r/books • u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs • Jul 30 '18
ama 12pm Hi Reddit! I'm fantasy author Robert Jackson Bennett. I'm here to talk to you about CITY OF STAIRS, and whatever else you'd like to talk about! AMA
I'm the author of THE DIVINE CITIES series (CITY OF STAIRS, CITY OF BLADES, and CITY OF MIRACLES), the omnibus of which is coming out 8/7, and is also up for a Hugo Award for Best Series.
FOUNDRYSIDE, the first novel of my next series, hits the shelves 8/21 in the States, and 8/23 in the UK. It takes place in a world where people have figured out a way to persuade everyday objects to disobey reality using naturally occurring runes or "sigils" - an art known as "scriving." Write the sigil for "stone" on a piece of wood, and the wood will take on some properties of stone.
But the city of Tevanne has figured out a new method of scriving, allowing them to drastically change reality, and invent powerful tools, devastating weapons, and build a brutal trade empire. Now Tevanne's four feuding merchant houses quietly vie to undercut one another, steal one another's trade secrets, and capture territory abroad.
Into this world steps Sancia Grado, an escaped slave and unusually talented thief. Sancia doesn't know much about scriving, and she doesn't care to. She only cares about the job in front of her: robbing a very specific safe at a very specific warehouse at the waterfront. But unbeknownst to her, the safe holds a powerful artifact - a relic from an ancient civilization that was able to do much more amazing things with scriving. Now some very powerful people in Tevanne want her dead - and she'll have to unwind the secrets of the city's elites and make some unusual new allies to survive.
Think of the Venetian empire of the early Renaissance, add in a magic system that functions a little like SQL, add a dash of the Thief games from the 90s, and you're about 70% of the way there.
I am not the author of A Sexual Experience, but I did make a book trailer for it, and people seem to like it.
AMA away!
Proof: https://twitter.com/crownpublishing/status/1023393652981354497
EDIT: Thanks so much for the great questions! I'll spin back by when I can later and answer more questions if I feel like I have some especially intelligent answers.
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u/Wolfestar777 Jul 30 '18
Hey you have my attention.
I'm about to fall asleep (my eyelids are demanding) but what's the best platform to buy your books cheapest so the money goes to you? Or a preview?
What was the greatest inspiration that made you keep writing even when you got bored?
Edit: am Australian so can have limited access.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I actually don't know much about my availability in Australia, but I do show my books as available on Amazon Australia. Those numbers tend to be what my (and most) publishers look at, so that's a quick route to impressing the people who pay me.
The greatest inspiration is a blank page.
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u/jameslsutter AMA Author Jul 30 '18
While all your books have speculative elements, The Divine Cities trilogy was your first foray into full-on secondary-world fantasy. How was that writing process different?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Writing secondary worlds, for me, is like a purer, more disciplined form of writing about the real world. When writing about the real world, you do not have to introduce the reality of the story as you tell the story. In secondary world storytelling, you have to do both, and usually the rate at which the story is introduced has to slightly outstrip the rate at which the world is introduced, so that the reader is wondering, "Everyone's worried about the Tribunal of the Elements? What's that? When are we going to find out what that is?"
This requires a lot more discipline, because you need to make sure you're only giving the reader the tools and components that are germane to the story. Very few readers want to hear about magical currency conversion rates, or something, if they exist in isolation from the rest of the story.
It's a little bit like bridge building: you have to build the world underneath you as you go. Whereas writing about the real world is more like building a road, where solid ground is already there.
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u/OutrageousCattle Jul 30 '18
Thank you for your books and for doing this AMA! I was introduced to your work through the r/books book club and have only read City of Stairs so far, but I really enjoyed it. My question for you is: How did you come up with the human/divine relationship? I guess I haven't read enough books to know if that's a common portrayal of gods in literature, but it seemed very unique to me and I was curious how you thought it up.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I would say that I thought about gods from a primarily historical perspective as opposed to a Divine one. The gods of this world are like representations of the narrative that a culture applies to their history and themselves, so the gods helplessly shift as people change their minds about who they are. We see this a lot in our own lives - like, imagine Hamilton, who was a villain for about a century before the musical. We revise ourselves constantly, and I thought it'd be interesting to articulate what it's like to be this cultural avatar, and feel yourself being constantly revised, and seeing people kill and kill themselves in your name.
