Interview

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Ms. McMillan

ENG 1D

11 June 2012

The Darkness That Comes Before: Interview

Q: The Darkness That Comes Before is only really a setup for the rest of the Prince of Nothing series, isn’t it? Did that make it difficult to feature themes prominently?

A: Yeah, The Darkness That Comes Before is definitely a bit of a prelude. That didn’t make it particularly difficult to feature themes, though. It’s all about writing so making inferences is important.

Q: So, the denizens of your world follow a plethora of religions, all being rather grey. Were you worried that some people might be upset with that portrayal of religion?

A: You know, not really. People can have whatever opinions they like; it won’t affect what I write. It’s important for the setting that there are different beliefs, just as there are in real life, and that none of the religions are completely positive. Even if one of them were completely positive, it’s important to remember that in this setting, religions are always man-made. That’s what the title of the book comes from: The Darkness (of man) That Comes Before (an idea).

Q: Sorcerers affect the state of politics greatly in this setting. Why did you decide that this would be the case?

A: Magi are often beings that have little effect on the state of politics in fantasy. They are immensely powerful, can destroy so easily, yet are essentially disregarded when considering how government and things work. That doesn’t really make sense, does it? If sorcerers can do such harm, they should be taken into consideration. They should hold positions of power, because they’re powerful.

Q: The Dunyain achieve enlightenment by forgetting the passions of man. In the book, you mention the Quandary of Men: that humanity’s urge for power comes from the darkness of it’s soul. Will this play an important role in following books?

A: I don’t much want to spoil anything that’s coming in my next books, but you might expect people to act for personal gain at risk of great peril

Q: The Mandate Schoolmen live in both the past and the present. It’s obvious that you might be going for a “future repeats itself” type thing with the Consult returning and the return of an Anasurimbor. Now, the schools of sorcery are powerful. Is it, perhaps, true that because the Mandate Schoolmen live in the past, they might carry that with them and perhaps subconsciously make things more like the past. Would it be a fair presumption to say that the Mandate Schoolmen have a much larger role in the playing of events than they seem to?

A: It would definitely be fair to presume that. I think that’s the last question, yes? Remember to by my book – The Darkness That Comes Before - at a bookstore near you. I’d definitely appreciate that.