[Ribald]

Not sure if anyone has posted a link to this interview yet:

http://www.fantasy-m...steven-erikson/

Some pretty interesting discussion points.

[Jade-Green Pig-Hog Swine-Beast]

Great find -- an interesting read.

[amphibian]

I think Erikson provided some variance and something different with a few questions in this interview. I think the format was that Bayer sent him a few questions and Erikson replied - which takes away some of the ability of the interviewer to follow up on things or ask for expansions on this topic or that topic. I'd have liked to see a question following up on Erikson's brief mention of spontaneity. I haven't read much of his outside-Malazan work at all, but at what point did Erikson finally feel like he had the basics down enough to start really being good at spontaneity and improvising things? Was it after the Iowa Workshop or in between Gardens of the Moon and Deadhouse Gates? And so on...

However, answers like these warm my heart:

Quote

Following up on that, the timeline for the Malazan universe is simply massive. Are there any special challenges or pleasures you’ve found in telling a story spanning hundreds of thousands of years?

I think the answer to this question relates back to what I said earlier about resonance. We were both archaeologists. Resonance doesn’t just exist between objects; it projects through time as well. The question of where do things come from—things like attitudes, belief systems, faiths, combined with the misshaping effects of vast spans of time on knowledge—these subjects naturally fascinate us. As archaeologists, we dug to find out, and then we let our imaginations loose. It is, in a sense, a profession of empathy. Well-suited to translate into fiction, I think.

The challenge (and pleasure) as always lies in electing what details to choose, which ones are relevant, and how much weight can they carry? As much as possible, one hopes.

And

Quote

Why do you keep killing Toc the Younger?

Toc the Younger and his fate is the more “humanized” corollary to Rhulad Sengar. What happens to a soul when it dies and is repeatedly resurrected?


Is there anything Karsa Orlong can’t kill?

His self-confidence.

[Spiridon_Deannis]

Yes, posted here already, under #12 (see link).

http://forum.malazan...showtopic=21161

[Dutch]

Still, without Ribalds post, I would have missed it.

[Ribald]

Apologies. I read the first interview and then missed the link further down the thread.

[Spiridon_Deannis]

No sweat.
Next time I´ll possibly put it in an individual thread, so it won´t get lost. Should have done that in the first place.