(Note from Oisin: I’ve removed one question from this because it contains a major story spoiler.)
1.Your main protagonist, Nathanial has all the attributes of a
traditional hero as his sense of adventure, courage and resourcefulness
dominate the action of your two novels. Considering his macho appeal did
you construct him with male readers in mind?
In some ways, the elaborate style of the period setting and the dialogue
lends itself more to female readers, so I did want to make sure there
was enough in there for the boys too. But I don’t think Nate is
specifically a ‘boy’s’ character. He is an adventurer (albeit a
frustrated one), the blunt, somewhat flamboyant action-man type I think
appeals to both sides.
2.The character of Daisy outwardly conforms to the gender-role
expected of her in Victorian society. However, she proves herself to be
inwardly very powerful and by all means and purposes very likeable! Was
this intentional and were you conveying to the reader the realities of
Victorian life for upper-class women?
The setting demanded the story and characters have a certain shape, and
the attitude to women was one of these constraints. Women of the time
could not vote, take part in government, own property or own a business,
so having the near-mandatory self-sufficient career woman you see in
most stories now just wouldn’t fit in this setting. Enterprising and
self-possessed women were certainly around, but they had to find other
ways of taking control of their lives. Daisy is an example of this – she
has to play power games, but within the arena she inhabits. Conforming
to some norms allows her to take an interest and exercise control over
many areas traditionally denied to women of the time.
3.Gerald’s role and function in questioning the existence of God
against scientific discovery permeates both novels. His role in bringing
back ancient ancestors from the dead perhaps allows the reader to see
the dangers of misguided and extremist forms of religious worship. Would
you agree and do Gerald’s views and opinions reflect your own?
This is one of the central themes, and although I’d consider myself much
more a follower of science rather than religion, I’m not an atheist. I
don’t believe in an all-powerful God, but at the same time we know that
science can’t explain everything in nature – although perhaps it will in
time. But until then, there are still times when we rely on things like
instinct, intuition and empathy. Gerald’s opinions are a bit more
extreme, and though he is extremely rational, he’s not the most
compassionate of individuals. I think any kind of extremist religious
views are insidious and destructive, but at the same time, I don’t
believe in living life with merciless reason either.
4.The engimals appear to be part machine/animal that feel pain,
respond to love and have something akin to DNA by having their own
unique footprints. What influenced you in creating them?
I think so many people relate to the idea of the engimals because all
the machines around us are becoming so sophisticated. Most of us don’t
really understand how the fuel injection system or the anti-lock brakes
in a car work, or even all of the things our phones can do. Machines are
electronic and software-based more than mechanical now, and they
develop bewildering bugs and characteristics that can give them what
seem like personalities. Most of us have cursed, shouted or exclaimed at
our machines at some time in our lives. So the idea of machines
behaving like animals isn’t a big leap for the imagination.
5.There is a clear hierarchy that exists between engimals as
Flash dominates over other engimals through his strength and power
whilst many engimals exist to serve humans in menial tasks such as
mowing lawns. Can you explain this?
I see it as pyramid, as in nature, with peak predators at the top and
the placid grazers at the bottom – although the engimals rarely actually
attack each other – but all with apparent functions useful to mankind.
Thousands of years of feral wandering has reduced many of them to
savagery, while others are insecure and want to be domesticated. Again,
it comes back to giving them personalities that fit their functions and
how hard they would likely be to tame or train. It makes sense (at least
to me) to have a motorcycle that’s almost untameable, a lawnmower
that’s controllable but liable to bite your ankles, and a vacuum cleaner
that skulks around behind the furniture.
6.The hierarchy that exists between engimals is also noticeable
through the class structure of Victorian society in regard to the
expected behaviour of servants i.e. facing the wall or turning their
faces when they pass a Wildenstern. However, the narrative voice does
not condone or condemn this? Was this a conscious decision and how
important is it to allow the reader space to construct their own views
and opinions on the polarity of wealth and poverty?
One of the key techniques of writing a fantasy story is that where you
are featuring the ‘real’ elements of that world, they have to be as
true-to-life as possible, in order to convince the reader that the
fantasy elements are true too. I did a lot of research on life in manor
houses at the time, and this is how staff would have been expected to
behave. They were not seen or heard beyond their function in the house –
it was an absolutely gruelling life for many of them. To have a modern
voice narrating this and passing judgement from a contemporary point of
view would have broken the spell I hoped to achieve in creating the
setting.
