themselves working with one of the mots successful names in the industry? What was the process like, working with Diana?<\/strong>
\n   We have the same agent. It was quite a fun process. Mrs. Gabaldon has an immense amount of talent and clout and it was quite an honor to work with her for as much as we did.<\/p>\n

   I imagine very few people can say they\u2019ve written a story with such a major name, much less a story about a weed-smoking zombie. It only makes the experience all the more aromatic.<\/p>\n

One of the most immediate and notable characteristics of Tome of the Undergates<\/em> is that it begins with a two hundred page<\/strong> battle sequence. How the hell does someone even go about plotting and structuring a battle that lasts that long? Any authors or books that you’ve read that helped you in that respect?<\/strong>
\n   This may be a point of contention between me and my readers, but I’m not actually convinced I did write a two hundred page fight scene.\u00a0 The book’s introduction is two hundred pages, yes.\u00a0 It revolves around a central battle, yes.\u00a0 There is at least one dead body per chapter, yes.\u00a0 But when one thinks of “two hundred page fight scenes,” one probably thinks of fighting\u2026for two hundred pages.\u00a0 In reality, it’s more an introduction to a fantasy novel that doesn’t involve a prophecy or court intrigue or a farm boy discovering his destiny, instead involving a woman keeping score of her own personal genocide, a man realizing he’s slowly going insane and another fellow trying his damnedest to kill himself and take everyone with him.<\/p>\n

   \u2026also, did I mention the crotch-stomping?\u00a0 There is crotch-stomping.\u00a0 A man gets his crotch stomped.\u00a0 To pulp.<\/p>\n

   But, anyway, there is a lot of violence, and if you’re asking how I managed to achieve that, I’ve always had a personal philosophy when it comes to action: “Ramp that shit up.”\u00a0 Conflict, I feel, has to keep growing to remain interesting.\u00a0 Immediate conflict has to grow immediately.\u00a0 Thus, if you stab the first man with a sword, you have to hack off the next one’s head.\u00a0 After you decapitate that guy, you have to rip the arms off the next one.\u00a0 After you’ve killed three guys, you have to have a giant fish-demon evangelist rise up and strangle someone.<\/p>\n

   As for influences, I’ve already mentioned Mr. Abercrombie and feel quite unclean for doing so, so I’ll go ahead and either confirm peoples’ worst suspicions about me: I draw a lot of inspiration from video games like God of War.\u00a0 Violence in fantasy is very, VERY frequently two guys standing still hitting each other.\u00a0 To capture someone’s attention, it needs to be cinematic, aptly described as the situation warrants: with swift and nonchalant brutality, with long and slow agony, in the viewpoint of the haggard protagonist breathing heavily as he sprints over corpses to get to his next target, in the viewpoint of the terrified citizen trying to escape while blood is raining around him.\u00a0 Simply put, the only wrong way to do combat is to do it without caring.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Videogames are something you and I have spoken about a few times and, judging from your blog, are a big key to keeping you entertained. Besides drooling in anticipation for God of War III<\/em>, what’s been keeping you busy on that front these days?<\/strong>
\n   2010 is turning out a little depressing for video games, actually. It\u2019s a shame, since the games coming out actually aren\u2019t that bad, but are having trouble following the heavy-hitters that came out toward the end of 2009: Assassin\u2019s Creed 2, Uncharted 2, Dragon Age: Origins and the incomparably good Batman: Arkham Asylum.<\/p>\n

   I\u2019m currently embroiled with Darksiders, and it\u2019s a severe \u201cbut\u201d game (\u201cthe gameplay is good, but the characters are silly,\u201d \u201cthe conflict is fun, but the overarching story is lacking,\u201d \u201cit\u2019s good, but it ain\u2019t Zelda good\u201d), which I think will be the tone for every game until March, which is when our man Kratos comes out alongside the new Final Fantasy XIII game. The sole exception might be the upcoming Mass Effect 2 game, but I have my doubts.<\/p>\n

