Paul Kearney

[Paul Kearney]

Another month and The Ten Thousand will be hitting the bookshelves - I'm in that jittery pre-publication mode, where I use Google more often in the space of a month than in the rest of the year put together. So far, five positive reviews, two not so. You folk still waiting to read the darn thing may or may not be interested to know that I've been hammering out a new idea for a big fantasy series for Solaris. I don't really want to revisit the world of Kuf in the near future, and the rights to the Beggars still haven't reverted, so it's plough on elsewhere time. I've decided to really pull my finger out this time and go a bundle on the fat fantasy ethos, setting the new series in seventeenth century Europe, but an alternate Europe - not like in the Monarchies, but in our own geographical and historical world, though with obvious tweaks and differences - the addition of magic and so on. I'm thinking of basing the main character on Oliver Cromwell, but the series will be about the whole Thirty-years-war era. Still in the preliminary stages, but so far Solaris are very happy with the concept.

I've been thinking about my style of writing too. Reading some of the reviews for The Ten thousand, I think perhaps I've become a little too lean and mean with my prose, and the focus of the narrative. So I'm thinking of being a little more discursive with the new stuff. I'd be interested in some feedback from you good people out there on that one...
Anyway, as soon as I can let you know more, I will.

[Gabriele]

Oh, that sounds like a fun idea. The Thirty Years War is such a wonderful messy time for a novel or two.

That sucks about the right to the Sea Beggars. I don't understand what a publisher gains by sitting on rights he obviously doesn't intend to do anything with.

[PIKEMAN]

Paul-

One reason why I have appreciated both the [i]Monarchies[/i] series and the [i]Sea Beggars[/i] is the uniqueness you have of using a mix of fantasy and military history. This is one reason I keep coming back to your books, because being a military man myself- interested in the history of the era that you set your stories, I somehow relate. I don't know about your other fans, but one great thing I also like about your stories is that they show the "human" side of things in some of the most dark and dire of circumstances.

Your use of the right word to describe acts of violence etc. is what also makes your stories great. I think you are one of the only fantasy authors I keep coming back to reading because your fantasy is "realistic". I don't get the feeling that I am reading some "fairy tale" which liberally throws in magic spells, monsters and faeries into the story just to fill pages like others do. The stereotypical fantasy novel writer smattering untold pages with unicorns, elves, orcs, dwarves and wizards using fireballs has a challenge to meet with your style. Also- I think you are one of the only fantasy writers to keep bringing in that perfect mix of sword and sorcery with early gunpowder/technology. I look forward to this new idea of yours for a story.

[flyingpom]

Awesome news about the books imminent publishing. I will definitely pick it up when I have a chance. I generally struggle to find your books new though, because I live in Australia. I don't suppose you know if Solaris will be distributing the book to Australia through Angus and Robertson’s? They are the only book store chain where I live.

There are a number of reasons why I love your books. The first being the exceptional detail you paint battles with. The second is the almost melancholy atmosphere that pervades your stories. If I had to raise criticisms of your more recent work, it would be character development.

This is referring to the characters in the Sea Beggars specifically. I found them all believable and interesting, but there was so much room for them to be fleshed out. I understand that the series is very much Rol's story, but you create immediately likeable characters (the woman Rol sleeps with in Bionar before the climactic battle in the 2nd book for instance) and then discard them just as quickly.

If you're really going to be considering making your books a bit longer I would love to see some more character development. Saying that though, I’ve loved all your books from Monarchies onwards so you know... If it isn't broken don't try and fix it.

[PIKEMAN]

WELL SAID F-P!!!

I totally agree.

[Paul Kearney]

Thanks guys - this is good - I mean this is actually useful. Character is something that's had me a little worried lately, as in the last book (the Ten Thousand) I was so intent on hammering along with the story - which was a very simple, linear plot - that I feel I may have skimped a little on characterisation. For me, most characters are there to propel along the action, until, that is, one really catches my attention, as Corfe did in the Monarchies. I like conjuring up a character in a few pages, and for those few pages, I love them, but then the plot comes hammering along again, and I'll ruthlessly make them subject to it. I tend to forget that most people, when it comes down to it, read fantasy for the characters - I do, anyway.
I'm also wondering about making my stuff a little more user-friendly. Pikeman - you'll hate this! But I think I may have gotten a little too dark and violent of late (in the books, I hasten to add!) The last six months I spent writing like a man possessed as I also had a novel to write for the Primeval franchise at short notice. I actually managed to take that fluffy kid's programme and get a violent, dark and bloody narrative out of it - go figure. Also, I had a review posted on the web

http://aidanmoher.com/blog/?p=213

which made me think about it even more.

