Peter Hodges

We continue this week with the second half of Taylor Anderson’s interview.

The early reviews are all very positive (mine among them). Did you anticipate such a warm reception? Has this translated well into sales?

Frankly, I didn’t know what to expect. I’m a little new at this you know. Everything I’ve done before has always been more . . . objectively qualitative. When I built a fine flintlock fowling piece, for example, I knew it was good from years of experience. I also knew other people would know it was good. Differing tastes might or might not appreciate the style of carving or engraving, but there was no question that it was a well-made piece. Writing is different, more subjective, beyond simple varying preferences in decoration. It involves a subjective appreciation of entertainment, and people’s tastes in entertainment can be wildly personal.

That being said, I guess I am a little surprised by how well “Into the Storm” has been received. I’m gratified beyond measure by the reviews and I can’t tell you how glad I am when I get a letter from someone telling me how much they like it. After all, that’s what I set out to do: write a fun, thought-provoking story, with a few old-fashioned values thrown in, that people would enjoy.

As far as sales are concerned, I don’t have any firm numbers yet and it’s a little too early to say, but it seems to be doing well and my publisher is pleased. Continue Reading »

Taylor Anderson has made a recent splash on the science fiction scene with his novel Destroyermen: Into the Storm. This is the first novel of a projected trilogy about a group of World War II era sailors who find themselves on an alternate Earth. I mentioned in my review earlier this week that this is one of the must-read novels of the year.

Taylor, also a native Texan, has graciously agreed to spend a couple of days with us to talk about his novel, his writing, and his hobbies. He is an interesting person with a diverse list of skills. Through the course of our interview, our conversation meanders around the topics of writing, naval combat, and period artillery.

With no further ado, I give you Taylor Anderson.

Taylor, thanks for agreeing to do the interview!

It is absolutely my pleasure.

The “castaways in time/alternate universe” plot has been written many times before, but what I love about your novel is that you take a very unique perspective to the whole idea. What made you choose the setting that you did?

That’s a very good question, and there’s not really a simple answer. Much of the decision was driven by the unique, and in most people’s minds, already exotic nature of the setting. Even in “this” world, Borneo - and all of Indonesia - is a fascinating, primordial place of exquisite beauty, mystery, and potential danger. New species are often found there even today. The entire region, including the relatively shallow sea within the Malay Barrier, is like an island surrounded by abyssal depths. Besides the fact that it is a “path less trodden” in a literary sense, the possibilities for alternative evolution there are limitless.

Most of the decision however, was driven by historical context. I wrote about this in some detail in an essay for ROC, which is also featured on my Website; www.taylorandersonauthor.com The odyssey of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet - another obscure element of the story - is the “frying pan” from which the characters leap into the “fire,” and the former Dutch East Indies is where that fleet met its ultimate fate.

You weave several disparate elements together–fantasy, science fiction, and military adventure, creating a seamless mix. What influenced this mixture? Is there a work of fiction that had a particular impact on your work?

I love all three of the “elements” you listed and I guess it just never occurred to me that they should be mutually exclusive. Maybe you don’t see them all lumped together very often, though, and that may be why some people seem a little confused when trying to categorize the series. What influenced the mixture? Beyond my own interest in the various genres, I’m not really sure. I will readily admit I am a big fan of Steve Stirling, but I also love the work of Patrick O’Brian, Larry Niven, Herman Melville, Allan Eckert, Homer, David Weber, H.G. Wells, Bernard Cornwell, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, David Drake, Bernard DeVoto. . . Gosh, I don’t know. Maybe I mixed them all up.

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S. M. Stirling has had a rich and varied career to date. His bibliography includes science fiction, alternate history, and (quasi) post-apocalyptic novels.

I first became aware of his books with Island in the Sea of Time–a rousing tale of adventure and alternate history centering around a mysterious event that throws the island of Nantucket back to 1200 B.C. I devoured this book, then began searching for more. I discovered that Mr. Stirling had collaborated with another one of my favorite authors, David Drake, on a far-future science fiction series called The General.   His most recent novel, In the Courts of the Crimson Kings is a homage to the golden age of pulp science fiction. If you liked Burroughs, Bradbury, or Heinlein, then it is very likely you’ll like this novel as well.