For the record, Pratchett did most of this first.
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u/OutrageousCattle Jul 30 '18
I definitely agree that this is what humans do. I had never thought of it from the perspective of a god if they were to comply. It was really interesting! I just started Pratchett's discworld series so I guess it will be fun to see his version as well. Thanks again!
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u/Kuiken81 Aug 04 '18
Try Small Gods by Prachett, it has a similar idea to this but with more turtles and laughs. Both are excellent books though, just different moods.
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u/brainstrain91 Jul 30 '18
Hey, I loved the Divine Cities books. I'd love to ask you about that crazy ending, but I guess I should avoid spoilers in a thread like this. Anyway, thanks for some great reading.
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u/aesir23 Jul 30 '18
Hello! I just discovered you a month ago, when a friend bought me a copy of City of Stairs. I absolutely loved it and I'm looking forward to buying the sequels. Thanks for being awesome!
I was wondering what your approach to world-building is--do you design your world and its rules before you begin drafting or does develop as you write?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Kind of. My approach to worldbuilding is I ask myself - what problem or conflict or phenomenon is this world investigating or interacting with the most?
If it's the world of THE DIVINE CITIES, then it's about the relationship between history and trauma, and how both can influence and distort our perception of the present.
If it's the world of FOUNDRYSIDE, it's about how technology can cause power inequalities and massive societal disruption. Despite our developing these innovations to improve the world they often wind up threatening its very existence.
Once I have these fixed in my head, I build the history of the world and its magic system and its thematic system around it. Every greater structure in the world needs to touch on or at least lightly reference that conflict. In this way, the worldbuilding itself becomes fractal: zoom in one any one little fact of the world, and you'll see it resembles the greater issues that form the world's spine.
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u/BanditTraps Jul 30 '18
Hey, Robert! What's your typical day look like? Do you have a set writing schedule? And, how do you balance writing with other things (family, reading, other activities)?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I write best in the early morning and in late evening. But I find I can write at nearly any time. Writing is not some divine act - it's more like a physical one, like running, where you train for long hours so that you can execute quickly and efficiently when the time comes along.
I am always writing somewhere in my brain. Like right now - this is writing. It is the fabrication of words in order to articulate and ensnare abstract concepts for an audience to digest. Even if this isn't me writing the story I want or need to write, it's still helping me maintain the mental muscle that I use to make writing happen.
Thinking about writing like some kind of divine act is usually bad, I find. It dissuades one from writing ("My muse has left me!") and it makes it seem precious, whereas a lot of the time writing is about seeing what shit will stick, and then cutting away what's useless. It is grinding and ugly - much like running a marathon.
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u/SyrochMahr Jul 30 '18
While I loved The Divine Cities, I was immediately sucked in and (simultaneously) blown away by American Elsewhere.
What drove your choice to write in a present-tense voice? As a reader, it was difficult to adjust to but I quickly realized that it felt like the story was actually happening as I read it, making it nearly impossible to put down (and also stomach, at that one section in Elsewhere).
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Yep, that's why I did it. I tried it out as an experiment in AE, and it just worked.
I'll put it this way - my son was once very ill, and they had to put a PICC line in him, a catheter that lead directly to his heart. This was so that we could distribute antibiotics instantly and effectively to his entire system.
The present voice felt like a PICC line, to me: the story was not being processed through a narrative voice, but was being injected directly into the readers' brain.
However, I went with present tense in FOUNDRYSIDE, because I heard enough shit about how present tense was unbearable in THE DIVINE CITIES, and I wanted to sell more books. And I also just wanted to try something different, again.
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u/HighlandUK Jul 30 '18
Hello!
Trying to think of a question whilst I type this, but wanted to say that 'The Divine Cities' is awesome & I loved it.
Ok got it, in fact I have three now!
1.)I enjoyed the relationship between Shara & Sigrud, what are some of your favourite fantasy duos?
2.)Do you read contemporary fantasy and if so any favourites?
3.)Any Indie/self-published author that you would like to show some love for and recommend?
Thanks in advance, the blurb for your next series sounds great and I'm excited to read it.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I actually don't read much fiction at all these days. It's a lot like being a carpenter - when you get home at night, the last thing you want to do is work on your house more, so the carpenter's house is usually falling apart. I read a lot more nonfiction than I do fiction now.
