Why are the bad guys always so good?

Sitting here at the laptop, one ear on Radio 5 Live for the last of this week's Premiership games, I figured it was high time I posted something of interest on the blog.

Last week or so the Telegraph published a Top 50 Villains of Literature supplement, and interesting reading it made too (here's the link by the way). Together with the fact that one of my favourite shows restarts this week, Heroes, bearing the season title 'Villains', it seemed an auspicious time to discuss the subject of bad guys and why they always seem to be so darn cool...

We all love a villain. It's one of those truisms that pervades throughout literature, movies, TV and all media. Villains, you see, are not as white-on-white or, dare I say, as two-dimensional as heroes. Shades of grey, even black, are always preferable to pearly white. Villains can be uncompromising, inscrutable; they can break the rules, walk their own path and stick two fingers up to the bastions of law and order, of conformity.

Let's face it, villains get to do the things, we, as law-abiding, good-natured citizens, would always quite like to do. Being bad, even just a little bit, is a thrill. Villains get to do this with impunity, often with aplomb, occasionally even with humour. They're usually powerful too - and power is attractive. Villains are the id to the heroes' superego. Heroes are all 'don't do that, you shouldn't do that, that's wrong'. Whereas villains are all 'you shouldn't do that, that's wrong, so do it'.

Villains realise the subconscious desires that dwell within most of us - after all, we are only human. Plus they tend to dress in black... and who doesn't look good in black, right?

It's worth celebrating these nefarious characters, who we love to hate, or hate to love. Who didn't dig the Joker in Dark Knight or the Killing Joke or Dark Knight Returns? There's just something pervertedly appealing about a guy who can act like a total amoral, entrophic lunatic with a smile on his face and a song in his heart.


Who doesn't agree Darth Vader is the daddy and unmitigatingly cool? Come on, admit it, you wanted him to ice that insipid Luke Skywalker. Oh, and he's about the only character who seems to be prevalent in pretty much all the best incarnations of the franchise. Ever watch Smallville? Lex and Lionel Luther, the dastardly and unscrupulous industry tycoons/megalomaniacs, are the best damn thing on that show (forget Tom Welling, wearing Clark Kent's red jumper; slick-suited, slick-headed Michael Rosenbaum is totally the man).

The list could go on and on.

Taking a more highbrow tack, the Telegraph has some classic choices in their literary catalogue of neer-do-wells: Hannibal Lector (he's a sociopathic cannibal, but you just couldn't help but root for him in Silence of the Lambs, right? I wonder if that's what Robert Harris intended when he created him?). Moriarty (Sherlock Holmes' nemesis, who himself isn't exactly pure as driven snow) features in the list too, and highlights for me the importance of having a good villain to test our oft eponymous hero - a yin to our champion's yang, the thing that by being his or her opposite, defines him.

Captain Hook, Moby Dick, Sauron, Patrick Batemen: whether it's malfeasant pirates, indomitable white whales, demi-god like tyrants or self-obsessed psychopaths, villains in all their shapes and sizes are compelling. They represent fear incarnate, and this too is thrilling; less so the vicarious, cathartic experience of being a villain and moreover the oh-so-slightly masochistic experience of being victim to one, albeit through the safety of your own living room/easy chair. Horror as a genre has been predicated on this desire since its outset and has some great villains (Christopher Lee as Dracula, anyone? Gary Oldman single-handedly redeeming the otherwise turgid modern version of Stoker's classic in the same role?)

All the most memorable heroes have good villains as their counterparts. A hero isn't a hero if he doesn't have something to fight against. Sure this could be amorphous: world hunger, natural disasters, drug abuse (check out the 70's and 80's era of DC and Marvel comics for a truckload of this type of thing), but isn't it so much more interesting if it's an individual that represents and articulates all of that negativity? One man (or woman, of course) that is the threat that will not think twice about sacrificing a bus load of school kids or a hospital brimming with patients. It's horrifying; it's compelling.

Good villains are sometimes hard to come by. They are just as important, if not more important than the heroes. Good is defined by evil, and visa versa. It's all part of the same equation really.

Personally, I love villains. For a start, they are so much more fun to write about than heroes. The shackles are off, and the challenge is: how can I make them as horrific as possible? How can I do this in such a way that appalls but entices with equal measure. The trick is to make them bad, but not so bad that they can't be identified with, that the villain acts so egregiously that you lose all interest.