   I am, however, looking forward to Dante\u2019s Inferno with an immense deal of shame. Ideally, as an author, I should be railing against anything with a plot so stupid (ripped, shirtless crusader travels to hell, fights unbaptized babies and diarrhea monsters) even pretending to share something with the Divine Comedy. As an author who writes about demons, though, I\u2019m utterly enchanted by their vision of hell as being a world of twisted reflections of ourselves and personifications of our own worst sins, complete with torture factories, lakes of boiling blood and suicide woods. The fact that it is basically a God of War reskin is of some concern, though.<\/p>\n

   Still, I could go on at length on the whole concept of \u201cvisions of Hell,\u201d but then we wouldn\u2019t get anywhere.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

No, no, please do! Just keep it (reasonably) short!<\/strong>
\n   As near as I can tell, there are two guiding philosophies behind the nature of Hell. The first is that which relates to the more biblical definition of Hell: it is a place that was made for us, for mankind, and is thus a twisted reflection of our sins and the worst parts of ourselves. This is where the uncanny valley starts to play in and you see the real creepy stuff that you see in Renaissance paintings and \u201cThe Garden of Earthly Delights\u201d by Bosch (ed. \u2013 One of my favourite paintings!). This is sort of a more pervasive fear, a sort of virulent terror that comes from staring at ourselves in the mirror as we frown and seeing ourselves smile back at us.<\/p>\n

   The other definition is that Hell, while still bearing goals very much detrimental to mankind, has always been there and is not so much made for us as exists alongside us, akin to another dimension. In this vision, Hell is more organized and its inhabitants are typically more akin to an army or consuming force, usually out to threaten mankind. You see this most often reflected in books (demons out to come back and take over the world) and also games like Warcraft, Warhammer and Darksiders.<\/p>\n

   Of the two, I kind of dislike both. I\u2019m intrigued by the idea of Hell having always been there, but I really don\u2019t get the same sort of deep-down-creeps from the latter vision that I do from the former. I mean, sure, total destruction of mankind is scary, but what happens after that? At least in Bosch\u2019s vision, you get fucking eaten by a bird wearing a crown afterward while he fingers your butt.<\/p>\n

   As far as these both pertain to stories, though? Whichever fits the need, baby.<\/p>\n

On a similar note, as a writer who also dives into that medium, what sort of narrative techniques do you think writers can learn from Videogames, if any at all? And what about the other way around?<\/strong>
\n   Lately, there\u2019s been a lot of the reverse: video games learning from authors (what with Richard Morgan being offered the potential to write video games for\u2026EA, I think?) (ed. \u2013 Yep.<\/a>) and the medium is much better for it. The phrase \u201cit\u2019s a video game\u201d is no longer a valid excuse for having a terrible character, for example.<\/p>\n

   But a lot of what video games have is style, which I think is something that fantasy novels is somewhat lacking in some cases. The term \u201cworldbuilding\u201d comes readily to mind. Think about the last time you heard it used as a merit of a book you\u2019ve read. Now think back to that book. I\u2019m going to make a risky gamble and say that the \u201cworldbuilding\u201d compliment was used either in reference to the book\u2019s political system, courtly intrigue or magic system.<\/p>\n

   Now, was everything else a replication of medieval England, right down to the \u201cm\u2019lords?\u201d<\/p>\n

   Now, think to the last time you saw something truly alien? Something like China Mieville\u2019s cities and societies, or R. Scott Bakker\u2019s cultures; both amazingly talented authors, but out of how many \u201cm\u2019lords?\u201d How often do you get to read a book and be really interested by the world? Not the politics or the magic, but the fact that this tree bears fruit that has grown legs as a natural defense mechanism, or that this race eats flesh on this day because of this reason?<\/p>\n

   Now look at games like Psychonauts or God of War or Warhammer (granted, those last two actually are based off ancient societies, but still), and think back to what made them great. No matter how original your premise or how courtly the intrigue, there\u2019s still a certain pleasure in watching a dude fight a rampaging Cyclops through a primeval forest that is actually the crown of a titan climbing the mountain of the Gods.<\/p>\n