In the circles that I travel, I hardly hear any buzz about his books. It is my opinion that S.M Stirling is one of the most underrated authors in the field. If you haven’t had an opportunity to read his novels, please use the links above to order one (or more) off of Amazon.

With no further ado, I give you S. M. Stirling.

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I owe Mike McPhail an apology; I’ve had a review copy of his anthology, Breach the Hull for just about a month and a half. I finished the book quickly, but I’ve had a hard time framing a meaningful review around a collection of short stories.

Let me say first of all that the book is worth the purchase. It is available on Amazon.com in trade paperback size. The stories are (for the most part) well written with a variety of unique ideas and perspectives. They range from space opera to near future character studies. Many of them have a unique “twist” to them that seems to be the hallmark of short speculative fiction.

Perhaps the strongest stories in the anthology are “Peter Power Armor” by John C. Wright and “Dead End” by John Hemry (Jack Campbell). Both are easily devoured in one sitting, and each of them provide that oddly disturbed feeling that you get from a well-crafted work of twisty prose.

Wright’s story is almost post-apocalyptic. In his future world, the rules of war were blurred in the face of smart weaponry and replaced with terror tactics. The end result was the collapse of society and an institutional fear of technology. A survivor from this era who now serves as a tutor to a young girl helps her discover a cache of forbidden technology. The result is gut-punchingly satisfying.

Hemry’s short isn’t as tightly written as his Lost Fleet series, but his idea of humans engaged in a genocidal war with an alien race leads to an interesting realization/conclusion when they finally have the opportunity to negotiate. This is one of those stories where the conclusion is a statement on human nature. I can’t say much more about it without giving away the story, but trust me when I say that you’ll enjoy it.

I normally don’t partake of anthologies as a general rule, preferring to invest my reading time into larger stories (or series), but Mike McPhail has done a great job in making me rethink this position. If you’re interested in reading some interviews with the authors in the series, or if you’re interested in seeing what Mike has planned in the future, you can visit his site - http://www.milscifi.com.

For the next two weeks, we’ll be speaking with Tom Kratman, author of A Desert Called Peace, Carnifex, and Watch on the Rhine. His newest novel, Caliphate, hit stores on April 1st. Thus far the Amazon reviews are a testament to Tom’s skill as a writer and as a man who pulls no punches.

I first came across Tom’s work when I read Watch on the Rhine, a novel set in the Posleen universe of John Ringo. I was impressed with the level of detail and the gripping action. When I came across A Desert Called Peace, I immediately purchased it and was rewarded with a great reading experience (review here). Tom dared to throw the shackles of political correctness to the wayside and weave a story that illustrated the perils of our own half-hearted commitments in the Middle East. This is not to say that we shouldn’t be over there–we should, and we should be thoroughly committed to achieving our goals of stabilizing the region and punishing those who would threaten our civilization.

It is refreshing to see a science fiction author who isn’t a blatant liberal under the delusion that they are centrist. Tom delivers well-thought political views with a practical voice that many right-leaning science fiction readers should find palatable.

With no further ado, I give you Tom Kratman.
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Think Patrick Rothfuss got gypped out of a Hugo nomination? You can still vote for him in the Locus Awards. He’s in the category for “Best First Novel.” If you are an active reader in the science fiction community, there are some impressive nominees this year in other categories as well. If you’ve read the works in question and you liked them, I would encourage you to vote.

A valid email address is required for your vote to count.

Below the cut is the continuation of our interview with Patrick Rothfuss. Our questions are a bit more whimsical in this section as we loosened up during the course of the discussion.

One final note: The first question in this interview was asked before the Hugo nominations were announced. Like several bloggers in the industry (including John Scalzi), we were surprised that Patrick was not nominated for a Hugo award. In my opinion, this is a travesty. I’m not taking away anything from the folks who were nominated, but I think that the best fantasy novel in a long time deserves the nod.

With no further ado, here are the rest of Pat’s answers. Continue Reading »