It's a balancing act of course, one that treads a thin line, akin to the line between good and evil.

How I survived Games Day 2008!

This post feels somewhat belated (much like many of the birthday greetings I've received this week - my thanks to one and all for their kind wishes), given that it was all over on Sunday evening.

However, I couldn't simply let it pass by and not mark it on the blog.

Having read the Black Library forum fairly extensively, it seems a lot of folks are doing some truly wonderful and well detailed reports on what they did on the day. I'll spare you that, as my day was pretty much confined to the Black Library signing area where I was at work in my capacity as editor.

I don't know what it is about Games Day (this last one was my sixth, I do believe, having done three for White Dwarf as a journo, and the same again for Black Library), but on the Saturday before I always approach it with a sense of foreboding and dread. I suppose it's just the monstrously early start and the desire to do a good job throughout what is an energised and frantic day.

This year, for some unfathomable reason, was different, and although I had very little sleep the night before, I approached the convention with a certain optimism I hadn't felt before. That said, even in previous years, as soon as I was in Birmingham and off and running, the day flew and I had a great time.

This was pretty much how it panned out this year. I had no time at all to wonder at the clock. It was non-stop.

2008 was the first Games Day in which I had something to sign - in this case Assault on Black Reach: The Novel. I was very pleasantly surprised by the number of folks who approached me about it. There was even a couple of guys who wanted me to sign Oathbreaker and Grudgelore, and talk about new dwarf books. To those people, I can reiterate here - Honourkeeper is coming in April 2009 (with hopefully more dwarf tales after that - I certainly want to write some...).

Another hot topic was, of course, Salamanders. This, somewhat sidelined, First Founding Chapter will be appearing in the Heroes of the Space Marines anthology (which I believe comes out in July of next year), and then will be followed by the novel a month later.

It was truly great to speak to fans of the Chapter first hand who regaled me with their thoughts and ideas, but generally their delight that the 'Sallies' (as they are affectionately known in some circles -Xhalax, if you're reading this, you know who you are...) were finally getting some attention.

Special mention must go to David Johnston (hope I got that right, David - please correct me if I didn't as I'd like to name check you in the book's dedication), aka Brother Argos of the Bolter & Chainsword. David and I discussed at some length how we saw the Chapter and what we liked about it, sharing our passions for the sons of Vulkan. It was actually very inspiring and gratifying speaking to such a dedicated fan of the Salamanders. Vulkan's Forge, which David put together, is simply a superb site and a real testament to his love of the Chapter. I hope to do you and the Salamanders justice.

I also want to say how touched and genuinely moved I was at receiving a wonderful piece of original art from Kevin Chin. As I'm sure you can see, this is simply stunning stuff and I must also add Kevin, if you're reading this, how humbled I was regarding your very kind words about Oathbreaker. I shall endeavour to live up to your high esteem of me and my works.


I dare say I could go on at some length, but I think I'll cut it short there.

Sometimes, chained to your desk, staring at the blank screen or fighting with that synopsis you can't quite get right yet or lamenting about the faults you perceive in your published words, writing can be a lonely pursuit. How gratifying and reaffirming is it then when you meet genuine fans who have a real interest and enthusiasm for what you do.

I relished meeting each and every one of you at Games Day, and I do hope I'll see you all again next year. Thank you so much for making this year's event a truly special one for me.

One year older...

'We gonna party like its your birthday...'

The immortal words of Fifty-Cent there, and how apt.

Yup, I'm a year older today, folks - the ripe sum of 31.

But just to underline the fact that, despite my advancing years, I'm still a big kid at heart, my gifts so far amount to: a talking Iron Man, a Dark Knight T-shirt and Medal of Honour 2 for my PSP (amongst others).

Today looks to be a day of cake, beer and lots of other good stuff. Can't I enjoy myself too much, though - I'll be at Games Day tomorrow (getting up at the unsavoury hour of 5.30am - mercy).

And as I say goodbye to 30 (technically, I'm not 31 until this evening), I can reflect on what has been a productive year for me. I've finished another dwarf novel (Honourkeeper, which is released in April), written my first 40K book (Assault on Black Reach, which is available now and will be at the aforementioned Games Day) and will have started on my first Salamanders novel and short story.

It's been a busy one and I've learned a lot. Thankfully, I'm seeming to balance editor and writer pretty well (though I would like to indulge in more writing - I've been a little lax of late, what with one thing and another).