   Cinema, of course, is no substitute for substance, and even the most imaginative piece of landscape isn\u2019t worth crap if the story is shit (unless you\u2019re a Na\u2019vi, apparently), but there\u2019s no underestimating the ability to see something new and truly wild and then just jumping right the hell on in.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Tell me about the cover art and why Geralt the Witcher<\/a> is going for a dip in a seething ocean.<\/strong>
\n   Let me begin by saying I very, VERY eagerly await the cover art for THROUGH BENDED GRASS<\/a>.<\/p>\n

   Second, having played the Witcher and having read my own book, I can safely say that there are at least three great differences between Geralt and Lenk (the fellow on the cover).\u00a0 First of all, Geralt is an albino.\u00a0 Secondly, Lenk is shorter and more wiry.\u00a0 Third, Geralt is an amorous, talented mutant assassin and Lenk is a short, schizophrenic misanthrope and IT’S A GODDAMN COVER AND I LIKE IT AND I’LL KILL YOU IF YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE ABOUT IT ARGH ARGH ARGH.<\/p>\n

   Of the many, many lessons I am learning about publishing is that cover art is probably the most hotly contested piece of debate in the whole goddamn lot.\u00a0 You cannot please everyone.\u00a0 Sometimes, you can’t even please anyone.\u00a0 But it’s really all about recognition.\u00a0 It’s easier to hear TOME OF THE UNDERGATES and think “oh, the cover with the angry-looking dude” than it is to hear KRAKEN and think “oh, the one with tentacle rape.” (Apologies, China Mieville.\u00a0 Eagerly looking forward to it.\u00a0 If there is rape in it, I hope it’s not with tentacles.)<\/p>\n

   As for the ocean\u2026think less about the guy standing in it and more as to what is lurking beneath it.<\/p>\n

Very cool. Any word on the North American cover art?<\/strong>
\n   I feel I should check with Lou Anders about this, since he\u2019s been routinely going out of his immense mind with worry over this very subject. In fact, he\u2019s threatened to go on a shooting rampage in his office three times about it. As the new guy at Pyr, I\u2019m tasked with talking him down. It\u2019s actually not that hard, since he does work from home and that\u2019s where all his stuff is.<\/p>\n

   When I last heard, we were probably sticking the UK cover art. I\u2019m not sure how to feel about that, really. On the one hand, I do like the UK cover art, no matter what you may say, Moher; I nearly crapped myself when I saw the water. But Pyr\u2019s recently been seeing a lot of success pimping out fantasy artist Jon Sullivan<\/a>. I really like his work, too, ever since seeing the cover work he did for Adrian Tchaikovsky\u2019s SHADOWS OF THE APT series.<\/p>\n

   In the end, even though this might give Lou further stress on the subject, I\u2019m massively happy with either plan. It\u2019s always cool to see your work put down into art. My very good, very old friend Ashley Cruikshank<\/a> has actually graciously done some for me and I\u2019m very eager to put it up on my site when it\u2019s finished.<\/p>\n

I suppose there’s not an author on Earth who wouldn’t love to see more variations of art based on the world and characters they’ve created. You’re lucky, being with two publishers (Gollancz<\/em> in the UK, Pyr<\/em> in the US) who I consider to be at the top of the heap with regards to cover art. Seeing the cover for your first novel must have been quite a thrill. When was the first time that this seemed real<\/em>, that it wasn’t just a dream? Or has that even happened yet?<\/strong>
\n   How is that dream actually supposed to go, anyway? When you lay eyes on the cover art and realize you\u2019ve just created a work that will live (hopefully) long past your life, are you supposed to be overcome and spontaneously wet yourself? Or is it one of those situations where you suddenly gain the power to heal the sick and cure your own impotency?<\/p>\n