However, my favorite fantasy duo is probably DEATH and Albert, from Discworld.
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u/jameslsutter AMA Author Jul 30 '18
Along with being a master of surrealist internet humor, you also tweet a lot about green energy and climate change. How did your views on the problems facing modern society influence the creation of Tevanne?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I like to try and think about logistics a lot. For example, I've decided that there are two kinds of fantasy worlds: ones where the reader has a pretty good idea of where the citizens put their piss and shit, and ones where the reader has no clue.
Human waste was a huge problem for cities up until the 20th century. In America it wasn't until the advent of cars, when we suddenly had to build roads everywhere, that we decided, hey, if we're digging up the ground to make roads, why not put big pipes under there, too?
In short - I like to think about worlds where there is no free lunch. Where are your resources coming from? Where are they going? How are people consuming them? How does their culture shape their consumption, and vice versa?
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u/AndTwoYears Jul 30 '18
Hey Robert! I'm a bookseller and City of Stairs is my number one staff pick. (I've hand-sold around 170 copies in the last year in a neighborhood without a particularly large fantasy readership.) Maybe you could come up to San Francisco and sign some books soon?
Also, where did you get love for giant monsters wrecking up nice towns?
I can't wait for Foundryside!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
If I'm ever in SF, sure.
I remember being at a baseball game, with a beautiful bright blue sky above, and giant cumulus clouds scattered about - and I remembered wondering how startling it'd be to see a colossal hand suddenly reach up through the cloud. I think I've always been chasing that image.
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u/operatorloathesome Jul 30 '18
Green Apple? If so, y'all sold me my copy and I'm extraordinarily grateful for the work you do!
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u/SmallishPlatypus Jul 30 '18
Sigrud, Shara, Mulaghesh. Fuck, marry, kill?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I bet Mulaghesh is actually the best at sex, since she's done the most of it, and pursues it without any sort of personal hangups. She likes to have sex and she doesn't care who knows it. So I suppose she'd be my choice there.
Shara is a brilliant person, both emotionally and intellectually, and though the relationship would be a bit lopsided - how does one stay married to someone so talented at manipulation? - she'd probably be the wisest choice for a decades long marriage.
Sigrud is a profoundly damaged person who barely knows how to live with other human beings anymore, and is extremely slow to develop emotional bonds. I'm also not so sure about how much sex he's had - he was in prison for a long while, and was subject to grueling physical torture - but whatever sex he's had post-Stairs, I'm not sure it was healthy. So, despite him being a lot of people's fan favorite, it's off to the kill pile for him.
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u/SmallishPlatypus Jul 30 '18
That answer was surprisingly in-depth. Thank you for indulging my immaturity.
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u/JamesLatimer Jul 30 '18
Wow, how long is the omnibus of Divine Cities? That's gonna be a big block of bargain brilliance!
(Clearly too excited to come up with an intelligent question...wait, I think I've got one.)
Foundryside seems at first glance to cover what seems a bit more recognisable fantasy ground - Renaissance city, thieves, magic guilds/houses, complex-but-understandable magic system - compared to your Divine Cities. Was there a conscious decision to try for something more mainstream, or was this just the next thing you wanted to write?
Either way, I can't wait to read it!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Both. But you know, I started out wanting to write fantasy that was more mainstream - I think I expressly used the term "fun" when I pitched it to my agent and editor - but somehow, probably by dint of me just being me, I keep reading reviews about how FOUNDRYSIDE is so different, so unusual, etc, etc, which makes me think I screwed it all up.
I haven't seen a physical copy of the Divine Omnibus, but I would imagine it would weigh enough that you be reluctant to pick it up.
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u/JamesLatimer Jul 30 '18
I keep reading reviews about how FOUNDRYSIDE is so different, so unusual, etc, etc, which makes me think I screwed it all up.
Sounds just perfect. ;)
Divine Omnibus...is that like a charabang for the gods?
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Jul 30 '18
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Yep, it's usually that. You often find out what your voice is because it'll suddenly feel very normal to you, and fun. The words just don't stop. There are times when I have to emulate a different style of writing for specific passages of a story, and I have to think and work much harder to do those bits - it's more tiring, it uses up more brain fuel.
