[Abyss]

Use the guitar to panhandle until you have enough $.

- Abyss, troubleshooter.

[Rich the Great]

Damnit, why did I have to go and buy a new guitar. Can't afford anything else now.

[fortyseven]

Mith, I'd say Dazer is right that the core of characters both minor and major includes characters we haven't met yet.

[lfex]

I wonder how much full fledged epic will cost in PS Publishing.

[ChrisW]

Hi Cam, Once again thanks for agreeing to do this. Ok here we go...

One of the first questions people ask when finding out about "Night of
Knives" is who is this Ian Cameron Esslemont guy?

A fully justified question. The bio, acknowledgment page, and the intro
from Steve in NoK should go far in answering it. In fact, because I did
the acknowledgments before seeing Steve’s intro there is some repetition
of facts and such – I hope the reader will bear with it all.

Can you tell us anything more about NoK that's not covered by the synopsis?

Quote

It gave the Empire its name, but the island and city of Malaz is now a
sleepy back-water port. This night its residents are barring doors and
shuttering windows: a once-in-a-generation Shadow Moon has arrived and
threatens to bring among them demon hounds and other, darker, beings.

This is also the night prophecied for the return of Emperor Kellanved,
missing these last years. As factions within the Empire battle over the
Imperial throne, the Shadow Moon summons a far more ancient and alien
presence for an all-out assault upon the island, one that will determine
the fate of the Malaz, and the entire world beyond."

Here it is difficult for me to add more without revealing too much. What
I can say is that not only does the novel deal with the assassination of
Kellanved and Dancer, but also provides what will very probably be the
only point of view on Dassem’s death at Y’Ghatan. (and Y’Ghatan, by the
way, has a starring role in the upcoming Bonehunters).

For comparison purposes of length and content, I would keep apples to
apples and compare NoK to Steve’s other Malaz novels that Peter Crowther
has put out through PS Publishing.

Steve has said that you and he co-created the world of Malaz. Can you
elaborate on that and do you still work together on what goes into his
MBotF books?

…Again, here, Steve’s intro in NoK goes far to answering this question
so I don’t want to just repeat what can be found there. In any case, the
short answer is yes. Steve and I co-created the world and worked out a
set of major novels (ten for him, five for me) that would carry it
forward. Since then (so long ago it amazes me), life intervened as it
does and we went our separate ways – he to Winnipeg and England, me to
Thailand and Minneapolis. Steve, to his enormous credit, kept hammering
away at realizing the project, and, eventually, Gardens found a home.
Since then we have always kept the dialogue going on events, characters,
sub-plots, etc.

What made you decide to “come out” after working more or less in the background?

The short answer here is I “came out” because Knives had finally found a
publisher. Readers of the Malaz world might look at Steve’s novels and
see a fully established fantasy series, but you may be horrified to know
just how improbable its birth has been.
Steve and I originally wrote Gardens as a full-length motion picture
screenplay. He and I pitched it and other screenplays but none made it
into development. Over the years Steve became fed up and asked if he
could just go ahead and novelize Gardens. I said: go for it! He finished
the novel and showed it around. It caught some interest in England and
Steve and I were thrilled. But there was a problem: this “shared world”
thing. Apparently, and this dumbfounded me, the fantasy publishers, the
agents, no one knew what to do with this “shared world” idea. They
couldn’t get their heads around it (still can’t frankly). That both
Steve and I did, could, and would continue to write in the world made
publishers uneasy – too “messy” or uncertain (God knows what they
thought). In any case, since even getting anything into print is so
unsure in fantasy, Steve and I agreed not to push the “shared” aspect
publicly until (fait accompli) the world became real and couldn’t just
be wished away by the industry.
Anyway, enough ranting about blinkered publishers. As to the second half
of the question, as you saw above, I have five Malazan novel projects of
the original ones Steve and I sketched out (not counting NoK). One is
written already and I am currently rewriting it to bring it up to speed.

Can you tell us or give us some hints to what the other four novels are
about?

Here, I feel that I cant be more direct because even while the novels
are all sketched out and agreed between Steve and I, at this point in
time with no contract in the offing to develop them, it is all too
uncertain. Lets just say that by now it should be clear to many readers
that there are regions, cultures, groups, and individuals that Steve has
not yet run with in his novels, and nor is he likely too unless all
hope is lost for my possible continuing contribution.