   \u2026not\u2026not that that\u2019s a problem for me.<\/p>\n

   At any rate, I\u2019m not sure I\u2019ve had this happen yet. When I first laid eyes on the cover art, I thought: \u201cWhy does he look like David Schwimmer?\u201d When I laid eyes on the revised cover art, I thought: \u201cIs he wearing pants?\u201d When I voiced this to my editor, Simon Spanton, he quickly had a third cover whipped up in which a splash covers the affected area and it\u2019s less of an issue (though if you look really hard, you can probably experience some doubt).<\/p>\n

   Likewise, when I got my ARC, I thought that this thing was big enough to be able to bludgeon a wild boar to death and I hadn\u2019t actually expected that (I was aiming for something like a beaver or an otter).<\/p>\n

   If it does happen, I expect it will be when I have people saying they like (or hate) my book. Until then, I live in perpetual fear of resting on my laurels. The current big issue is great authors who are consistently late with their stuff. I\u2019ve seen some of the vitriol leveled at George R.R. Martin and it\u2019s baffling. I don\u2019t ever want that to happen to me, largely because I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll be able to conduct myself with half as much dignity as he does.<\/p>\n

You’re a young buck, about the same age as me (just turned 26). What’s the story behind getting published so young? A task that takes most folk a lot longer.<\/strong>
\n   Well, happy birthday! I\u2019m still 25, though, so you\u2019ll have to remind me of what life was like before people knew they could eat eggs.<\/p>\n

   But I digress\u2026<\/p>\n

   An agent is a good help. A very good agent is an immense help. If your agent happens to be a very, VERY good agent like my own Danny Baror, it\u2019s probably one of the best things you can do for your career.<\/p>\n

   However, no matter how good your agent, you can\u2019t sell an awful book. Given the state of the economy, in fact, you probably can\u2019t even sell a pretty good book. Publishers, as I\u2019ve found, are getting quite picky about what they choose and they are exceedingly wary of choosing unproven talent.<\/p>\n

   But, as I\u2019ve heard so many times before, getting publishes is composed of 5% talent, 5% luck, 90% persistence. I won\u2019t lie to tell you and tell you that I just got lucky with TOME, it\u2019s quite a good book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it. Clearly, my editors thought so. But a lot of it was luck (just not \u201cjust\u201d luck), a lot of it was talent and a lot of it was persistence.<\/p>\n

   Really, there\u2019s no easy answer as to why anyone gets published or not published. Sometimes, it\u2019s as easy as \u201cright place, right time\u201d (\u2018sup, Dan Brown), sometimes it\u2019s as simple as \u201cwrong place, wrong time.\u201d I\u2019d say, though, that if you\u2019re even getting an editor to the point where he is telling you it\u2019s the wrong time or the wrong place (unless you\u2019ve sent your fantasy novel to a romance publisher), you\u2019re in a pretty good position to move forward. And that\u2019s where the 90% comes in\u2026<\/p>\n

Wait\u2026 I can eat eggs? That’d go damn well with my morning prune juice and shank of sabre-tooth tiger. I’ll have to look into that.<\/p>\n\"\"<\/a>\n

Getting published is on the first step towards becoming a self-sustaining, successful writer. As a new author, how do you plan on carving out a (hopefully) lasting niche for yourself in the industry?<\/strong>
\n   I\u2019m not really sure I have a plan\u2026hell, I\u2019m not sure anyone who writes a book goes into it with a plan beyond: \u201cThese are the characters, here\u2019s some stuff that happens to them. How can I make that sound sexy?\u201d<\/p>\n

   Well, I take that back, one of the big questions authors are asked frequently (or so I\u2019m told) is: \u201cDo you write for a certain demographic?\u201d The answer is sometimes easy, sometimes not. Obviously, a YA author is not writing for Shakespearean honors scholars. But is a YA author writing for, say, amputee cheerleaders with cocaine addictions and salmonella poisoning? Probably not.<\/p>\n