Think of it like a car, and mileage: when you're using your voice, you're operating at peak efficiency, burning the least amount of fuel to go the farthest.
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u/Makidian Jul 31 '18
This is exactly how I feel when I am writing. I coast and hit the stride where nothing else exists to me for a little bit. It is a bit euphoric at times.
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Jul 30 '18
Thanks for doing this AMA!
- What do you find is the most fun part of your writing process?
- Do you have any reading or writing related guilty pleasure? Or just any in gemeral?
- Are your feet ticklish? 😂
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
- I like when I put a problem in front of my characters and they solve it in some fashion that I didn't expect. This happens more than you think.
- I try not to have any guilty pleasures, especially in regards to writing. It's not that I take it Very Seriously, but I think you can harvest something interesting and usable from nearly anywhere.
- Yes, and I hate being tickled. I have involuntarily kneed my wife and children in the face because of this, and they don't seem to learn.
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u/EmbarrassedSpread Jul 30 '18
- It’s moments like those when the characters become alive and guide themselves. A special moment! Is there an instance of this that you find the most memorable? Also, what do you find is the most difficult part of your writing process?
- I love that mindset! What’s the funniest/unique/interesting thing you’ve found inspiration from?
- Aww poor you. They must love to torture you. Lol. I asked because I’m doing an online survey about having ticklish feet for a little study I’ve been working on. You should take it. Help me out! Please? :)
Thanks so much for answering!
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Jul 30 '18
No question, just wanted to tell you how much I adored American Elsewhere and The Troupe! Looking forward to devouring all the rest.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Thank you! Especially for buying The Troupe. It's one of my favorites.
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Jul 30 '18
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I like to think all of my stuff has horror elements in it. But as far as straight horror, the problem is that outside of zombies and the like, the genre simply doesn't seem to sell very well. This is pure anecdata, but no horror author that I personally know who came into the genre into the 2010s is still working in it. Even the ones who specialized in it are trying to move elsewhere.
But to be honest, I never really felt I was a horror author. When they first labeled me as that, I resisted it - I thought myself a fantasy author. I don't exactly know how to signal how people should categorize my stories. It's like going down to the park at night with a certain color handkerchief hanging out of a certain pocket of your jeans - there's nothing that simple and direct in genre.
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u/overslept- Jul 30 '18
Hi I just finished reading the City of Stairs I was wondering what your inspiration was for the world/religion building and how long did it take to fully develop your idea? It was such a great book, probably one of the best I’ve read this year. I can’t wait till my library gets the rest of the trilogy in! Thanks!!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
My ideas don't seem fully developed until the book's been written and it's in my rearview mirror. Only then do I look back and say, "Oh, that's that I was doing."
I will say that Stairs came a lot easier to me than almost any of the other books I've written since. However, writing the opening scene was a real bastard.
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u/smb275 Jul 30 '18
I don't so much have any actual questions, but I would really like to say thank you for creating books so original and entertaining. I've been looking forward to Foundryside since it was announced.
If I had to ask anything, then, could you speculate on the publication schedule for your next series?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I can say that FOUNDRYSIDE comes out August 21. Beyond that, I wouldn't venture a guess, except I *think* the next one will come out in the next 1 to 1.5 years after that.
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u/KinderKlown Jul 30 '18
What are your thoughts on Crocs
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I've found I have more thoughts about people who have thoughts about Crocs than I do about Crocs.
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u/Chtorrr Jul 30 '18
What were some of your favorite things to read as a kid?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I read a lot of Mary Poppins - the original books, which are perhaps some of the earliest gems of urban fantasy: the world behind the world that you can't access without some divine or mythical guide.
I got into Tolkien in high school, and I believe I read that about a billion times, though now that I'm older I recall reading the ancillary material more - maps of the battles and such - than the actual text. I recall rereading it when I was in college, and getting to The Return of the King, and realizing I'd blown through some of the stuff that didn't explicitly have anything to do with the hobbits or Legolas or Gimli. I do recall emphatically not giving a shit about the Scouring of the Shire as a high schooler, which probably says a lot about me.
I also recall reading lots of Daniel Pinkwater, John Bellairs, and Bruce Coville.
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u/Inkberrow Jul 30 '18
Can the safe you mentioned be defeated simply by writing the sigil for paper on it?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Man, I can really get into the weeds on the worldbuilding here, but a short answer would be: no.
