1. *applause*
     
    I like that, about castigating secular fantasy works. I think I’m going to try to do the same with my YA urban fantasy series.

  2. MadPiper says:

    Seriously, though, if your kid likes AC/DC and you buy him a Sandi Patty album as a putative alternative, you may as well teach him to drink blood and sacrifice goats.
    Best laugh I’ve had in months!
    Thanks for the excellent interview.

  3. Ralene B says:

    Great interview! I’ve been wanting to read A Throne of Bones since I first heard of it. I think I might move it to the top of my list. 🙂 I agree with MadPiper, that line with AC/DC and Sandi Patty gave me a good laugh.

  4. Bravo! Love the interview.

  5. Timothy Stone says:

    Great interview Stephen. I have to say that I admire him, but I would not want to be in a room with him. He’s a tad bit acerbic, and sounds a tad condescending, and my attitude is usually to “stick it” to such people. That, and I’m a major Europhobe who argues their current culture devalues the life of the elderly and disabled, and is therefore evil. I usually distrust Liberts, but as long as he doesn’t call me a war criminal and so on like some Liberts in the US have done, I’m fine with the guy.
     
    That said, two questions. First of all, did you get to ask him anything that didn’t go into the interview? Is there anything else you learned about him and his views, on various matters in terms of literature, culture, etc.?
     
    What research did he do on fighting and military stuff, so on? The first few pages I’ve read so far really do have far more believable military characters than much fantasy.
     
    Thanks.
     
     

    • That said, two questions. First of all, did you get to ask him anything that didn’t go into the interview?

      Only one “inside baseball”-style question that I labeled as optional.

      Is there anything else you learned about him and his views, on various matters in terms of literature, culture, etc.?

      Only through the interview; more is at Vox’s blog and, I presume, column archive.

      What research did he do on fighting and military stuff, so on? The first few pages I’ve read so far really do have far more believable military characters than much fantasy.

      You would certainly know more about that than I would, yet I also found the centurions-vs.-goblins accounts to have that elusive ring of familiar reality.

      Feel free to ask Vox Day yourself; I imagine he will see the questions here. 🙂

  6. Clint Hall says:

    I was all ready to argue with you about the quality of the Song of Fire and Ice series, then you specified that you thought the first three books were excellent. I just finished Storm of Swords, and have been taking a break before reading A Feast for Crows, so I’ll have to withhold my response until then.

    Great interview. I look forward to reading Throne of Bones. Good luck and God bless.

  7. Bethany J. says:

    These are some great questions and answers.  Now I want to read his book…

  8. VD says:

    I have to say that I admire him, but I would not want to be in a room with him. He’s a tad bit acerbic, and sounds a tad condescending, and my attitude is usually to “stick it” to such people.

    I do seem to strike a fair number of people that way, and to occasionally provoke that reaction in others. Which I don’t mind; there are few things I enjoy more than sparring, be it physical sport or intellectual debate. I suspect most of my critics would insist you are far too kind. What most casual observers miss is that I don’t take myself all that much more seriously than I take them.

    I’m a major Europhobe who argues their current culture devalues the life of the elderly and disabled, and is therefore evil.

    No question. You won’t find a more vehement critic of the EU than me.

    What research did he do on fighting and military stuff, so on? The first few pages I’ve read so far really do have far more believable military characters than much fantasy.

    I am a lifelong and inveterate wargamer. I’ve read everything from the obscure ancient military treatises by Asclepiodotus and Vegetius to current Marine Corps tactical doctrine. For example, the Sex. Gaerus Frontinus who is often cited by the Amorran officers is the undisguised fantasy version of Sex. Julius Frontinus, the author of the fascinating Strategemata. I didn’t do much actual research for the book, the results were more the distillation of a hobby that has spanned more than three decades. But I’m glad to hear you’re enjoying the military aspects, since you’re going to encounter a lot more of them.

    I imagine Charles Oman will feature more heavily in Book Two now that the action has, to some extent, shifted geographically.

    • I enjoy sparring, too Theodore, but I don’t think that means we have to come off as condescending or vitriolic. I stumbled upon this today in a blog post which struck me as appropriate:

      “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations—these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit—immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously—no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.” (C. S. Lewis in his essay “The Weight of Glory”)

      Becky

      • A quick perusal of his blogs and comments reveals a very unrepentant heart and unchristian attitude towards people.
        His misogyny and racism is out there for all to see, its quite alarming how overt it is.
        I’m enjoying the novel but the more I read about the man, the more I wish I didn’t. I would not want to be anywhere near this arrogant jerk.