To put it bluntly, I write because in the end, I love doing it, for all that I bitch and moan about it on occasion, but at the same time I have to make a living, and have to try and appeal to more than the faithful band of brothers on this forum. It may all be pie in the sky, this navel-gazing, as in my experience, once I start writing a book, I just write it. I can't lever things into it which I despise just for the sake of the market, nor can I write in any other style than my own - but I have been thinking about it a lot, all the same. How to appeal to the great unwashed masses, in other words...

This new idea, which in my mind is entitled Fury, is something I've been toying with in my head since I finished Ships from the West. I've decided to try and write 'fatter' as it were, and really pad out the characters, the milieu and all the stuff fat fantasy thrives on. Whether it'll work out, only time will tell, but one thing's for sure, if someone tells me one more time my books are too short, I'll smack them on the nose.

[flyingpom]

Your books are too short... No I kid, I kid.

Please don't hurt me...

Paul, when it comes down to it I love your books and so do a number of people. I think there are the numbers out there to support you writing in a style you enjoy. You need to be marketed properly, which can be tough with very adult fantasy books.

That said, personally I think everyone should strive to evolve themselves in whatever field they choose to specialise. There is no harm in attempting something different on a future book. I'm sure your editors, friends and colleagues will tell you if they think it is crap.

If it helps, This Forsaken Earth showed me you are capable of a heavily characterised story, which also has your patended epic battles. The entire section in Bionar leading to climactic sally against the army besieging the capital was a roller coaster ride. But it wasn't told from a slightly abstracted point of view (I felt some of the Monarchies battles were like this). It was told from a more personal perspective, which enhanced the emotion involved.

Another section I found, which illustrates your ability to continue to grow was the conversation near the end of This Forsaken Earth between Rol and Avar (I think that was his name - the carpenter with the dead son). There was real character development in that section and a keen insight into the world of the book.

What I am trying to say with these examples, is that you have the groundwork for a more character driven novel. Without having to lose what makes your writing so special. As for the darkness in the books, I actually think you will find that there are many teenagers, young adults and adults who enjoy the sort of darkness that was in the Sea Beggars. Sadly I doubt many people heard much about them and the comparisons to Master and Commander would quite possibly scare a number of them away.

So, apologies for the rambling post. I hope it was useful to you. Which ever direction you decide to go, I can guarantee you that I will continue to try your books. That is unless you begin writing for the Carebear franchise. Actually on second thoughts, I would read that

[Paul Kearney]

Carebears?? I can see it now - the rise of a great fluffy chieftain, intent on smashing the evil empire of Fisher-Price...

Thanks FlyingPom. Actually, funny you should mention Aveh in Forsaken, but I made that scene a fairly explicit Christian allegory (where Rol is offered bread and wine and confesses his sins - to a carpenter!) no-one got it though. Sigh.

I truly enjoyed those characters in Beggars, all of them. I could have written about them going down to Tesco's and still got a kick out of it, just because i liked them so much.

[flyingpom]

"Carebears?? I can see it now - the rise of a great fluffy chieftain, intent on smashing the evil empire of Fisher-Price... "

Haha, as stated before I would read that.

"Thanks FlyingPom. Actually, funny you should mention Aveh in Forsaken, but I made that scene a fairly explicit Christian allegory (where Rol is offered bread and wine and confesses his sins - to a carpenter!) no-one got it though. Sigh."

Aveh not Avar, well I was close... sort of. Oh okay, being a filthy non believer myself I had no chance. You just wait, you'll hit it big Shakespeare style and 5 generations of children will have to analyse that scene and what it meant...

The scene did resonate with me though. Aveh's response to Rol's statement that he was not a good man was top notch.

On another note, have you ever read Truckers by Terry Pratchet? Mayhaps, your new family friendly line of novels could be the Sea Beggars characters transported into Tesco. They would be very small and lives in the walls...

If you havn't read that book, I think I just scared you.

[PIKEMAN]

-QUOTE: "Pikeman - you'll hate this! But I think I may have gotten a little too dark and violent of late (in the books, I hasten to add!) The last six months I spent writing like a man possessed as I also had a novel to write for the Primeval franchise at short notice. I actually managed to take that fluffy kid's programme and get a violent, dark and bloody narrative out of it - go figure. Also, I had a review posted on the web "


-My Bad Paul- I didn't mean to come off as "loving violence"
Even "A Different Kingdom" (which didn't really contain a whole lot of violence)- was still a very well written book.



F-P's right. No matter what you write, I will stay loyal. You set 'em up, I'll knock 'em down.

[flyingpom]

[Mazzic]

If people knew about the literary world of Kearnium, I think there is a huge audience for your work-I read Iron Wars at 14 or 15 and loved it. Where I got the book is the problem I've seen with your books-it was a middle of no-where dying mall bookstore. Most people I talk to have no idea about the fantasy gold they're missing.