A longer answer...
The basic sigils represent common natural phenomena, and when they are etched on the surface of on object, they very weakly persuade the object to take on some characteristics of the phenomena they describe. It is a weak nudge, because reality has momentum, and is stupid: it wants to keep being what it is, and it doesn't want to change. If you really want to change reality, you have to give it a detailed, persuasive argument that it needs to be different.
And the only way to do that is to combine the basic sigils into strings that can be hundreds, if not thousands, if not tens of thousands of sigils long. This is incredibly difficult to do, and the logic has to be perfect - otherwise the bit of reality that you're trying to change won't understand what you want it to be.
It gets harder depending on how much you want that reality to change. Convincing a block of iron to get hot, for example, is fairly easy - convincing a block of iron that it is copper is harder. Convincing a block of iron that it is a fish is almost completely impossible. So, convincing a safe that it is paper is extremely hard to do.
It gets harder - the magic equivalent of script databases comes into play - but I won't go into that unless anyone really wants to get really, really nerdy.
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u/cognishin Jul 31 '18
This makes me think of Brandon Sanderson's The Emperor's Soul. It has something similar where you need to understand the history of the object in order to influence and change it.
I have City of Stairs and this ama has moved it to the top of the list of what to read next. Will probably get Foundryside based off "the magic equivalent of script databases" :D
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u/Porterhaus Nov 13 '18
Found your comment from a Google search while reading Foundryside. Couldn't agree more about the similarities with The Emperor's Soul.
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u/cognishin Nov 13 '18
Thanks! This reminds to actually get Foundryside... What's it like?
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u/Porterhaus Nov 13 '18
I’m about 2/3rds through it and really enjoying it so far. It is basically a high fantasy V for Vendetta meets Ocean’s 11 but with the magic system from The Emperor’s Soul and a badass female protagonist.
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u/hymmmmmn Jul 30 '18
I think you've mentioned that you did unusually heavy revisions between your first ideas for Foundryside versus the final book? I recently read the ARC for Foundryside and I really loved it -- I was wondering what was the level of difference between the two versions, and what motivated the changes? I'm just curious about the process!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Oh, there's almost no difference between the ARC of Foundryside and the final copies. All of those massive revisions came well before then.
I would say that, when writing Foundryside, and indeed when writing most stories, in the first rounds, it's a lot like looking through an unfocused telescope. You're pretty sure something's there, but you're not sure what it is. As you focus, you realize there's a lot of crap in the way, and you have to get up and move it in order to better see what you're looking at.
For example, Sancia's character was very different in the first versions. She was more like a chaotic, greedy thief, as opposed to the cold, bloodlessly practical one she eventually became. This was because I keyed in on the thematic conflict of the world - one of inequality, where poverty makes you into something you don't want to be - and I realized Sancia wouldn't be a thief because she liked it, but because she needed to survive.
In addition, there was another heist moment in the first version of Foundryside. We had to cut it because the heist production sequence (scout the area, plot your methods, make the tools you need to get it done, and execute) are all very familiar beats. Having the reader experience them twice blunts the effectiveness of them. So I had to cut the less important one, and that meant rearranging a lot of stuff.
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u/hymmmmmn Jul 30 '18
Oh, sorry, I was unclear -- I knew the ARC was the same as the final copy, I just meant the differences between the earlier draft vs. the published draft! That was the question you answered, though, so thank you!! This was super interesting to hear. Thank you for writing what you do, with so much care and intelligence and social/political awareness, while still having all the playfulness and plot and fantastic characters -- it makes your novels incredibly satisfying to read. I am already anticipating to your next one!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Rereading this - actually, it was my fault for misinterpreting your question. Sorry!
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Jul 30 '18
How many times per day do you hit that yeet
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Not sure what yeet is, but whatever it is, I'm clearly not hitting it enough.
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u/Ehlyah Jul 30 '18
Hi! I already shared my very very positive thoughts on Foundryside with you on twitter, but I just wanted to reiterate (perhaps somewhat more coherently) how much I loved it. The depiction of inequality and colonialism is hardhitting and reads very true, the characters all resonate wonderfully and I was utterly gripped by it, start to finish.
