Interview with the author Q: Do all your fantasy novels take place in the same world?A: The Worldsea Era, the Skyfall Era, and the Ragnarok Era take place in the same world, but at vastly different time periods. The world undergoes cyclical destruction and recreation, with each new iteration differing, but following some familiar patterns.
Q: What is "Mythic Fantasy"?A: People sometimes use this term to mean different things, but in the case of my work, we're talking about re-tellings of real world myths in a historical fantasy setting. Every myth, legend, and fairytale you've ever heard probably happened on this Earth. It survived and came to us through a kind of collective unconscious, becoming the stories we know and love. However, the way things happened and reasons behind them might be different.
I adore mythology from any culture. Hindu, Norse, Greek all of them. Mythology helped shape the fantasy genre. And while lots of fantasies pull in aspects of mythology, I wanted to create something to reconcile all world mythologies into an epic fantasy whole.
Q: Is this epic fantasy or historical fantasy?A: It's historical fiction written in an epic style with a healthy dose of dark fantasy. It takes places on an alternate version of Earth, one where the supernatural has changed the course of history in subtle or not-so-subtle ways. In some eras this is a kind of mythic past akin to that found in Conan or other classic Sword and Sorcery stories. In other eras, time more closely resembles our known history.
Q: Is this suitable for my teenager?A: This is a common question, but it's hard to answer because every parent and every child is different. It really comes down to if you would let your teenager watch an R-rated movie. My work includes profanity, sex, and often pervasive violence. It is written for adults, but some parents find it acceptable for younger readers.
Q: Is there a recommended reading order?A: You could read the series in any order, but I would probably recommend order of release:
- Children of Sun and Moon
- Curse of Witch and War
- Currents of Wind and Tide
- Legacy of Moon and Fire
- Fragments of Memory and Dream
- Avatar of Night and Day
- The Apples of Idunn
- The Mists of Niflheim
- The Seventh Princess
- The Burning Princess
Q: Why should I try this?A: I'm writing what I want to read: action, epic plots, larger-than-life characters, a bit of romance, swords, sorcery, dark deities, and twists. Sound up your alley? Then you'll probably love this mythic world as much as I do.
Matt graduated from the College of William & Mary, and went on to study editing at the University of Denver Publishing Institute. After that, he backpacked around India, where everything changed. There, he met his future wife, Tarannum “Juhi,” and from that moment on, his life revolved around trying to get her over to America with him. In 2011 they were married, and now she supports his crazy obsessions, like writing fantasy novels. Find out more at mattlarkin.net