This year (and a bit) has also seen the advent of my website (which I'm pretty sure is due an anniversary soon). My thanks to everyone who has read and continues to read it, and enjoy it. I plan to be just as active (if not more so) in the future. There's more Wyrd Dreams to come, lots of updates about Salamanders, of course, and the odd special short story project that I plan to add.

Plus, of course, I've had a new addition to my family in the form of my house rabbit, Shakespeare.

So, chin, chin then and here's to the next one.

Signing time for Assault on Black Reach

Just a quick note to say that I will be signing Assault on Black Reach: The Novel at this year's Games Day in Birmingham at the following time:

12.15-1.00pm

It would be great to see some folks at the stand, so if you're coming to Games Day this year in the UK and want to have the book signed or, indeed, chat to me about writing etc then please come over and say 'hi!'.

Obsessed with genre fiction

I don't know why, or even how it happened, but I am obsessed with genre fiction right now.

For those not in the know, I refer to Wikipedia for a snappy definition: Genre fiction is a term for stories written with the intent of fitting into a specific literary genre in order to appeal to readers and fans already familiar with that genre.

So, we are talking Star Wars, Star Trek, Halo, Warhammer etc, etc. It probably won't surprise you to learn that genre fiction gets the rough end of the stick when it comes to the pointy-nosed literary types that pervade this crazy world called fiction - an erroneously held belief that they, because they are based on already realised and established worlds, are inferior to say, mainstream sf or fantasy. Frankly, that is complete rubbish in my opinion - there are stinkers of books and even hidden gems in all facets of the market, be that genre fiction or otherwise. I think where you do need to tread very lightly is movie tie-ins, for these are just rehashes of said blockbuster and shameless ways to cash-in.

Anyway, enough of my soapbox, I think I've flown the flag for genre fiction quite enough (in actual fact, I'm not that keen on the term itself. I mean, isn't all fiction of one genre or another - ergo isn't it genre fiction. Semantically it certainly is).

So, basically genre fiction is preaching (and I use that term without any religious connotations please) to the converted, to the ready-made audience that wants to read stories about their favourite characters from their favourite universes. I know about genre fiction. For one, I am an editor at a genre fiction publishing house with a stable of diverse and creative authors, all writing genre fiction. For two, I write genre fiction, be it tales of Warhammer Dwarfs or the sagas of Space Marines battling for the glory of the Emperor in the Warhammer 40,000 universe. It's ready-made; no need for too much world building or over-blown procrastination like in some mainstream sf, in genre fiction you get straight down to the nitty gritty - to the story and the characters.

I'll confess. Much as I work and write with/about genre fiction, I don't read that much of it for pleasure (i.e. in my non-work time, as I do enjoy a lot of the novels that come through the Black Library's doors - some more than others, of course). I suppose it's an occupational hazard, but then an editor has (or at least, should have) an insatiable capacity for reading.

Where's all this going, you might ask? Well, as readers of this blog will know, I have something of a penchant for crime novels (that's a genre, crime, isn't it...). And while I have been blazing through a host of Connolly, Crais and Child novels (why do all my favourite crime writers begin with a 'C'?), I have also been sneaking in the odd genre fiction novel, too. Not Black Library, though. Alas, that stopped being genre fiction for me the moment I put on my editor's hat, I stopped being a 'fan' in the normal sense and became critic, mentor and assessor.

No, it's novels about comic book heroes that I'm hooked on at the moment. Look, these aren't literary classics. They are derivative. But that doesn't stop them from being damn good. DC comics characters are far and away my favourite. There's just something about the old school grittiness, the weight of history and lack of polish (compared to say, Marvel) that really appeals to me.

(As an aside, I remember watching a documentary once about the evolution of Marvel Comics. I think it was when the first Spider-Man movie was released - with Toby McGuire as the eponymous hero. It was hosted by Stan Lee, but had some interviews with other folks in the comics business, chaps like Avri Arad and just the average, Jog Bloggs comic shop owner.

One such interviewee was explaining the difference between Marvel and it's closest rival DC. His analogy went along the lines of likening Marvel to the cool kids, the rebellious teenager, the more youthful, hip audience; whereas DC was your conservative uncle with fairly stayed heroes and hackneyed story lines straight out of the ark. At least that's how it was forty or fifty years ago. How things have changed. Don't get me wrong: Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, Spidey - those guys are awesome, but they just don't have the same grit and gravitas as the DC boys for me.