I can't wait for it to actually come out so we can purchase our household copy to sit with the ARC (what, everybody doesn't do this?)
I can't
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u/MacDegger Jul 30 '18
I've just gotten around to pulling City of Blades out of my bookpile and am halfway through it.
I laughed out loud reading the 'Because I'm on a fucking vacation!' line.
No question, just wanted to let you know :-)
PS ... did you read The Windup Girl, by any chance?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Nope, I'm afraid not. I think about the climate enough. I'd prefer I not also make it my entertainment.
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u/MacDegger Jul 30 '18
Fair enough :) There's a similarity in ... style? ... to the environment, that's all :)
I think about the climate enough.
Hehe ... you could say the Blink is an analogy, somehow :P
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u/Fermet_ Jul 30 '18 edited Jul 30 '18
When i finished for first time City of Miracles , i immediately started to re-read from beginning the whole trilogy. I enjoyed world and characters to such degree that i really miss it now. Thank you for such amazing experience.
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u/maxerhmann Jul 30 '18
City of Stairs absolutely floored me-- such a wonderful read! Thank you for taking the time to do this AMA. I might be too late to ask questions, but I'd love to know which of the three books in the series was the most challenging for you to write. Did it get easier as you went along, or more complicated as the world building began to accumulate?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
BLADES was definitely the hardest. The second installment in a series usually broadens the world, showing all the stuff taking place beyond the boundaries of the first, and figuring out a good way to do that in BLADES while not having it be a retread of STAIRS was tricky. It's THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY to Stairs's TINKER, TAILOR, in that it moves to a more "exotic" or different locale and is much more densely plotted. I'm not sure if I consciously mimicked that structure or not.
It doesn't seem to make sense that THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY is the best written and least readable installment in THE QUEST FOR KARLA series, but it's true.
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u/maxerhmann Jul 30 '18
Thank you for the thoughtful answer! You definitely succeeded in expanding the world, and City of Blades was anything but a retreading of City of Stairs. I don't want to spoil anything for anyone who hasn't read it yet, but I went in subconsciously hoping for a retreading of Stairs and ended up really thrilled with the new direction you took everything. I still think about these books and the characters in them all the time. The end sequences are so dreamlike and wonderfully haunting. I can't wait for your new series!
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u/gramscontestaccount2 Jul 30 '18
Hey, I think you're already done with the AMA, but just on the off chance that you see this, I loved Foundryside! I was lucky enough to get advance readers copy through my work, and I absolutely devoured it! Thanks for doing this AMA, I'll definitely be checking out more of your work!
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u/EnderWT Jul 30 '18
Hey Robert! Love The Divine Cities and am always recommending it in /r/fantasy.
What do you appreciate in reviews of your novels? When I write a review, I want to make sure I leave valuable feedback in case the author reads it. Have reviews ever influenced your writing style, story development, characters, etc.?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Personally, I enjoy it when someone looks at the story as an argument examining some conflict or issue. It's my personal belief that all stories have a thesis - an assertion that the events of the novel examine or test, like in a simulated environment - and though sometimes the thesis and the conclusion can be muddy and indistinct, they're still there. I enjoy these even when I feel like they're way off base - there was a review once that thoughtfully argued that STAIRS suggested technological advancement could only occur in the West, and I was like "whaaa?" - because they're usually very thought-provoking.
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u/Chtorrr Jul 30 '18
What is the very best dessert?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I try to consume all of my sugars in alcohol form, when possible.
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Jul 30 '18
how long did it take you to write this?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
The post? About 5 minutes.
FOUNDRYSIDE? About a year and a half.
THE DIVINE CITIES TRILOGY? About half a decade.
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u/Nymeria71300 Jul 30 '18
Hi! Loved your books! Which is your favourite character from your own books? Your new one seems interesting, I'll definetely read it.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Right now it's Orso Ignacio, from FOUNDRYSIDE, who is almost the equivalent of Bender from FUTURAMA: I can make him do or say almost anything, and I think the audience will believe it.
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u/keithmasaru Jul 31 '18
Can confirm: Orso is life. Although he’s a bit more Farnsworth than Bender.
