Christopher Golden’s Road of Bones is a stunning supernatural thriller set in Siberia, where a film crew is covering an elusive ghost story about the Kolyma Highway, a road built on top of the bones of prisoners of Stalin’s gulag.
We had the pleasure of speaking with Chris all about his new release, along with writing, book recommendations, and more!
Hi, Chris! Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself?
Let’s see…I’m a Massachusetts native, born and raised, still live here and love New England…but I also love seeing other parts of the world whenever I can. I’ve been writing full time forever, in a variety of genres and mediums, but I’m probably best (and most happily) known as a horror writer. I co-created the Outerverse comics universe with Mike Mignola, including characters like Baltimore and Joe Golem. I’d rather be at the ocean than almost anywhere, but if I can’t be at the ocean, I’d rather be at the movies. The typical author bios are boring, so now you have to hear about my love for Turner Classic Movies, street buskers, and fresh chocolate chip cookies.
Welcome to 2022! What are you hoping for the new year and have you set any goals?
2021 was not great, but 2022 brings Road of Bones, a lot of new comics projects, and tons of cool things I can’t disclose. My goals all have to do with doing more of the things I love that I didn’t get to really indulge in 2021. My wife and I love to hike and bike, and to climb the peaks of New England. She’s in excellent shape, and I am…not, so that’s part of my 2022 plan.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I first started to dabble in middle school, with a crossover story I wrote that teamed up various characters from books and TV shows that I loved. The team included Robin Hood, Doc Savage, and someone called The Master Gunfighter, which was from a TV movie or something in that era. There were others, but I don’t remember who—I do remember that it opened with a plane crash. Years later, as a senior in high school, I started writing short stories. I still have all of them, I think. None were ever published, but my story “All Aboard” is complete reimagining of a similar story that I wrote in high school.
Quick lightning round! Tell us the first book you ever remember reading, the one that made you want to become an author, and one that you can’t stop thinking about!
Hmm. The first book I remember reading is probably my childhood favorite, Mr. Pine’s Purple House. It’s a picture book. The one that made me *want* to be an author was probably ‘Salem’s Lot by Stephen King, though the one that made me believe I could do it was The Light at the End by John Skipp and Craig Spector. One I can’t stop thinking about….Hmm. At the moment, it’s the one I’m currently reading, which is Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin—a horrific apocalypse novel unlike anything I’ve read. But also, Tim Lebbon’s The Last Storm, which is coming out this year and is the best thing he’s done. So, so good. Both books are sticking in my brain because of the fantastic world-building.
Your new novel, Road of Bones, is out January 25th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
Oh, that’s a cruel question. Let’s see…Ancient evil, high-speed terror, frozen isolation. Okay, that’s six words.
What can readers expect?
Well, Stephen King said “it will take you to a place you’ve never been before, and the trip will scare the hell out of you.” I can’t say it any better than that.
Where did the inspiration for Road of Bones come from?
I was just bumbling around the internet one day, as you do, and stumbled into an article about the real-life Road of Bones in Siberia. It’s a twelve hundred mile stretch of road called the Kolyma Highway, built by prisoners the Russians had put in gulags, many of whom were imprisoned on the slightest offense simply because they needed workers. And they needed those workers because the ones they had were dying by the thousands. By the tens of thousands. Hundreds of thousands died and their bodies were simply plowed into the permafrost. Their remains are there, beneath the road. While my novel isn’t what you’d typically expect with that setup, it seemed an atmosphere so unsettling that I knew immediately I had to set a novel there, at the edge of the human world.
Can you tell us a bit about the challenges you faced while writing and how you were able to overcome them?
I wrote the novel during a pandemic. It’s among my shortest novels and yet it took quite a while to write. Covid created its own sort of isolation for so many of us, but I’m not going to complain about that challenge because it’s one faced by millions.
Were there any favourite moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring?
I’m so wary of giving spoilers for this book. I loved the character and the story of Ludmilla—who has her own thread that dovetails into the main story in a kind of folkloric way. As for moments, much of the novel is a sort of car chase, and there are moments in the car that are some of the best I think I’ve ever done. But if I share them here, they’ll be ruined. I’ll say that there’s a way reality and folklore overlap in this novel that makes me incredibly happy, that I trusted myself in a way I don’t always, and you’ll need to read the book to maybe understand a little of what I mean.
You’ve written in numerous formats and genres over the last three decades. Do you have a preference or is it refreshing to dive into something a bit different with each new work?
I love stories, characters, scenes, dialogue. I love it all. Horror is probably where my heart is, but I’ve written in so many genres and mediums because I love it all. At heart, I’m just a storyteller. I want to entertain and excite an audience. I do love to diversify, to try new mediums and new things, and I’ve done that from the very beginning of my career. But at heart, it’s all story.
What’s next for you?
This week I’ll be wrapping up my next novel for St. Martin’s Press, which I can’t announce just yet. I’ve got a lot of comics to write with Mike Mignola for Dark Horse Comics, and some other Mignola related things as well. There are several film and TV projects in the works, too. But I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut—at least for a while.
Lastly, do you have any 2022 book recommendations for our readers?
Always. I’ve already recommended The Last Storm and Manhunt. There are new books coming from so many authors I love, including Paul Tremblay, Sarah Pinborough, Jennifer McMahon, Catriona Ward, James A. Moore, and hopefully S.A. Cosby, who is one of my new favorites. Don’t miss No Second Chances by Rio Youers, who is, I think, one of the best writers around.