   I\u2019m sure there\u2019s some authors that go in thinking \u201cthis is my book, it will appeal to this crowd, to that end, I will touch on these bases and it will be a success,\u201d but you rarely hear of them. A lot of the times, a book\u2019s popularity is purely accidental. All you can really hope to do is write something good and hope it goes somewhere.<\/p>\n

   That\u2019s pretty much all I did. If it doesn\u2019t work, there is an ancient tradition that dictates you can take another author\u2019s series by defeating them in hand-to-hand combat. Patrick Rothfuss knows this well; his book is late because he has been challenged to duels to the death every day for the past three years.<\/p>\n

Back to Tome of the Undergates<\/em>, it is, like so many other traditional Fantasy novels, the first in a series. Why go that route, instead of trying to break into the industry with a stand-alone and work on your opus later in your career. And don\u2019t fall back on the cliche: \u2018The story I wanted to tell just wouldn\u2019t fit in one book!\u2019<\/strong>
\n   TOME actually started as one immense book (of course, now it looks like it will be three massive books). To use the clich\u00e9 is slightly accurate, but a lot of it comes down to the ease and comfort of the reader. I am here as a gentle, nurturing influence, to slowly ease the book in your hands, tuck you in at night, kiss your forehead and say: \u201cIt\u2019s okay, my little gosling, there\u2019ll be time to read it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

   As creepy as that image is, the image of me bursting through your door, dropping a dictionary into your lap and screaming: \u201cRead it. READ IT NOW\u201d is far worse.<\/p>\n

   This isn\u2019t to say that readers can\u2019t handle such a massive load (tee hee), so much as it is to say I\u2019d rather not force it on them (oh, lordy). I mean, there are certain people out there who look at something so thick and massive (okay, that was the last one, I swear) and promptly weep in utter joy, but when was the last time you saw the biggest book in the fantasy section and didn\u2019t say: \u201cHoly crap, that looks like a chore.\u201d<\/p>\n

   So, yeah, part of it is that there was just too much story, but a lot of that was done so it\u2019s easier for readers to accept. The other part of it is (as you well know, being a writer yourself) books grow, they take on turns you don\u2019t expect and suddenly the nice, tidy outline you wrote just doesn\u2019t make sense anymore, no matter how much you\u2019d like them to.<\/p>\n

   So, think less of the image of a dainty author sipping tea and giggling: \u201cThe story I wanted to tell just wouldn\u2019t fit in one book!\u201d The far more accurate image is of an author with a torch and a shotgun, madly hacking at a hydra-esque abomination of word counts that keep growing, deadlines that keep looming and paper that keeps getting bigger and bigger, all the while screaming: \u201cWHY WON\u2019T YOU DIE?!\u201d<\/p>\n

When you began querying for Tome of the Undergates<\/em> was there any hesitation from publishing houses or agencies at the hefty word count?<\/strong>
\n   As I said earlier, publishers are hesitant about everything these days. My agent handles most of those particular issues (preserving my fragile, tender ego is another thing he\u2019s very good at), and though he routinely threatens to show me the rejection slips, I did get to see one of them.<\/p>\n

   There was less hesitation about the actual length and more hesitation about the actual length of content, if that makes sense. They felt there was a lot more in-fighting between the characters than could be expected of reasonable people (the idea here being that people who are typically the central figures in a fantasy book would not, by any means, be reasonable).<\/p>\n

   But, what can you do, really? If they don\u2019t like the book, they don\u2019t like the book. I can\u2019t make them like the book and I can\u2019t make the book like them. Don\u2019t get me wrong, there are certainly parts of a book that can, and should, be trimmed or sculpted to resemble something more pleasing to the eye. But those come after you\u2019ve got a publisher that likes the book as it is (but thinks it might look prettier). If a publisher just comes out and says they don\u2019t like the book, there\u2019s no particular need to bust your butt trying to please them.<\/p>\n