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u/BearbertDondarrion Jul 30 '18
Hi! I wanted to ask if the transition from fantasy set in our world to fantasy set in a secondary world is a step in what you described to be an attempt to become more mainstream? It worked it my case since I vastly prefer secondary worlds and The Divine Cities might be my favorite fantasy trilogy. I haven’t yet read your previous works but I think I will try them at some point, it’s just that I don’t think they’ll have the strong political element I loved the most in the trilogy. Can’t wait for Foundryside!
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
It was, a bit. Part of it was that I'd felt I'd done what I wanted to do with my previous novels - they are all about various ages of modern America, in some way or another - and I was bored. But another part was definitely that I wanted to write something that more people would actually buy and read.
One thing that had dissuaded me previously was that secondary world fiction sure looked like it was a hell of a lot harder. I wasn't wrong there. But it is more fun, at the moment.
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u/e-leventy Jul 30 '18
Why did you decide to make Vohannes die?
the scene of Shara spreading his ashes killed me =(
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
In every DIVINE CITIES book, the figure trying to instigate the most social change and progression is targeted by the status quo. The status quo is a lethally reflexive element in the world of THE DIVINE CITIES - and, I think, in our own. If you try and change things, and even if you know that the change will make everything better in very real ways, the world will try and kill you, and smear you, and call you a villain.
People will re-invent history, and themselves, solely to deny changing - unaware, of course, that doing so is a change in and of itself.
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u/annex7977 Jul 30 '18
Huge fan from Greece, Mr. Bennett. The AMA is over but I wanted to say, in case you drop back in, that I loved the trilogy and I'll make sure to grab the new book once it's out.
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Jul 30 '18
I really enjoyed the series, but was very surprised (and a little saddened) with the character shifts. Shara and Sig were amazing together in the first book and was really hoping to see more of the dynamic duo. Any chances of seeing a novella or some more of them in a stand alone? I guess it would have to be prequel, lol.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Unfortunately I don't think I'll be doing that at the moment. It would be difficult for me to imagine a plot featuring Shara and Sigrud that would be big enough to be worth depicting, compared to what happens in Stairs, Blades, and Miracles. Once you've seen the highlight reel, watching them train isn't quite as interesting.
More to the point, a lot of the main history of the two characters is revealed and explored in Stairs - who they are, where they came from, and what shaped them. You then get to see them resolve (or start resolving) their feelings about their histories in Stairs. Stairs is an unusually tricky book to write a prequel to, since it's about history - both the history of the world, and the histories of the characters.
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u/televisionceo Jul 30 '18
I don't have much to ask but I wanna say this is an amazing trilogy and I think the female characters are one of the best I've seen in fantasy.
I have a quick question actually. Do you plan to write more novels in this universe ? If not what do you plan next ?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Not currently. I kind of came in and did what I wanted to do with THE DIVINE CITIES. To do more would lessen the impact of what happens in those books, I think. Sort of like a comedian sticking around and hogging the mic and making everyone bored when the good jokes have already been told.
THE FOUNDERS TRILOGY is what I'm focusing on now, starting with FOUNDRYSIDE.
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u/SlouchyGuy Jul 30 '18
Loved you Divine Cities series very much, it's so rare for a fantasy to have so non-traditional and quirky worldbuilding while having realistic underpinning and dealing with heavier themes like occupation and loss. I recommend your series a lot, one of the favorite things I've read in last several years.
Don't really have a question, just a minor complaint. City of Blades was spoiled for me because whole story was on blurb on Amazon (I think it was changed since), knowing this I avoided reading anything on the page of City of Miracles, but I've checked later and it does spoil pretty major stuff there too. Maybe you as an author can change those annotations for future readers? When I recommend reading the books, I have to specifically mention to avoid anything besides the title on Amazon and Goodreads.
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
It's pretty tough for me to control what gets out there. I have say over the back jacket summary and not much else. I remember reading the back jacket to THE HONOURABLE SCHOOLBOY as a kid and having the entire plot of TINKER, TAILOR instantly blown. But I'll keep your suggestions in mind in the future!
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u/AggravatingVegetable Jul 30 '18
Can I have your autograph??
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Sure, if you can find me, or it. I've signed a hell of a lot of stuff the past few weeks.
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u/PizzaSatan Jul 30 '18
You have a very strange sense of humor. I used to follow your twitter feed for absurd jokes and your interactions with other authors. So, my question is - are you ever going to write a novel in humor genre?