On the Christian allegory: as I licensed minister, I should have got that, but missed it completely.

But yes, do what you need to as a writer-I'm pretty sure you wont stray anywhere so far that fans will desert you. Unless you start writing stuff like is completely opposite of what you do now (something like pacifistic aliens on a mission to save the world for global warming, that might scare people away). So, the Ten Thousand is releasing in the US in September right, not just over in Europe?
_________________
"Go then. There are other worlds than these."
-John 'Jake' Chambers, the Gunslinger

[PIKEMAN]

Yeah Mazzic- Aug 26 I believe it is released in the US. I already have a copy put on hold for me from my local Barnes and Noble. I also agree that one reason that no one has ever heard of Pauls writing is exactly the reason you stated. These books are REALLY hard to find (at least the older ones) I had to find most of them through Amazon.

I am really lucky I even know of Paul Kearneys books. The first book I found of his (Second Empire) was taken off a dusty used book trade library we had in our FOB in Iraq. Obviously there was someone else who had read your book.

[Mazzic]

Just making sure-want to make sure I can get my hands on it quickly. Been to long since I got to read a new one >.< Yeah, I couldn't most of the Monarchies of God series in stores...had to go another route there. I did find the Beggars one's easily enough (even had them at a library in Alaska when I went to visit my family last year) but it really does seem like there is some conspiracy to keep truly good fantasy books off the shelves of bookstores. I checked both B&N and a BooksAMillion for anything good this last week-barely anything worth reading, let alone on par with anything Paul writes.
_________________
"Go then. There are other worlds than these."
-John 'Jake' Chambers, the Gunslinger

[PIKEMAN]

It is a conspiracy


Its just like anything else in life- whoever owns the means of production...

The publishers don't care- especially in the States where consumerism rules all. They will delve out any piece of crap from well known authors just because they had produced really good stories in the past. Now they are just putting anything on paper to make a buck.

Alaska huh? Wow.

[Mazzic]

What I don't understand is the stuff I see in book stores that are from author's no one has heard of and they suck. I can understand giving someone with success in the past a spot, but an unknown who writes like a 4th grader? It's just not right. And as a US citizen, it annoys me how it's gotten here. I want to read something good, with some depth and detail. Not baby mush for those who aren't intelligent enough to understand anything beyond the level of a middle school student. It's very frustrating.

Yeah, thought it was pretty odd. I live near Houston, a major city with one of the largest ports in the US and I couldn't find them without ordering them, but I visit my mom and siblings in Alaska and the public library has them. I was pretty shocked.
_________________
"Go then. There are other worlds than these."
-John 'Jake' Chambers, the Gunslinger

[Wolf]

For what it is worth, my feelings are that your writing is actually much better than many of the authors of 'fat fantasy' - most could do with editing, frankly. That your books are closer to a standard novel length suggests to me that you are doing something right. Notably two of the recent - successful - new fantasy novelists, Scott Lynch and Joe Abercrombie, have both been producing novels that, whilst large (90k?), are not anything like the GRR Martin or Robert Jordan doorstops of a few years back; a trend I for one throughly approve of.

Your style, I suspect, is unlikely to ever be Mervyn Peake and that is absolutely fine. I haven't read The Ten Thousand yet, of course. Maybe I will find the language too stripped and bare. It may well be a consequence of the sort of story you are writing, however. Certainly Another Kingdom struck me as good evidence of your ability to write in a style and was lyrical and moving too.

Where, perhaps, I do agree with some of your musing about your style is an over preponderance of dark material in some of the more recent stuff. I should say that, generally, I'm a fan of this and think that your refusal to pull punches in fantasy is great: too often fantasy has show downs with fairly tame examples of ultimate evil, which the evil of ordinary people can easily outdo. That said, I personally, thought that some of the Sea Beggars got to a point that was unremitingly bleak. Any story needs humanity to counterbalance its darker elements. I'm certainly hoping that you won't change too much, but a degree of extra light might make your stories more user friendly.

[Paul Kearney]

Wolf -
I've been kind of thinking that way myself for a while. But damn, if you thought Forsaken was bleak, wait until you get into the Ten Thousand.

[Wolf]

I will do soon and am looking forward to it greatly.

[Wolf]

I have read it now. It was excellent. In terms of its writing style, I have no problems at all: it was lean, but that felt appropriate. The dialogue was spare, but a laconic style is utterly for Hellenistic warriors.

As for the darkness of tone, and perhaps any feelings of lack of hope in the story, I felt it far less in this story than in This Forsaken Earth, personally. Perhaps that's just me, but I didn't feel this to be so imbalanced.

Anyway, all good stuff, yet again.