  9. VD says:

    I just finished Storm of Swords, and have been taking a break before reading A Feast for Crows, so I’ll have to withhold my response until then.

    Abandon hope, all ye who enter…. To be fair, though, you’ll have to withhold your response until you finish A Dance with Dragons. And to truly experience the full effect, wait six years after finishing Feast, and then dive into Dance.

    In retrospect, I’m not sorry that the series went south, because I very much doubt if I would ever have written A Throne of Bones if it hadn’t.

  10. Timothy Stone says:

    I wanted to apoligize Sir. You may be simewhat brisk, but your patience and kindness in responses show you to be a .ice person. Thanks for your responses.

    On the military question, I ask because you captured the cultire much better than shows and books I’ve seen, where the characters are either too laid back, or too screaming like a bad caricature of Drill Sergeants. You’re very close compared to other fantasy writers to what I saw in the Army. Great job.
     

    I’m loving the book so far (I’ve just.started). When is tge next one due out?

  11. VD says:

    I wanted to apoligize Sir.

    No need. We are as we are.

    I’m loving the book so far (I’ve just.started). When is tge next one due out?

    That’s good to hear. Since most people seem to feel it starts slow, you should enjoy the rest of it. Don’t forget to post a review on Amazon! I don’t dare actually say when the next one is due out, since the schedule is somewhere between optimistic and entirely insane. But let’s just say considerably less than the six years between Feast and Dance… and probably less than the two years I promised.

  12. Well, this has been a good lesson for me. An interesting interview. How we sound to other people is important.
    From his interview it sounds like Vox had a hard upbringing and his parents are airheads. Maybe he should hook up with Franky Schaeffer.
     

  13. VD says:

    From his interview it sounds like Vox had a hard upbringing and his parents are airheads.

    Quite the opposite, actually. I had a privileged upbringing and my parents are both highly intelligent. But intelligence doesn’t trump culture, for the most part.

    • Jill says:

      “But intelligence doesn’t trump culture, for the most part.” I’ve found this to be true. Otherwise rational people often let go of their logical capacities when it comes to their cultural traditions (Evangelicals and Scientists very nearly create self-fulfilling stereotypes when it comes to this).  As somebody of low IQ, I’ve found it much easier to slip through the cracks of culture (fewer expectations, I suspect).

  14. J.L. Mbewe says:

    Okay, when you said “Clash of Rings” I was like “what?!” Love the humor. Great interview. 

  15. Jill says:

    The first half of Thrones of Bones was a page-turner, but now I’m feeling the sag. Hope it picks up again soon before it goes the way of my never-ending, never-finished reading list.

  16. VD says:

    The first half of Thrones of Bones was a page-turner, but now I’m feeling the sag.

    Interesting. The general consensus appears to be that it starts rather slow and picks up from there. Then again, even Tolkien had that infernal march through Mordor.

    • Jill says:

      The first battle scene is what kept me reading. It’s very well-written. I often feel scattered and confused in battle scenes, and hence, boredom sets in, but that doesn’t happen here. And then, of course, there’s Marcus. You have many other characters, some of whom I like and some whom I don’t, but at least you always come back to Marcus.

      • VD says:

        The first battle scene is what kept me reading. It’s very well-written.

        It will be interesting to see what you make of a later battle scene… assuming you make it that far.

        What other fantasy works (Christian and secular) have you read?

        Most of the secular ones. I haven’t read Sanderson’s Mistborn yet, but I’ve read The Way of Kings. Decent, but not particularly good, in my estimation. I particularly like Lloyd Alexander, Susan Cooper, Tanith Lee, Neal Stephenson, William Gibson, and Roger Zelazny. Zelazny may be my biggest influence, although I’ve realized that only in hindsight. I like Abercrombie, don’t like Bakker, and believe Robert Jordan is a cruel, cruel joke on fantasy fans. The only time I’ve ever been tempted to write fan fiction was so that I could kill off that ridiculous whiner, Rand al’Thor.

        Guy Gavriel Kay is very good, as is Stephen R. Donaldson. However, my favorite writers are outside the genre, being PG Wodehouse and Umberto Eco.

        If you go to Vox Popoli and type “Reading List ” in the blog search box, you can see what books I’ve read over the last three years and how I loosely ranked them. For example, this is my Reading List 2012

        On the Christian side, I respect George MacDonald more than I particularly enjoy him. I loved The Tower of Geburah but found the rest of John White’s stuff disappointing. Lewis and Tolkien are the great masters.

