Author Interview- Clayton Snyder, author of “Blackthorne,” an SPSFC Quarterfinalist

I’m a judge for the Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC), and wanted to spotlight some of the authors in the contest.

Clayton Snyder

Here, we’ll be interviewing Clayton Snyder, author of Blackthorne and many other works, including co-authoring the SPFBO Finalist, Norylska Groans.

What was your gateway into speculative fiction? What lead you to write it?

I’d say my gateway at the earliest age was Grimm’s Fairy Tales. My mother bought me the big bound version, and I used to read it on a regular basis. As far as writing it, it wasn’t until I read Zelazny’s Amber series I thought it was possible. He had such a facility for painting a picture in small strokes. For whatever reason, that opened the craft for me. I could see how the sausage was made, so to speak, and loved the idea that writing wasn’t this opaque wall, but a window I could see into and subsequently learn from. It also helped that something about Amber really captured my imagination and made me want to spin out worlds of my own.

Zelazny certainly had an impact on many readers! His “Lord of Light” is among my personal favorites. “Blackthorne” is your entry for the SPSFC2, and one of the first thing I noticed is the theme of some darker magic combined with cyberpunk ideas. What inspired you to bring a kind of necromancy over to science fiction?

Honestly, I’ve always loved that idea of magic mixing with tech. I had my first taste of it through RPGs like Shadowrun and Rifts, and the early Pern novels to Final Fantasy. I’ve always kind of figured if I’m going to write speculative fiction, why not go for broke.

What else did you draw on to inspire “Blackthorne”? Can readers expect a sequel?

Movies. Action flicks, specifically. The Rock, a little bit of Blade Runner, some Conan, etc. I will be working on a sequel next year, as I’ve had more than a couple readers threaten me with unrelenting positivity towards this novel. In the interim, I’m working on a more traditional cyberpunk noir.

Your novel, “Norylska Groans” was co-written with Michael Fletcher, another semifinalist from our group! What’s it been like being in the SPSFC with your coauthor?

Fun. Mike and I get along really well, and in this case it’s less friendly competition and more of us cheering each other on. I figure as long as I stay positive for him, he’ll never see the assassins coming.

Your library of works includes westerns, fantasy, and science fiction. What has led you to incorporate a grimdark flare into the genres you’re writing?

I’m a weird mix of optimist and cynic, and I mostly write about the terrible things we do to each other, but as cautionary tales. The idea that there’s hope, but only if we’re willing to open our eyes and see the things we’re capable of and turn away from those paths.

Awesome! Glad you’re having a good time in the contest! Where can my readers find you?

I’m really only on Twitter at the moment, but I do have a website as well: @claytonsnyder2 claytonwsnyder.com. I can also be found on Amazon.

Thank you for your time! Good luck in the contest!

All links to Amazon are Affiliates

Links

The Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC) Hub– Check out all of my posts related to the SPSFC here!

Science Fiction Hub– I have scores of reviews of Hugo nominees, Vintage Sci-Fi, modern sci-fi, TV series, and more! Check out my science fiction related writings here.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for discussion of posts, links to other pages of interest, random talk about theology/philosophy/apologetics/movies/scifi/sports and more!

SDG.

The Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off Finalists: “Norylska Groans” by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton W. Snyder

I’m a judge for the first-ever SPSFC (Self Published Science Fiction Contest), but couldn’t help noticing the parallel SPFBO (Self Published Fantasy Blog-Off) contest happening. I always love finding some new indie authors and books, so I decided to read through the finalists of that contest and review them on my site. As always, let me know your own thoughts in the comments.

Norylska Groans by Michael R. Fletcher and Clayton W. Snyder

Norylska Groans is a dark steampunk fantasy centered around a mystery in a dirty city. Readers follow two main characters, Kat and Gen. Kat is finding her way with a new job in the militsiya, where she discovers that there is far more to the job than meets the eye. Gen is also finding his way in new employment, as a kind of strongman for a major gang in the city.

Norylska itself is as much a character as any of the people in the book. The city has the urban, steampunk feel of early 1900s Moscow. Snow covered with soot, filth, and brutal mob violence dominate the landscape. The authors included an interesting magic system centered around the use of stones that can contain or siphon memories and emotions. The magic system becomes increasingly important for the main plot in the book, which finds both Gen and Kat discovering more about the workings of several minor characters they encounter from different angles throughout the novel.

It was especially interesting to follow the journey of Kat, and as a reader I began to question, as Kat did, which Kat was the real one, how she’d react in different circumstances, and whether she was truly developing or being utterly manipulated. It’s a great plot, though it does take a while to ramp up. Around a third into the novel I began wondering if the plot was going somewhere, only to have it pick up rather quickly and find directions that I didn’t expect. It’s a strong central story featured here.

The book starts with an extremely violent death. The brutality doesn’t really let up at any point in the book. Many people are tortured to death in incredibly brutal ways throughout the book. The descriptions of sadistic awfulness are detailed and, at times, seem to be almost delighting in the slaughter. It got to be far more than too much for my taste, and I admit to skimming through several of these sections. I am not usually bothered by this, but the intensity and repeated fervor with which the violence was described seems over the top to the point that it began to take away some of my enjoyment of the novel. It’s hard to connect to characters who are willing to go to such extreme lengths to torment their fellow humans, so it began to impact my thoughts on the rest of the book as well.

Overall, Norylska Groans thrives on its world-building and a slow-burn plot with great payoff. The intensity of its violence will be enough to put off some readers, but those interested in dark fantasy should be rushing to read it.

All links to Amazon are affiliates.

Links

Fantasy Hub– My hub for links to posts about fantasy works on this site. Hugo and other Award nominees, vintage fantasy, indie books, and more!

Science Fiction Hub– I have scores of reviews of Hugo nominees, Vintage Sci-Fi, modern sci-fi, TV series, and more! Check out my science fiction related writings here.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter for discussion of posts, links to other pages of interest, random talk about theology/philosophy/apologetics/movies/scifi/sports and more!

SDG.