I was thrilled when Masks was named one of the finalists for the RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Fantasy Novel, alongside some tough competition (Paul Cornell, London Falling; Kate Elliott, Cold Steel; Mary Robinette Kowal, Without A Summer, and Stella Gemmell, The City. The RT Book Reviews blog posted the mini-interviews it did with all of the nominated writers, asking each of us the same two questions.
Read the whole thing here, but my segment is below.
How do you think the landscape of SFF fiction is changing? How do you hope to see it improve?
I think we’re seeing an explosion of new ideas and new approaches to old ideas that I find very exciting. Part of that is due to the ongoing development of indie publishing and Kickstarter-style funding campaigns: there’s nothing so quirky or off-beat but what you can find some audience for it. The downside to that is the splintering of the genre audience into smaller and smaller niches: zombie-elf romances set in steampunk space stations, for example. (Hey, I may have to write that one!) What I hope we see going forward is a blurring of lines and a willingness for those who gravitate to very specific types of stories to read outside their comfort zones, the better to enjoy the ever-increasing diversity the field has to offer.
What was your favorite fantasy novel of 2013?
I continue to be blown away by Scott Lynch’s Gentleman Bastard series, and this year’s long-awaited third book, The Republic of Thieves, would have to rate as the favorite thing I read in the field in 2013. Lynch’s characters are unforgettable, his worldbuilding first rate, and he mixes humor, terror, triumph and tragedy in just the right proportions to enthrall me every time.
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