        • Bainespal says:

          The only time I’ve ever been tempted to write fan fiction was so that I could kill off that ridiculous whiner, Rand al’Thor.

          Rand al’Thor is a whiner, and as an angsty, whiny teen, I connect greatly with the character, although I always liked Perrin better.  I’m probably the closest there is to a WoT fan who is going to speak up here, and it’s readily apparent to me that the series is flawed in many ways.  The plot is horrible, and only deteriorates as the series goes on.  But I like the worldbuilding, the scope, and some of the characters.  I don’t think Jordan devalues the concepts of honor, courage, love, or loyalty as you say Martin does.
           
          (I have not read A Song of Ice and Fire, but I’ve been thinking about picking up A Game of Thrones some day.  Maybe it isn’t worth it.)

  17. Michelle says:

    I was delighted to learn that Throne of Bones has its roots in Summa Elvetica. I ate that story in slow, savoring mouthfuls.   Throne of Bones  is now second in my review queue for The Christian Manifesto. If Summa Elvetica was a three course meal, it  sounds like I am in for a full  banquet in Throne of Bones.

    I love any story  secular or Christian,  that tells a riotously good tale, has a moral center (I mean that in the Chesterton sense) and makes me forget that I’m reading a book.   Here’s hoping I find all three in

  18. Timothy Stone says:

    I’m curious Sir. What other fantasy works (Christian and secular) have you read? I heard you liked Brandon Sanderson’s works. Which ones? Have you read the Mistborn books?
     

  19. Timothy Stone says:

    The series does have problems, Bainespal, yes. But, as you said, it is a great series for the worldbuilding and magic systems. Of course, Sanderson does far better than Jordan, methinks.
     
    In the series, I disliked Egwene the most, as she was a bully, pure and simple, and more than a mite sadistic at times. To be honest, the most ideal military person is obviously Mat, but the most ideal leader, I think, was Perrin. I mean, at least Rand had the excuse that he was insane at the time. What was the other peoples’ (like Egwene or at times Faile) excuse?

  20. A few questions for the author:

    Why did you choose to write under Vox Day when Summa Elvetica was written under your real name? Do you feel that runs a risk of distancing readers from that work, or was that the point? Also, do you feel that in writing a riposte to the likes of Martin, you run the risk of being labeled a Christian knock-off of him? (I am very much intrigued by your interview, but concerned by the titles in particular, as I have a feeling that the similarity could backfire. Remember the criticism of Michael Warden and the comparisons to Stephen Donaldson?)

  21. VD says:

    It’s the name most people know me by now. The Summa hardcover coming out this summer will be published under it as well. I think so few people read Summa in comparison with how many will read Throne that any possible distancing is irrelevant.

    I’m not worried about being labled a knock-off. A lot of people seem to find it of reasonably similar quality, and let’s face it, a lot of them need something else to read over the next five years. I mean, if we both keep up our respective paces, I’ll be done with all five books of Arts of Dark and Light before he finishes A Song of Ice and Fire….

    Anyhow, I’m just getting started. Arts is not going to follow in Song’s footsteps.

  22. Okay, that makes more sense.  Well, here’s to providing those fans an alternative (something I’m rather hoping to do myself).  Blessings in your work.  

  23. […] about his journey to publishing this very massive tome. And then, a few days later, Vox Day was interviewed by E. Stephen Burnett for this blog. And in the comments of both posts, there was a lot of hand-wringing and worry about […]

  24. David James says:

    I’m a bit late to this discussion, but I wanted to mention how much I am looking forward to getting this one.
     
    I had gotten Summa Elvetica back when MLP first got started, and I got to say I was surprised with how thin the book was, and then when I got half way through the book and the story I was reading and enjoying was over with already, I just never went back and read the two follow up stories. That may sound strange, but I was enjoying it immensely and felt I had gotten ripped off on that one. Reading this interview lets me see more of why that was the case. Knowing that this book tells me even more from that world will ensure that I finally go back and read the other two stories. 🙂
     
    My main question at this point is this: Is this book one complete novel this time or is it another series of stories?
     
    Oh, and I happen to like Stryper. 😉

  25. Stirling says:

    I would love to see March Lord Press branch out into other forms of media. Computer games, roleplaying games, etc.
    In fact, I think that the world featured in A Throne of Bones would make an excellent setting for a roleplaying game. It would be nice to have a fantasy world where I could play a character that worships Jesus instead of some made up soccer hooligan with divine powers.

  26. VD says:

    Is this book one complete novel this time or is it another series of stories?

    It is a complete novel that is the first in a five-book series.

What do you think?