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Uploaded 03/05/02

Farseer Interview

As this month sees the release of Farseer, the first in Bill's Eldar Trilogy, I thought it might be an idea to catch up with the man himself and ask him a little bit more about it. The following interview was conducted via email and Messenger and I'd just like to thank Bill for both the time he has spent and the patience he has shown in answering an ever increasing number of questions.  And as if that wasn't enough, he has also kindly passed on an article about Farseers which was of great help to him whilst writing this book.  The Report is by one Brother Guillame, Fabricator Scriptorum of the Inquistion Library, Stalynheim and is called Farseers: Predictions and Politics. Be aware though, this is a Prime Clearance Level document and this site cannot be held responsible for the consequences of reading it. You have been warned.   Okay Bill, Farseer is scheduled for release on the 4th of May. I'm sure we've all read the blurb but could you tell us a little bit more about it? It’s the story of a Rogue Trader, Janus Darke,  and his crew who become involved in an Eldar quest to one of the world’s of the Eye of Terror. I can’t really say more without giving away too much of the plot   Reading the blurb, it appears that the story centres around Janus Darke rather than the Farseer himself. If this is indeed the case, was this a deliberate attempt to preserve a sense of mystery about the Eldar, by telling the story from the human point of view? Actually I wanted to do something a bit like James Clavell’s Shogun-you know where the Anjin-san and his crew are shipwrecked in feudal Japan and initially you see the Japanese from their point of view, before the perspective shifts to the much stranger-to 20th century Europeans perspective of the feudal Japanese. This seemed like a good way to get the readers inside the Eldar’s  essentially  very alien culture. Hopefully this will let the reader get acclimatised before we head off into the Eldar perspective in book 2. It also gives me a chance to get used to it as well.   So if I understand it correctly, Darke takes centre stage in this one but then the focus will switch very much to the Eldar point of view in Book 2? Yes. The action also switches away from the original Eldar home worlds in the Eye of Terror to the craftworlds.   Obviously, you're currently better known for your Gotrek & Felix stories and also for the Space Wolf books so this is a bit of a departure for you. Was this because you wanted to try something a bit different or have you always been keen to do a story based on the Eldar and were finally given the chance? I was asked to write about the Eldar by the people at Black Library and I leapt at the chance because I have always liked them. There are some connections between the Eldar books and the Space Wolf books which alert readers will spot. It was also fun to write about characters who are a bit darker than normal Space Marines.   Darker? Sorry, bit of bad pun there. Janus Darke is a much more morally ambiguous figure than Ragnar. As the story opens he is a man on the edge, and about to go over.   In what way? Well for one thing he is a psyker and quite a powerful one whose abilities are just about to manifest. He could very easily go over to Chaos, become a daemon hoste, or something worse.   Sounds as though his life is not going to improve any time soon! Is this the reason he ends up involved with the Eldar? Partially. And not just the Eldar. Slaanesh as well. Read the book. It will all become clear. Honest.   Anything else you would like to mention? There’s a Chaos Space Marine called Zarghan Ironfist that I am quite proud of. And an Eldar doomsday weapon that might be oddly familiar to long-term readers of Warhammer Fantasy Battle.    You seem to take great pleasure in writing Chaos based characters. Would you consider doing a Chaos series at some point in the future or do you feel that 'too much of a good thing' would spoil it for you? I really liked writing Zarghan Ironfist, just like I enjoyed writing about Grey Seer Thanquol, Kharn the Betrayer and Botchulaz the Plague Daemon, but I think they are easier to write about in short bursts. A novel might be fun, particularly if I got to team the 40K characters up, but it would be hard to do.    Okay, back to Farseer now. As this is the first part of a trilogy, do you have the overall plotline rigidly mapped out for all three books (culminating with an all singing, all dancing 'save the universe' type finale!) or are the books going to be more loosely linked than that? They are going to be a fairly tight although I am not sure about the singing and the dancing in the finale. There is a big struggle with a Daemon Prince going on which will be resolved by book 3.   So definitely just the three books then, even if the series proves extremely popular? That's the way its planned. There's always the possibility of doing some more books with the survivors.   Okay, onto a more general question now. In terms of gaming, you're dealing with a well-known 40K race so as usual, you'll have to be very careful that you get all the details right. Is the fact that there's such an established 40K history a help or a hindrance to you as an author and how much leeway do GW give you to change things if the plot demands it?  The established 40K history provides a very useful framework, and its so broad brushed that its easy to find space inside it. 10000 years is a lot of time, a galaxy is a lot of ground. I try to keep to the established facts. I still sometimes worry about adding details but then I tell myself that's what the books are for. The books allow you to zoom in on parts of the background that the games sometimes ignore. In Farseer you get to walk down the streets of a 40K city while its at peace, look inside the life of a Rogue Trader, find out what it feels like for a Navigator to pilot a ship through the Warp, and so on.      Incidentally, what sort of time frame are we talking here for the Eldar books - one a year?  That sounds about right.     Speaking of your releases, you're currently averaging between two and three books a year - how do you manage it, especially when you're now writing for three different series? And do you find it difficult to switch between the three? With great difficulty! I am actually taking a rest for a few months at the moment to recharge the batteries. As for switching between the series, it depends on what mood I am in. I was actually quite sorry to be interrupted on Ragnar and the Space Wolves since the series was just building up momentum.   That must be tough. Does this mean we expect to see the new Ragnar book soon then, since you're obviously keen to do it?     I don't know- depends when I can fit it into my schedule.     Okay, so what's next then if it's not Space Wolves? A little birdie told me you're currently working on a new Gotrek and Felix book - is this true? It will be when my holiday ends.   And would you care to share the title of this new book with us....? Giantslayer. Oddly enough, it may well involve a very large humanoid creature being killed.    I'd never have guessed! So when is Giantslayer actually scheduled for release, Bill? Early next year sometime.   And will this book continue to be in the same darker vein as Beastslayer and Vampireslayer or will you attempt to lighten things up a bit for this one? I think I will try to lighten the tone a little, and also strip away some of the supporting cast. I would like to go back to basics with the series.   Right, just a few more quick points before we wrap things up here. I know you're heading off to Chicago Games Day in July but will you be venturing across to the UK any time in the near future? I will be back in the UK in October for sure, but I will probably head straight out for some place warm after that. Its winter on the beach for me.   Sounds like the life. In a previous interview you also mentioned a non-GW book you were working on called Swordmaster. How's that going or has it been put on the backburner for the moment?  I am still working away on it. Its about half done now, and I am pleased with it.     And finally,  my very last question for the moment - if you had to choose a favorite character you've written from all of your books, who would it be and why?  Can't do it. Can't name one.  Its Gotrek and Felix. Mostly because I have been writing them so long and know them so well. Its been nearly 14 years now. Cheesy as it sounds I have grown up with them, and they are part of my life.  * Well, that seems like an appropriate place for me to end this interview. It only remains for me to thank Bill once again for his time and participation and I also thank you, for reading this right to the closing credits!    [ Top ]     [ Interviews ]