Let's face it, there is no one better than Batman and Superman, right? These guys are, and always will be, the Dons are far as comic book heroes are concerned. As if to prove the point, I took part in a poll of the Empire movie magazine website. It was charting the best ever comic book heroes as voted for by fans. Their initial assumptions raised an eyebrow or two I'm sure - borne out by the fluctuations in the final vote - but who was slap bang at the top: Supes and Bats, of course. DC certainly doesn't have the quantity of well-known, well-loved heroes that Marvel does - just gather up all the X-men and that would probably eclipse DC's pantheon in that regard - but they've got the quality, the big-hitters, the Daddy's of the Gold and Silver Ages. So it is, for these reasons, and others besides, that DC will always be my favourite of the two duelling comic book giants.)

The last genre fiction book I read was The Forensic Files of Batman (not a true narrative as such, check out my earlier post for more on this). Top, top stuff. I've also read a host of other novels featuring and starring the Dark Knight. One of which, No Man's Land (based on the graphic novel of the same name, albeit an abridged version), I hunted down through Amazon's Marketplace Sellers. I've literally just received Knightfall through the post (another well known graphic novel adaptation) and am looking forward to The Last Days of Krypton.

What has happened to me? Where did this insatiable appetite for genre fiction come from? It's not hard to answer. I am a HUGE Batman fan. I watch Smallville every week (despite its tailing quality), and love Superman too (I'm not so much of a purist that I didn't like Superman: Doomsday, like a lot of fans seem to have - I thought it was awesome). It came to me the other night, as I was finishing off Forensic Files. I dig these books so much because I really like reading about my favourite characters, my heroes. 'This,' I thought to myself, 'must be what other genre fiction fans feel like when they read about their favourite characters'.

It gave me a window into the psyche of the Black Library fan base; it made me able to appreciate their pleasure and pain on an empathic level, that my editorially compromised mind and outlook would have otherwise prevented me from experiencing.

You know, I've read some good and some not so good books about Batman. It's a genuine thrill when they are really good, when they do something you're not expecting or unlock some piece of lore that you didn't know about. But even when they are not so good, when they take a bit of a left turn, there's still something to be gained, some nugget or morsel that enhances your understanding of the character.

It's taught me, as if I needed to be taught, that genre fiction is not just derivative, it isn't throw away or fit for derision by the so-called, self-appointed 'literary' types that carouse other genres with their indestructible skein or 'writerdom' to protect and defend them. It is damn hard. Here you are, the genre fiction writer, stepping into someone else's clubhouse, into the world already constructed. You are preaching then to the converted, but it's a well-versed, frighteningly knowledgeable congregation. They want you to succeed, to thrill entertain and wow them with the characters that they feel they own a piece of, characters whom they have devoted large chunks of their childhood/adolescence/adult life to; but woe betide you if you should fail, for they are the harshest critics and their knives are sharp indeed.

Three cheers for genre fiction, I say, and for the brave souls that enter into that world with trepidatious steps, clutching their style bibles like their very lives depended on it. I salute you, each and every one.

Salamanders short story gets a new title

After finishing up some work on Assault on Black Reach and writing up a glossary for Honourkeeper, I can now turn my attention back to the Salamanders.

Those who have been following the blog will know that I have two projects involving this Chapter, the first of which is a short story that will be featured in the Heroes of the Space Marines anthology. In an earlier post I revealed that the working title of the story was 'Unto The Anvil...'. I've since had a slight change of heart on this and gone for the slightly more punchy 'Fires of War'. I felt the first title lacked a little something, and was perhaps a little too ambiguous for non-Salamander aficionados. 'Fires of War' still retains strong elements of the Salamander's battle cry, as did 'Unto the Anvil...', but is simply more overt. It's actually a melding of both elements of the Salamander cry (Anvil of Battle, Fires of War etc), so, for me, had a nice ring that distinctly said Salamanders to me.

I'll be mapping out the story synopsis in some detail today, having gone over it with my editor last week. The characters at the heart of the tale will be the main protagonists in the novel (currently called 'Salamander', but that might change to, currently I'm thinking either Fire Born or Sons of Prometheus, as it sounds more evocative, grandiose and less Saturday morning cartoon derivative). There is a crucial event, a character shaping act, that takes place in the story that will effect what's to come in the novel. It's not necessary for you to have read 'Fires of War' to understand or appreciate the novel, but it will add to the experience. If I do write more than one Salamanders novel (I'd like to, and am planning for, a trilogy), then it's likely that this story would feature in any omnibus.