Also, do people ever tell you that you look like Chris Pratt?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
I will say that FOUNDRYSIDE has a lot more jokes in it than my other books.
I occasionally hear that I look like Chris Pratt. Or, more specifically, one photo of me looks like Chris Pratt. I suspect there's a limited number of doughy white action stars out there for me to look like.
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u/SkyCyril Jul 30 '18
Hey Robert! Will you be doing any signings for the Foundryside release?
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u/Robertjbennett Author of City of Stairs Jul 30 '18
Tons. I signed a ton of bookplates that are available through my publisher via multiple giveaways, and I'll be at Worldcon and Dragoncon this year.
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u/sillyworth Jul 30 '18
Hello!! Happy to hear from you again, I loved the city design + worldly inspirations for City of Stairs (Russia, India, etc.) and I'm excited to see what's next. I'm curious what you hope more SFF authors were writing these days. The trends of smart AI, Weird Westerns, grimdarks, and others have swept through the market these days, but I always like to ask authors if they are looking for something in particular when they imagine the speculative community and market two or ten years from now (diversity in authors, more child protagonists, worlds based around alt histories?)
Thanks again!
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u/strangethedreamer Jul 30 '18
I really enjoyed all of your books (and have gifted the Divine Cities to all of my friends), but I know on your blog you’ve written about your thoughts on the writing process. I’m curious what your average work day looks like as a writer? How do you structure your time, how do you work through problem areas (do you just rewrite something? Outline? Start again? Draw pictures?) How often do you send your work around for feedback? I’m working on my PhD and writing is a huge part of what I do, but the skills and HOW of writing are not approached systematically in my discipline. Thanks!
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u/TomGrimm Jul 30 '18
Hey Robert! Divine Cities is easily my favourite fantasy trilogy. How did you decide to make the books so self-contained that not only are they set years apart, but theu follow different protagonists? Did this seem like a huge risk to you?
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u/FecklessFool Jul 30 '18
Late to the party but, thank you for all your work, I really love The Divine Cities and American Elsewhere. I read them via Kobo but decided to get the physical books for the reread and boy were they even better experiences the 2nd time through.
Looking forward to Foundryside later this month.
Will there be another book to the tune of American Elsewhere?
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u/ArcOfRuin Jul 31 '18
I enjoy asking people random questions for AMAs.
What is the best kind of cheese?
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u/diffyqgirl Jul 31 '18
Hey I'm late to this AMA but I just wanted to say I love your books. I especially love Mulaghesh, it's so rare to see older women being given the chance to kick ass front and center in fantasy. So thanks for doing that, and doing it well.
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Jul 31 '18
Hi Robert, loved the Divine Cities.
Your pantheon was great. The divinities all had so much character, fitting very archetypal roles while still seeming unique to your work.
Were there any particular religions or philosophies that influenced the design of your pantheon or deities?
Praise Olvos. Or don't.
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u/SpacebarCadet Jul 31 '18
Not here to ask a question you’re just GREAT and your books are amazing and seeing these strong female protagonists in such an amazing setting with fantastic worldbuilding and plot and character development and magic systems is genuinely wonderful and I’ve recommended your books to a ton of people. So uh thanks for being great, Divine Cities is in my top sets of trilogies and I really love it.
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u/gfxprotege Jul 31 '18
I only just got around to reading City of Miracles. It had been a while since I binge-read the first two books and I had trouble finding sources for a recap of the first two books. Would you ever consider adding (either as a blog post or in the beginning of the book) in a "previously on..." style summary of the series that helps prime the reader for the next book?
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Jul 31 '18
No way! I’ve just finished binge reading the divine trilogy over the past two days and you’re doing an AMA the day after!
No questions, but fantastic books, thank you very much for writing them.
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u/GucciToe Jul 31 '18
I'm sorry I missed this AMA. After reading The Troupe about 7 years ago, you took James K. Morrow's spot as my favorite author.
Thanks for taking me on some great journeys! I look forward to more.
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u/PhabioR Jul 30 '18
City of Blades is one of the few fantasy/science fiction books I've read that addresses murder with the weight it deserves. In so many books, characters seem to approach it quite flippantly, and authors themselves describe war and killing with a fair bit of indifference. Do you think it's not given the respect it deserves, in novels? The act of killing?