When a young man’s planet is destroyed, he sets out on a single-minded quest for revenge across the galaxy in Nophek Gloss, the first book in this epic space opera trilogy by debut author Essa Hansen, for fans of Revenger and Children of Time.
We chat to debut author Essa Hansen about her new release, Nophek Gloss, book recommendations, writing advice, and more!
Hi, Essa! Tell us a bit about yourself!
I’m a writer by night and a sound designer for film by day, both in the science fiction and fantasy genres…so nowadays I spend most of my life in other worlds, especially if you add in leisure reading and video games! I’m the holder of too many hobbies and too little time, though I recently started horseback riding again and have dusted off my swords.
With the current state of the world, what are you doing to cope with the changes we’ve had to make with our day-to-day?
I’m one of the introvert types whose day-to-day routine hasn’t been dramatically altered by the pandemic lockdown. I can luckily work from home, and my long hours have meant very little “going out” time in any case. If I do wedge open free time, I can still hike into the hills or get out to the beach safely.
The California wildfires have honestly been the more difficult and unpredictable factor. My “go-bag” has sat packed and ready for months. Every heat wave and high wind warning comes with the possibility of sudden evacuation or surprise power outages. Smoke from active fires travels a long way, and there have been days with no fresh air, where a few moments outside mean a sore throat and eyes.
I’m still learning coping methods that work for me, and many days it feels more like treading water than coping…but I’ve benefited from a support network that will mutually check in, and I’ve attempted to stay social by playing online video games regularly with friends via voice chat. It’s good to hear another human now and then.
When did you first discover your love for writing?
I’m told I was writing as soon as I was physically able; small notes at first then complete stories around 4th or 5th grade. I was always exercising my imagination in various mediums, and surrounded by books, art, music, and nature, so it felt completely natural to be creative all the time.
Your debut novel, Nophek Gloss, it is out November 17th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?
This question always stumps me so I’ll steal from Alastair Reynolds’s blurb of the book! Nophek Gloss is an “intricate, vivid, and psychedelic cosmos.”
Now tell us a little more! What can readers expect to find in Nophek Gloss?
It’s a classic revenge story on the surface, with a heart of personal growth and navigating complex morality. A young man’s planet is destroyed for economic gain and he’s thrust from his isolated world into a vast multiverse that he never knew existed. He must navigate his trauma, his desire for justice, and the immensity of this new world, aided only by a unique starship and a found family of misfit aliens.
The setting is probably not like the multiverses you’ve seen before. It’s a bubble multiverse of many spherical universes of various size stuck together like a vast foam, all on the same timeline but with variable physical laws in each universe. Material, biology, and technology is transformed to match new physics as it passes from one universe to the next, giving rise to a complex economy and a culture of explorers. And…all the exploitation and oppression you might expect rooted in such a world, which our damaged hero Caiden wishes to fix.
In Nophek Gloss you’ll find immersive, sensory prose, unusual concepts and technology, and aliens that truly feel alien. Oh, and some space puppies too.
What inspired you to write Nophek Gloss?
I wanted to explore the result of a huge world where diversity and transformation is the norm. What unusual trading is possible? What are the dangers and who dives into them head first? What are the politics, how could anyone unify a world so vast? What philosophy or metaphysics would emerge from the reality of a multiverse like this? I especially loved the idea of an economy based on exploration and cartography, the sense that knowledge—always new to someone—is more valuable than material.
Of course, I needed a character to follow in order to explore all this. As I started to flesh out Caiden’s origin story, his themes rolled nicely into what interested me about the world itself: his ignorance makes knowledge the most valuable thing, while he himself has to grapple with his own low valuation, the fact that he was raised as essentially a slave with one function. His shifting worldview and outside perspective on the multiverse let me explore interesting moral topics throughout the story.
Is there a scene, element, or character you really enjoyed creating and writing in Nophek Gloss?
I really enjoy writing the quiet, intimate moments where everyone gets to regroup and their more tender feelings have the breathing room to come to the surface or soak the subtext. With an ensemble cast, these slower scenes often involve everyone, and I loved trying to puzzle together all their personalities, find the rhythm of the conversation, and have them bond tighter in delicate ways. These are frequently eating scenes as well, so it’s a chance for the gastronomer of the crew to make some bizarre space food, which I always find delightful to describe.
What are your favourite sci-fi books, movies, and/or TV shows?
I always struggle with this question, because my brain immediately starts to list all the content I have liked in various ways, and nothing stands out as decidedly favourite. I also have eclectic tastes and tend to ebb and flow between many favourites depending on mood!
In lieu of answering properly, the most recent TV show I’ve enjoyed was the German TV series “Dark,” which is in one of my favourite twisty sub-genres of sci-fi—and mentioning too much more is probably a spoiler. I went into the show knowing absolutely nothing about it, which ended up an excellent choice. I have yet to watch the third season, but my friends promise me it all twists back together on itself quite well.
What has the road to becoming a published author been like for you?
I’ve always been passionate about storytelling, love words as a medium, and am happy creating worlds and characters purely for myself. It wasn’t until around 2016 or so that I had the notion to write a story not for my own enjoyment of the creation process but to appeal to an audience of readers and to be complete and well-articulated on its own. A monstrous challenge! I love challenges, and dove head first into learning more about writing and narrative craft in order to wrangle my vast imagination into a marketable form. My journey through the querying trenches and on submission to editors was not swift, but my book will be on the shelves soon—I think that means I met my challenge!
What’s next for you?
I’ll be editing the second book in The Graven Trilogy, while also plotting out the third.
With Covid-19 making in-person events unsafe for my book launch, I have many virtual events and podcasts lined up, including a live discussion with Veronica Roth on November 18th, hosted by Mysterious Galaxy Books. Readers can pre-order signed and personalized copies through them!
Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?
Reading has taken a back seat for me the past few months as I rush to my drafting deadline. But one of the last books I read was Revenger by Alastair Reynolds, and I’m working through the rest of the trilogy. Similar to my novel, it has a revenge story built around personal growth, with an ensemble cast, a cool spaceship, and a complicated world with deep history and ample secrets.
