Welcome to this instalment of Rapid Fire, my ongoing series of quick interviews with Black Library authors talking about their new releases. These are short and sweet interviews, with the idea being that each author will answer (more or less) the same questions – by the end of each interview I hope you will have a good idea of what the new book (or audio drama) is about, what inspired it and why you might want to read or listen to it.
In this instalment I spoke to Josh Reynolds about his latest Age of Sigmar novel, Nagash: The Undying King, which is available to order in hardback tomorrow after its ebook-only release at the end of 2017.
Let’s go straight over to Josh.
Track of Words: What’s the elevator pitch summary for Nagash: The Undying King?
Josh Reynolds: In the Age of Myth, Nagash and his Mortarchs must battle the servants of the Plague God.
ToW: Without spoiling anything, who are the main characters and what do we need to know about them?
JR: Nagash, obviously. Neferata and Arkhan. Tamra Ven Drak, a necromancer caught up in events. And, of course, the knights of the Order of the Fly – a chivalrous band of Rotbringers.
ToW: Where and when is it set?
JR: In northern Shyish in the Age of Myth, after the closing of the Gates of Azyr and before the creation of the Stormcast Eternals.
ToW: Is there anything that you’d recommend readers check out before reading this?
JR: Not really. So long as a reader know the basics of the setting, there should be no issues.
ToW: Why this story? What made you want to write this in particular?
JR: It was an opportunity to dig into what life’s like for a mortal in the Realm of Death. Too, I got to write some favourite characters, as well as explore a bit of the history of Shyish.
ToW: How do you feel about bringing characters from the Old World like Neferata into the Age of Sigmar – does it help having familiar faces, or is it easier to start from scratch with new characters?
JR: A little from Column A, a little from Column B. Both have their challenges, but both are fun.
ToW: What were your main influences when writing it? Did you draw upon any real-life experience to help you plan or write it?
JR: Mostly just the urge to really show what life might be like for someone who worships death. How would a society like that function? Would it function at all?
ToW: How does the final product compare to your original concept? Has anything changed much from your first ideas?
JR: Not really. I had a fairly free hand with this one, from the base idea to the end result.
ToW: How does this story compare to the rest of your work? Is it a familiar style, or a departure?
JR: I’ll say what I always say…if you like the other stuff I’ve written, you’ll probably like this. If you don’t, you won’t.
ToW: Do you have plans to continue any aspects of this story, or is it a standalone piece?
JR: There are a few sub-plots I’d like to pick back up on, time and interest permitting. But for the moment it’s a standalone piece.
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Thanks as always must go to Josh for (once again – he’s a busy author!) taking the time to answer these questions. You can check out my review of Nagash: The Undying King right here. If you fancy taking a look at some other Rapid Fire interviews, just click here.
If you’ve got any questions, comments or other thoughts please do let me know in the comments below, on Facebook or Twitter, or by emailing me at michael@trackofwords.com.
I know this is an older post ,but I just saw it and wanted to thank you for your work and the content you provide with the reviews and interviews. Its a shame that Josh didnt give very descriptive answers to the questions you asked. I understand wanting to avoid spoilers, but a bit more insight and details from him would have been interesting. One element of the book I would like to have heard his thoughts on was the state of Nagash in the book. Without spoiling anything, it’s fair to say he is more fragmented and this presents an interesting glimpse into the vulnerability he and the other gods can have.