7.Darwin’s theory of natural selection is an overt theme in both
books. However, it also applies to the rules of ascension in the
Wildenstern family as only the fittest survive! Was it your intention to
fully utilise this theme?
Once I have settled on the themes for any book, I tend to use each one
throughout to give shape to the plot and help define the paths of the
characters. The Wildensterns take capitalism to the ultimate level, kill
or be killed, but I don’t think being the ‘fittest’ is necessarily the
deciding factor in surviving in the family – no more than it always is
in business, or even evolution. There are plenty of parasites and
hangers-on in the Wildenstern family who get by quite well by hovering
around, making themselves useful to the real predators.
8.(Note from Oisin: I’ve removed this question because it contains a major story spoiler for The Wisdom of Dead Men.)
9.The description of Marcus’ funeral is quite elaborate. The
theme of death permeates the works of many Victorian novelists such as
Charles Dickens. Were you in some way adhering to this in order to make
your own novels appear authentic to the historical setting?
Part of it was authenticity and part of it was to create the right
atmosphere for the subsequent scenes. Victorian funerals were very
elaborate – a pauper’s grave was the ultimate shame, and premature death
and the resultant funeral were so common that families had to put money
aside in anticipation of that expense. There was so much ceremony and
so many interesting rituals and superstitions surrounding death in those
days, and I wanted to bring some of that in. But it was also important
that a Wildenstern funeral be dark and spectacular, to help maintain the
gothic setting. Some of the description of the scenes was drawn from
the funeral of Queen Victoria herself.
10.The role of religion, particularly in The Wisdom of Dead Men
appears to be steeped in religious superstition that functions as a
cover up for murder. The insidious corruption it relates to is very
relevant to Ireland’s history. How important was it to incorporate this
theme into your novels?
I have issues with the influence religion has had on life in Ireland,
but I didn’t want to highlight a particular example. It’s not faith
itself I object to – I think everyone has a right to believe whatever
they want, as long as they’re not bothering anyone else – but
institutional religion in those days went hand-in-hand with politics and
power, not just in Ireland, but everywhere. The resultant corruption
and abuse of power made a mockery of the kinds of things Christianity
claims to represent. It still sickens me, when I see it happening today.
I didn’t want to deliver any lectures with the story; like most of the
issues that come up in my books, I just wanted to ask questions and
prompt the reader to do the same.
11.Ireland’s history is further explored through the subject of
the great famine and the incarceration of innocent women. Is this your
way of educating the reader on Irish history?
I’d never claim to be trying to ‘educate’ my readers. I do want to leave
them thinking after they’ve finished the book and prompt questions in
their minds. When I lived in London, I remember being disappointed with
how little British people knew of Irish history. In Ireland, we have to
learn a fair bit about British history along with our own because the
two are so intertwined. Given how many terrorist attacks Irish
‘nationalists’ carried out in the UK, I’d have thought British people
would be more curious about why it was happening . . . The only thing
they seem to teach in UK schools is the famine (and it was only one of
many famines over the centuries). Seeing as about half the population of
Ireland either died or emigrated in the space of five years, I suppose
they had to cover it. In the third Wildenstern book, there will be more
mention of the great famine as part of one of the characters’
background, but it still remains secondary to the main story.
12.There is a clear anti–British sentiment in both your novels!
However, it appears to be the only thing that connects the upper and
lower classes throughout your two novels. Would you agree?
This was a thorny one, as I have no real issues with the British (apart
from when you try to do things like claim U2 as a ‘British’ band). I’m
certainly not a raving nationalist and have never had anything but
contempt for the likes of the IRA. Most of my generation are over that
kind of thing – and I do want to sell my books in UK! But as with the
oppression of women, the conflict between religion and science, and the
illegality of homosexuality, it was a feature of the time. If anything,
I’ve played it down. It would be hard to overstate the hatred most Irish
people of the time felt towards the British landlords and their
government. There were numerous acts of rebellion and constant unrest,
so I had to feature that background. As for it being something that
united the upper and lower classes, there is an element of truth in
that. The peasants had it the hardest, of course, but nationalist
leaders like Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet were from upper middle-class
backgrounds and Daniel O’Connell’s and Charles Parnell’s families were
land-owners.
Hope this answers all your questions – it was a pretty in-depth interview! I’m going to go to bed now. My brain is tired.