There has been some criticism of NoK being a limited release and it's high
price. Is it a fair criticism in your opinion and do you think it likely
that a major publisher will re-issue NoK and/or future Malazan books of
yours in a less-costly format? Do you have any specific deal in the works?


The only thing I can say here is that it is very likely that Knives
would never have seen the light of day if it weren’t for Peter Crowther
at PS Publishing agreeing to take on the project. He didn’t have to. It
remains a big financial risk for him (hey, it might not do so well you
know). I think Peter has proven an amazing friend to Steve and I and the
Malaz world and we are very grateful.
As to the second part of the question, re-issue. This is the big secret
plan. If Knives does do well enough in sales and reception then (we
hope) things will look good for it to be taken up by a major publisher
for a mass market edition. As to a deal regarding all this – sadly, not
yet. However, the novel has only just come out!

Is fantasy the only form your writing takes or do you enjoy other genres?

I write and read all over the map. In my writing, I have tried and tried
to write contemporary literary short stories and novels, but I find
myself always drawn back to the total creative freedom that only fantasy
(and SF) can provide. So, currently, I am writing mostly in fantasy, in
and out of the Malaz world, with some SF – I have a finished novel in
that genre that I am hoping to do something with as well.

How would you compare your writing style to that of Steve's?

Oh man – this is the big thing I’ve been dreading the most. Firstly, let
me say that in my opinion (unbiased as it is) there is no one writing
today in fantasy who can be compared to Steve. Period. It was his
undeniable talent that pushed Malaz through all the barriers that stood
in its way and made it real. So, no, I would not compare my style to
Steve’s.
I think the readers will find that Knives is like Gardens in a lot of
ways. Both are our first projects for Malaz, and both were first written
a long time ago. In fact, (if I remember correctly) Knives was written
shortly after Gardens and so is actually the second Malaz novel to see
completion. I hope it is written the way it should be written. The style
matches the form: tight and short.

Do you have a set writing routine and if so what is it?

I used to have a set writing routine of typing away into the early hours
every night but I was younger then and my schedule was more my own. Now,
with two kids, the challenge is finding the time at all.

Who or what has influenced your writing the most and what made you start?

I suppose I was most influenced by what I grew up reading: in fantasy,
Robert E. Howard, Zelazny, Fritz Leiber, Karl Edward Wagner, and of
course Tolkien. For me, what really opened up the possibilities of the
genre was coming across Glen Cook’s The Black Company. The first of that
series hit me like a revelation. I had always been writing fantasy
sketches but that series made me think that perhaps there was room in
the genre for what I wanted to do with it. Then I met Steve and found
that his aesthetic in fantasy was the same as mine. With his
encouragement I pursued writing more actively.

Will you be at Keycon?

Though also a Winnipeg lad, and one-time helper at getting gaming
conventions organized through the UofM gaming club, sorry, no. Still,
great question. Maybe I ought to be. Have to look at my schedule.

Do you have a favourite MBotF character and what plotlines do you enjoy
the most?

Do I have a favourite? It’s impossible to chose. With each of the Malaz
novels Steve finishes he always creates a whole set of new characters
who I’ve never seen before, but a large core exists (some of whom
haven’t even been met in print yet) which we developed together and so
of course I can’t pick favourites. I will say though that Kruppe came
out pure Steve and so because of that he’s real special to me.

Who are your favourite authors within the fantasy genre?

See above for the old favourites. For fantasy and related work I’d
currently add Iain M. Banks (love his stuff), Philip K. Dick, Neal
Stephenson, old Gene Wolfe (the Urth series), China Miéville, and
William Gibson. I would add here that I am familiar with G. R. R.
Martin’s Swords series, but I do not count it anywhere near a favourite
as I find his clinging to the clichés of medieval chivalry tiresome.

Have you visited the Malazan Forum and what do you make of all the
speculation that goes on there?

Yes, I was telling Chris that I’d been a lurker at the site for years. I
enjoy seeing the readers’ responses. It’s a real education – not in
terms of what worked or didn’t, but as a slice of what readers are
thinking – how certain elements have come across (so far).

