Graham McNeill Interview

KD: Hey Graham, Firstly let me thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to talk to me.

We will start with the easy questions:

How long have you been writing for black Library now?

GMN: My first novel, Nightbringer. was published in 2002, and I’d presented BL with a job lot of short stories just before that, so I’d say around nine and a bit years.

KD: Was this your first writing job or did you have any before it?

GMN: It was my first paying writing job, though I’d done lots of writing beforehand, my own comics, board games, role-playing scenarios and so on. And while I was at university I wrote a novel (which probably explains why I’m a writer and not an architect). None of it has been published, but it was all vital training to get me ready to actually write professionally.

KD: We all know you are a huge David Gemmell fan (who isn't) but who else do you enjoy reading for pleasure?

GMN: I read lots of different authors. I love Clive Barker’s work, Terry Pratchett, Irvine Welsh, Bernard Cornwell and James Ellroy to name but a few. Certainly, they’re the ones that give me the most enjoyment, though each in very different ways.

KD: You have written novels for both the WHFB world and the 40K universe, do you have a preference and if so which one?

GMN: I only have a preference when I’m actually writing one or the other. When I write 40k, I love the immersion in the gothic madness of it all, with its boundless scope for invention and planetary destruction. Then when I get to write Warhammer, I love the gritty, grim realism of it all. Heroic fantasy is where my heart lies as a writer, so when I get to tell those kinds of stories, I think it’s when I’m at my most empathic with the world and the characters.

KD: Who is the favourite character from the books you have written and why?

GMN: I like Uriel (obviously) as he is the heroic embodiment of what it means to be a hero in the horror of the Imperium. Despite all the darkness, all the ways it would be easy to be ruthless and heartless or give into despair in the face of never-ending hordes of aliens, heretics and a galaxy’s worth of hostile forces, he never gives in, and he always remembers the Space Marines’ original purpose – to claim the galaxy for humanity to prosper. Other Chapters might now see themselves as superior to humanity, but the Ultramarines never do, they recognise that they were created to serve mankind, and that the galaxy isn’t their private playground. It’s that willingly-made sacrifice that makes them so appealing to me.


KD: Which of your novels so far was the most difficult to write and why?

GMN: In some ways it was Nightbringer, as it was my first novel and I didn’t really know what I was doing or how to bring it to life. I learned on the job, and while I’m still very proud of it, I think with all the experience I’ve gained along the way, I’d do it very differently now. The other difficult one was False Gods, which was my first Heresy novel. Hard enough to do, but then when your book follows Dan Abnett’s Horus Rising – a book that excited me like no other as I read it – was no small challenge. Though having said all that, where a book is a challenge to write, it makes you raise your game and often gets the best work out of you. In sport the only way to improve is to play opponents better than you, and the same principle works in writing too. I like to work on projects that are going to challenge me, push me to do better and work my mental muscles in new ways that improve my writing and give me a wide range of styles, skills and ways to tell exciting, interesting stories.

KD: Excluding your own which is your favourite HH novel so far?

GMN: I’d have to say it was Horus Rising, as it was so different from anything I’d read in the 40k universe. Its tone, pacing and language was a real shift away from those books, and it made me see Horus in a totally new light. It might sound stupid, but I’d never thought of the Warmaster as a good guy, he’s always been the arch-traitor who spat on his oaths of loyalty. It’s hard to remember that he was the best and brightest son who fell so far. So to see him as this beautiful, magnificent war god was thrilling to read. And any book that can make you feel sorry for Horus has to be doing something right.

KD: When you were writing the short story The last Church did you have a particular location in mind when describing it?

GMN: A few folk have asked this, and yeah, I had a very definite place in mind. I imagined the Lightning Stone to be the Old Man of Storr on the Isle of Skye. There’s a few hints within the story that can lead you there if you know a little bit of British geography. My family’s originally from Skye, and I’ve been to the Old Man of Storr many times, and always thought it was a really dramatic location to use in a story.

KD: Have you ever based the personalities of any of your characters on Real life people?

GMN: Not consciously, though I’ve used the names of folk I know a few times (with appropriate 40k-ification). And then killed them. That’s the price you pay for appearing in one of my books – you die horribly. Though when I was writing Ursun’s Teeth, the follow up to The Ambassador, I was having the guys in Games Development read the chapters of the book as I was going along, and Phil Kelly remarked that the character of Kaspar was uncannily similar to mine. I presume he was talking about his heroic nature, unfailing loyalty and noble demeanour, not his cranky belligerence, shouty temperament and general old mannishness.