Speaking of ego, the first reviews of Tome of the Undergates<\/em> are beginning to appear online. Some authors avoid ’em like the plague, others (*coughjoeabercrombiecough*) follow them devilishly and put the reviewers in their place with supreme snark. How does Sam Sykes handle reviews?<\/strong>
\n   Of all the things I had managed to prepare myself for, bad reviews was not one of them. Interestingly enough, I had a conversation with Mr. Abercrombie about this same subject that proved exceedingly helpful for me. His best advice to me was that it gets easier, but it never really gets easy.<\/p>\n

   This is sort of a problem for authors nowadays with the advent of the internet. It is, in my opinion, exceedingly hard to be a new writer and not<\/em> have an online presence. At the very least, you\u2019re doing yourself no great favors by being one of those rare, reclusive authors. When you\u2019re someone with an immense following already, you can do that. When no one gives a shit who you are to begin with, they sure as hell aren\u2019t going to go sniffing you out.<\/p>\n

   Thus, reviews can be really rough to ignore; they get into your head, they can spoil your mood for the whole day and you\u2019re convinced that your career ends if just one person doesn\u2019t like the book. But, as Messier Abercrombie also says, you don\u2019t do yourself any favors by being meek. So it also serves you well to track down what people say about you (in a positive way) and trumpet it from the rooftops, cram it down peoples\u2019 throats and blog the hell out of it.<\/p>\n

   So far, I try not to let reviews get me down (which does get easier, as said), but I haven\u2019t had any real bad<\/em> reviews so far. I mean, the harshest one I\u2019ve received was from The Wertzone<\/a> and even he said he wanted to know what happened next. And, from what I can tell by his reviews, he and I have very differing tastes on what we find entertaining, so I count myself lucky in that he not only wanted to see more, but all other reviewers so far have shared that sentiment.<\/p>\n

What can we expect of the sequels to Tome of the Undergates<\/em>?<\/strong>
\n   Long-jawed women, wizard-hunting librarians, holy crusades as carried out by sadistic lizardmen, green-skinned, seven-foot-tall long-eared stranglers and their personal philosophy behind genocide, spectral grandfathers, schizophrenia, remorseful demons, militant affairs, flaming urine, alcoholism, ghosts, mutilation, a central villain that is a philosophical hybrid of David Bowie, Charles Darwin and a flamethrower, and eel tits, eel tits, eel tits.<\/p>\n

Flaming urine?<\/strong>
\n   A lot of fantasy seems to deal with the concept of magic in a very convenient manner. If we are to accept the concept that people who are able to use magic do so as a result of their being something special within them, it seems perfectly logical to me that said genetic exception would be difficult to keep from affecting the rest of their physiology.<\/p>\n

   I mean, if you can shoot lightning from your fingers, why wouldn\u2019t you pee fire? If you can turn your hands into snakes, why wouldn\u2019t that also sometimes inadvertently alter other, less couth subjects of your anatomy?<\/p>\n

   It\u2019s perfectly reasonable\u2026I mean, as far as magic goes.<\/p>\n

Uhh\u2026 anyway. Before we wrap this up, throw a few authors or novels at me that you consider to be criminally under-read.<\/strong>
\n\"\"<\/a>   Boy, I\u2019m not sure I know of any authors I read that are criminally<\/em> under-read. Does that make me a trend whore? I do know of one that\u2019s my favorite that I don\u2019t hear nearly enough of, though, and that\u2019s Mike Carey.<\/p>\n

   Mike Carey writes the Felix Castor novels (that begin with THE DEVIL YOU KNOW) about the titular character, an exorcist in London at a sort of spiritual turn of the century when the dead begin returning to the mortal world at the head of a demonic incursion. To me, Mike Carey defines Urban Fantasy: gritty and gray without being in your face about it, tough and uncompromising without trying to show how badass he is, and not a werewolf-vampire-human threesome to be found.<\/p>\n

   What I most like about his work is that he can actually do \u201cmorally gray\u201d characters in a way that doesn\u2019t translate to \u201ceveryone is a shithead.\u201d I just wish Felix could catch a break once in awhile. It\u2019s quite depressing.<\/p>\n

