We chat with author Max Gladstone about Wicked Problems, which is the action-packed second volume of his Craft Wars series, an epic fantasy like no other.
Hi, Max! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
I’m an author, game designer, screenwriter, and parent; in spare time (what’s that?) I cook, I fiddle, I run, I daydream about the indie ttrpg campaigns I’m going to run for friends when we all have time, and at the moment I’m playing a LITTLE too much Slay the Spire.
When did you first discover your love for writing and stories?
Before I can remember—literally! I apparently woke my parents up when I was three to show them a story I had written about a kid being kidnapped through his window by pirates in a flying ship. Actually I should revisit that one. Sounds awesome.
Quick lightning round! Tell us:
- The first book you ever remember reading: Nate the Great! The world’s best detective, and a fantastic example of noir voice. I’d put the trash can page of NATE THE GREAT GOES UNDERCOVER up as one of the all time hardboiled detective passages. Also possible that the honor goes to the borderline terrifying Frog and Toad story “Shivers,” the one about The Old Dark Frog who eats up little Frog children…
- The one that made you want to become an author: Roger Zelazny’s Lord of Light and Robin McKinley’s The Hero and the Crown, tie game. Taut, tremendous classic novels of the genre. They could be read by everyone and still under-read.
- The one that you can’t stop thinking about: Outside of my next book? Probably Dorothy Dunnett’s Lymond Chronicles. Master classes in perspective, tension, scope, drama, sheer storytelling. Dunnett is a secret aquifer drawn upon by a host of fantasists, myself included.
Wicked Problems is the second installment in your Craft Wars series and it’s out now! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Adventure, Intrigue, Squid, Wizard Law!
What can readers expect in the sequel?
A desperate attempt to combat the [REDACTED] by [REDACTED REDACTED REDACTED], leading to [REDACTED]!
Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?
It would spoil too much to answer this question fully, but I think I can say that I love big reveals, and I love it when characters get to spend time with their mothers.
Did you face any challenges whilst writing?
Oh, just parenting a kiddo through the COVID pandemic, waking up at four a.m. to write the book longhand since my brain got twisted whenever I touched a computer, little things like that!
What’s next for you?
A bit of travel, a bit of rest—and writing the last book in the series.
Lastly, are there any book releases that you’re looking forward to picking up this year?
Vajra Chandrasekara’s RAKESFALL for sure, and I’ve already read it but Sung-Il Kim’s BLOOD OF THE OLD GODS is a live one, with wizard-powered reactors, giant mechs, chained dragons, the grinding machines of empire—definitely give that a look if you like my work.
