Author Kevin J Anderson
Kevin J. Anderson has written over twenty bestselling novels including "Captain Nemo," "Hidden Empire" and "Hopscotch".
He has been nominated for numerous awards including the Nebula Award and the Bram Stoker Award. M&C recently put some questions to the author refards the his latest series "The Saga of the Seven Suns."
M&C: As it is called *Saga of the Seven Suns,* will there be 7 books in the entire series? You have mentioned that there would be at least 6 or 7.
KJA: From the very beginning, the story that popped into my head is what spans the first six books. I’m currently editing #5, OF FIRE AND NIGHT, right now and I know all the things I need to do in Book 6. As I tell the story, though, it grows and expands, new wrinkles appear. I wanted to create a universe with enough possibilities that I could keep playing in it for a long time. I have ideas for whole new storylines, and I’ll have to decide whether to just continue the series past the sixth book, or do a new book or trilogy set in the same universe. I can see advantages either way, and I don’t know which direction I’ll choose. I definitely do not want to do an “endless and pointless” series -- each one of these books isn’t just marching in place, but making significant changes to the characters and the conflicts.
M&C: Your books are rich in terms of descriptive visual imagery. Will we be seeing more graphic novels (in addition to *Veiled Alliances*) that concern the times prior to *Hidden Empire?*
KJA: I have written a lot of comics, and since my comic artist friend Igor Kordey helped me design a lot of the background material for Seven Suns, it seemed natural to do a graphic novel in the universe. At present I don’t have plans to do another one, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out.
M&C: How did the idea of gas giant sentient beings come about? Do you have an interest in astronomy?
KJA: My degree is in Physics/Astronomy, so I do have quite a background in it. I wanted to create really alien aliens, something that lives in a totally fantastic environment. Since there is so little crossover in any environment where humans could live and where gas-giant creatures could live, I realized that there could be a whole hidden empire deep in the gas giants that nobody knew about. Until, of course, the story starts…
M&C: Is the Terran Hanseatic League, and its imperialism, in any way representative of world governments?
'Hidden Empire' is the first in the Saga of the Seven Suns series
KJA:
M&C: Should we be wary of the faeros (entities which may or may not be trustworthy)? Is it that unlike the worldtrees and the wentals, they are going to think only of themselves? Are these different alien beings
KJA: Now, I’m very carefully doling out clues and answers as each book unfolds, so I can’t reveal the answer to that one! The germ of the idea came from iconic alien representatives of elemental air (hydrogues), water (wentals), fire (faeros), and earth (worldtrees). I think that’s pretty obvious -- but it’s just the inspiration for the story. It doesn’t mean I’m a closet alchemist or anything.
M&C: You have previously mentioned "superheroes" of the 1940's. It could be argued that you are infusing the series with quite a few superheroes (Jess Tamblyn for one). Are there "villains" coming up that we have not met yet?<!--page-->
'Scattered Suns' fourth in the series is due for publication July 18
KJA:
M&C: Does Book 4 *Scattered Suns* hold any surprises for us? Do we find out where it was that Margaret Colicos and Howard Palawu went?
KJA: My goal with each book is to make major changes so that my readers don’t think they can just skip a volume or two. The end of HIDDEN EMPIRE should really make you do a double-take, and then A FOREST OF STARS twists you around again, and by HORIZON STORMS a whole new conflict (the Ildiran civil war) rears up. SCATTERED SUNS wraps up a lot of the major loose ends left hanging in HORIZON STORMS (with a fairly high body count), but also opens more doors and more plotlines. It’s a careful dance to answer enough questions that the reader feels he’s getting somewhere, but also to leave enough mysteries that they’ll want to read the next book.
M&C: Some authors outline in extreme detail and know exactly how their series will end. Do you know, already, precisely how *The Saga of the Seven Suns* will end?
KJA: I know precisely how the current set of conflicts will end, how the hydrogue war will be resolved, the mistakes of the Hansa, the Ildiran civil war, all of those things. I can tie it all up in Book 6 (or 7, if the story just gets too long with all the subplots). However, I have a toolbox full of wrenches I can throw into the works -- not to drag out the current conflicts (they should END), but to introduce whole new problems.
M&C: Throughout most of the books, I have been turning the pages expecting survivors of the Klikiss race to turn up. Given the number of Klikiss colonies, isn't there some way a small number could have survived?
KJA: All will be explained. In subsequent books you’ll learn more about the original Klikiss and what exactly the robots did to them.
M&C: Finally, what would you say to someone who were to
KJA: It is a synthesis of everything I love about science fiction, and I am telling a story whose scope is so vast that it really does need six or more fat volumes to tell it. I’ve written a great deal in the universes of DUNE and STAR WARS, and this is my attempt to write something of my own that fits into the same playground.
M&C: Have you ever thoughts about any of your books being adapted into films?
Many times. Know any producers with very big budgets?
Thanks to Kevin for his time and Denise for setting this up. You can read our review of the first three books in the Seven Suns series on this page and further details on the forthcoming fourth novel in the series in our database .
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