KD: Which is your favorite GMN novel?

GMN: To use the clichéd answer, the one I’m working on now. But in all seriousness, I don’t know, they each have their strengths and flaws that wax and wane for me depending on the mood I’m in. One one day it might be Heldenhammer or Storm of Iron, on another it could be Mechanicum or The Chapter’s Due. Each of them represents a period of my life and that’s likely reflected in each of them, so they hold a special place in my memories dependent on where my head was at the time. For example, A Thousand Sons will always be the book I was writing when my son, Evan, was born, so that will always have a special memory associated with it. Likewise, Fulgrim was the first book I wrote after leaving Games Workshop, so there’s a bittersweet flavour to that one.

KD: Do you actually play 40k or WHFB and if so what armies do you have and are you any good as a player?

GMN: I haven’t played in a long time, but I do have a number of armies. I have fully painted Necron and Space Marine armies (4th Company naturally…) and a half built, half painted Tau army. And I also have my Empire army, as well as an unbuilt, unpainted Rohan force. All of them are buried at the back of a cupboard in their carry cases, and regrettably haven’t made it onto a tabletop in quite some time.

KD: How come you weren't asked to write the screenplay for the upcoming ultramarines movie especially since you had written about them so much?

GMN: I don’t know the answer to that; you’d have to ask the guys that commissioned the script from Dan. If you think about it for a moment, it makes perfect sense to have Dan write the script for the movie, as he has written a great many scripts, has a vast fanbase, both in the Games Workshop universes and many others (Marvel springs to mind…)and is a fantastic writer. All of which will bring in fans from other areas to the movie. To be a real hit, the movie needs to cross over to folk who haven’t necessarily heard of 40k, but will likely have heard of Dan, so hopefully we’ll create an army of new fans for the movie and the universe.

KD: I will finish with a few questions from some of my friends and gaming colleagues around the country.

- Jimmy Murphy from Cork would like to know if all the BL authors got together for a piss up who would be the first to fall and who would be last man standing?

GMN: As a hard-drinking Scotsman, I’d have to say that I’d be the lat man standing, or at least the last man dancing, as I tend to end up air-guitaring and headbanging on the dance floor by the end of a night. The lava pouring through my veins, bestowed by the brazen gods of metal from their abode on Mount Olympus probably burns up the alcohol in my body. As to who would be first to fall, who knows, the nights have always ended with the dawn chorus before anyone falls over.


KD: John Stowe from the DGG (Dublin Games Guild) would like to know did you regret killing off inquisitor Ario Barzano? He also said:

- Kudos to you for "The Last Church" in Tales of the Heresy. Finally a bit of substance to the character of the Emperor. Any more plans to flesh out the Emperor (no pun intended)?

GMN: I’ve certainly no plans to do anything as full on as The Last Church for appearances by the Emperor. I used him there in the guise of Revelation, as it was a facet of his personality rather than him in Full Emperor Mode. I think we’ll see more of the Emperor as we go on, gradually building his persona and motivations as the books progress (or delve back into the past…) so that by the time we get to the final battle between Horus and the Emperor, the outcome actually matters. It’s no use having a final battle that’s taken years to reach if we don’t care for either of the combatants. To be affected by the outcome, we need to feel for both the Emperor and Horus.

KD: And Colin Murray from DGG wants to know if you could write about any part of the rest of the known HH; which story would you most like to tell?

GMN: I certainly want to tell an Iron Warriors story. So far we’ve seen lots of stories about how certain legions fell to Chaos by trying to do the right thing, pursuing the right ends by the wrong means. I’d like to tell a story where a legion falls to Chaos because they choose to do it, because they’re bad bastards and willingly embrace the chance to let loose the beast within. To my mind, the Iron Warriors fit that bill rather nicely. Then there’s Calth…that would be fun to do as a two hander with a Word Bearers author.

KD: Lastly, without breaking any non-disclosure agreements you have; can you give us any hints as to what we can expect to see in the future from yourself?

GMN: In a couple of weeks I’ll be getting stuck into a Heresy short story and another audio drama, and once they’re out the way, I’ll finally be writing the sequel (and concluding part) to Defenders of Ulthuan. It’s been a long time coming, as bigger projects kept muscling it out of the way, but I’ve finally found time on the schedule to get it in before I start my next HH book. Huzzah!

KD: Thanks again for taking the time to answer these questions. I will make sure the next time you are in Ireland we will meet up and have a pint or 2. Good luck with the rest of your career, long may it last.

GMN: Sounds like a plan to me. Mine’s a JD and Coke.