As well as giving me a chance to 'road test' my heroes, as it were, I also want to introduce, or rather expand, elements of Promethean and Salamanders battle culture not seen before. There'll be no views of Nocturne in the short, as it all takes place in a different sector, on a different planet, but I do plan on having some fairly lengthy scenes on the Salamanders homeworld in the novel itself (and a huge thank you to all those who posted me links and background for the Chapter - Bolter & Chainsword, Vulkan's Forge: you guys absolutely rock! Thanks also to Pyriel, who's insightful and well-researched work on posited Nocturne geology was a great source of interest.

I really don't want to reveal anything more about the story now - you might find some snippets in the interview I did for 40K Radio (see an earlier post for details) - but let's leave it there until it's written and in print.

PDF extract of Assault on Black Reach: The Novel is no online!

Hey folks,

Not much more to add to the subject bar except to say that the PDF extract taken from the first act of the novel is now up on the Black Library website. Just go to:

http://www.blacklibrary.com/product.asp?prod=60100181092&type=Book

and click on the sample extract link to download.

I'd love to hear your initial thoughts...

The Forensic Files of Batman

It's a fairly safe bet that when most (if not all) writers aren't writing, they are reading instead. It's part of the professional writer's mantra (well, for me anyway) that you should always read at least twice (or more) than you write.

So it is that my reading shelf is absolutely packed, and I usually get through them at a rate of knots. I'll post later about what I've been reading over the last few months with some brief reviews, but right now I want to tell you about The Forensic Files of Batman, which is the book I'm currently getting through.

As a Batman fan, I would heartily recommend to all others with a penchant for the Dark Knight (particularly if you're still gripped by movie fever and are seeking out all forms of Batman literature, be it leaning towards the pictorial or more along the lines of the novel - of which there are a few dedicated to the Dark Knight - check out an earlier post in the archive about No Man's Land, Inferno, Dead White and Fear Itself).

This book, the one in question, is a little hidden gem. I actually happened on it purely by mistake. We do, at times, get batches of books sent to us from other publishers (sf/fantasy and the like) and on such an occasion I was very fortunate to get my hands on The Last Days of Krypton (bear with me), which I also plan on reading next, but it was The Forensic Files of Batman that caught my eye. Alas, this potentially very interesting paperback was snaffled by Christian Dunn (a fellow editor, who is also a huge comic books fan). Despite this minor setback, I went straight to Amazon and found the book in the second hand buyers section (or rather it was being sold by a second hand marketplace distributor).

Upon arrival I had a quick delve through (and have, subsequently, almost finished it). Written by Dough Moench, the best way to describe the novel is 'Batman meets Crime Scene Investigation'. The book is divided in a number of 'case files', preceded by an introduction 'written' by the Batman himself setting them in context. 'Chapters' take the form of diary entries written by Bruce Wayne before he is about to embark on his 'mission', and discussing forensic technologies and techniques he has learned or might need to employ in the persecution and, ultimately, bringing to justice of the criminal elements of Gotham.

This, in itself, offers an intriguing insight in the nascent Batman's forensic rationale. These entries are usually short and are oft tempered with more objective reports added by Alfred Pennyworth, as a keen and shrewd observer of the Batman's methods and mores. Of course, the bulk of the book is dominated by the cases themselves and these (with a few exceptions coming from Alfred) come from the Dark Knight himself.

The pace of these case files, often delivered as prose, is varied depending on what forensic principle is being explored between the lines of narrative as it were. The scope here is broad: autopsy, hair and fibres, finger printing, entomology, trace evidence, chemical analysis, DNA, ballistics (or as the preferred term 'firearms investigation'), psychological profiling, forensic anthropology, blood work and more are all described and analysed in pretty exacting detail.

Yes, there the semblance of the bullet points of a forensic text book represented and couched around the world and methods of the Batman, but it is undeniably cool. This 'thematic' approach to exploring the world of forensics according to the Batman also allows for a few cameos in the more story-based extracts from the Rogue's Gallery, too. Scarecrow, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Joker (a transcript of him being psychologically profiled!) all feature, amongst some others.

It's a great read, not quite a story you understand with an ongoing narrative or anything, but the bite-size episodic chunks are delivered with confidence and respect to the sub-genre. I would seriously advise any Batman fan to seek it out.