Sam, I’d like you to step away from the keyboard for a moment and ask any one of the characters from Tome of the Undergates<\/em> to introduce themselves and then answer the next question.<\/p>\n

Why should we buy Tome of the Undergates<\/em> when it hits shelves?<\/strong>
\n   Ah, you\u2019d want to talk to Gariath about that. One second\u2026<\/p>\n

   \u201cHumans continue to delude themselves with illusions of intellectualism through books, as though running your fingers through your asscracks and hurling the ensuing feces against paper proves anything more than your race\u2019s stupidity and natural affinity for all things reeking. To that end, I would say that no book you read will make you any less of a waste of flesh and breath. And if I had no stake in it, I would say that. As it is, I do, so I do say you will read this book. If you do not, I will indulge your proclivities toward filthy places and shove whatever other tripe you choose to poke your little pink snout in far, far up your rectum. Very damp in there. Very dark. Good luck reading it, then.\u201d<\/p>\n

   Goodness, how rude. Threats from a violently unstable person\u2026or brand new way of absorbing the written word in a manner not unlike a suppository? You decide, gentle reader, you decide.<\/p>\n

By the way, that bit about Videogames? It was a trick question. I know both Lou and Simon (Sykes’ editors on either side of the pond) read A Dribble of Ink<\/em>. So, the correct answer was: Oh, I don’t have time for videogames since becoming a newly published authors! This chain I’ve crafted for myself locks me to my desk, not allowing me within 15 feet of my Xbox.<\/em><\/p>\n

Fail.<\/strong>
\n   I actually don\u2019t expect scorn from either of them, really. Simon and Lou are two of the hardest-working people I\u2019ve ever met. Thus far, they have been taking the news that book two (BLACK HALO) will be bigger than TOME with serenity\u2026almost sinisterly so. Either way, they\u2019re both very accommodating to all aspects of me and my need to express my homicidal tendencies through the electronic medium. I mean, it\u2019s either that or risk losing a mailroom worker to one of my flights of horrific fancy. It\u2019s not like they\u2019re going to move bodies for me, at any rate.<\/p>\n

   Simon was very clear that Horatio was the last one.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Well, your nose is sufficiently brown now. I suppose that’ll do. Well, Sam, any last words?<\/strong>
\n   To you, Aidan \u201cMo\u2019 Hair\u201d Moher, thanks for giving me the opportunity to spill my intellectual innards on your wonderful blog in a form of ritualistic interview seppuku I call \u201cinterppuku.\u201d<\/p>\n

   To you, future readers, thank you for reading this interview and for reading TOME OF THE UNDERGATES in the future. I guarantee you will find it to be an ass-packed adventure filled with plot aplenty and a rather unsettling underlying thought process. Those finding their fantasy lacking in stabbings, shootings, insults, intrigue, secrets, lies, schizophrenia, religious queries and crotch-stomping will be quite pleased with this book.<\/p>\n

   And if you don\u2019t like it\u2026I will find you. And I will make milk\u2019s meat out of you.<\/p>\n

Funny story:<\/p>\n

Once, a homeless Irish guy made fun of me for having the same name as a sheep (Mohair Sweaters and all that…). I suppose he was too drunk to remember his country’s famous landmark, The Cliffs of Moher<\/em>. My girlfriend got a kick out of that\u2026.<\/p>\n

In any case, thanks for dropping by A Dribble of Ink<\/strong> and best of luck with Tome of the Undergates<\/em>!<\/strong>
\n   Thanks a heap, Aidan. I look forward to the mental scarring this interview will provide our valued readers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Every year, we hear about several new authors who are the next great hope for Fantasy fiction. Some of them turn out well (Patrick Rothfuss) some of them… not so much (Robert Newcomb). The mysteriously shrouded Sam Sykes is one of those authors. With the upcoming release of Tome of the Undergates, both Pyr Books… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2769","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n