Quote

"I have not only injected thought into a tired empty genre, but, more
importantly, I've transcended it showing what more it can be-and is so
doing spread my readship to completely new groups who dont like and wont
ready typical fantasy. Agents and editors are screaming for more books
like mine."

That is a quote from a best selling author. Is it just his ego talking or
is there some truth to his view of the state of the genre?

As to this question… I really can’t respond as to whether there is
substance here without knowing who the author is. Maybe it’s true, maybe
not. As to the state of the genre; at conventions I hear fans dismissing
most fantasy writing as “E.F.P.” -- if I got that right: Extruded
Fantasy Product. So, from that point of view, yes, the genre is not
“thought provoking.” But then that is not the goal for most of it, so
why knock it for not being what it is not trying to be? The onus, in my
mind, is on us as readers. As readers we should be more daring, more
eclectic and more wild in our choices and the genre will follow along: a
conservative readership gets conservative writing.

Do you believe that MBotF is substantially different to the popular
fantasy of Brooks, Feist, Edding, Jordan etc? Is it breaking any new ground?

Ah, here I can be unequivocal in saying that, yes, I (and Steve) both believe that
Malaz is vastly different from the general popular fantasy series of the genre. We
deliberately set out to achieve this goal of convention challenge, contravention,
and reversal. It is deliberately anti-heroic in a genre heretofore reserved for
heroic indulgences all this because we have faith in the intelligence and
discrimination of genre readers to recognize when they are not being talked (or
written) down to. In many ways the entire series is an extended critical study of
the genre itself how it works, why it works how far can it be pushed to evolve?
But all that is sub-textual and academic; foremost the books must and do
remain a damn hair-raising read. If that falls down then it will all fall down
(and deservedly so).



To Chris and everyone at the site: Hello, and many thanks for the
opportunity to introduce myself and talk about the novel. Perhaps we’ll
have the chance to talk again once you’ve had time to digest the work.
Cheers, Cam.

"Night of Knives" can be purchased from the following sites:

Amazon.co.uk
Clarkesworld Books (USA)

Or you can order direct from Pspublishing.

Interview conducted by ChrisW, Hetan and Malaclypse. All complaints to be addressed to the last two.

[Arkmam]

quote:

Originally posted by Dakkareth:
It was the deciding factor for me, too.

- Dakkareth, considers wounding some random warren in order to develop superpowers and lay waste to PS Publishing.

I'm caught in an Azath House, save me my son!
(You're going down PSP)

[Malarion]

quote:

Originally posted by Aimulindale:
I wish I knew about this "sword" series by Martin as I have never heard of it. Seeing how I consider him the best writer in epic fantasy I'd love to read it.

I'm assuming he meant ASOIAF. Book three is called "Storm od SWORDS." Plus, he calls it "medieval chivalry."

[Folken]

Dakkareth...you could always try to get your mail sent to a different location. Now I'm not sure if whereever it is you live do this, but for a fee they transfer all mail to a different location. Helps when a person is moving, but not sure if they can do it for different countries...but hey its worth a try if you can't wait that long for NoK lol.

[Folken]

quote:

Interview conducted by ChrisW, Hetan and Malaclypse. All complaints to be addressed to the last two.

To whom do we direct our thanks

But still WICKED! I hope they decide to republish CE's novels in greater quantity, as it stands the price is extremely high for me. But hey those who can afford it, buy away! Wicked interview guys thnx

[Ellestra]

I think we should all concentrate on the bright side - there could be 5 (!!!) more Malazan books.

I was wondered, that since there's <i> only </i> 5 more Malazan books left, what would I do when the series is done (I'm hopplessly addicted) but now we could have twice as much .

I don't know (and won't for a long time probably) if ICE is a good writer but when your starving ...


And thanks for a great interview.

[Tenaka Khan]

Still don't know for sure if I like ICE's work, since I still wait for my copy to arrive

A 'full-fledged epic' you say? Sure not gonna forget that!

*still pacing around restlessly but with a happy smile of anticipation on his face now*

[Eldered]

Great interview. This is what really prompted me to order Knives as quickly as I did. Thanks again.

[Tiger_sword]

[Abyss]

One more time...




- Abyss, needs aspirin now.