Q&A: Max Gladstone, Author of ‘Dead Hand Rule’

We chat with author Max Gladstone about Dead Hand Rule, which is the latest epic installment in the Craft Wars series.

Hi, Max! Welcome back! How has the past 18 months been since we last spoke for the release of Wicked Problems?

…. Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but it’s been a weird 18 months for the old US of A. But setting aside all that…. Speaking for myself and my family, there’s been a lot of work and a lot of love and a bit of health stuff, and, in general, doing the best we can for one another and for those around us. And getting ready for the release of Dead Hand Rule!

Dead Hand Rule is the third installment in your Craft Wars series and it’s out October 28^th! If you could only describe it in five words, what would they be?

Wild Times At Wizard Davos!

For readers who haven’t picked up the series, what can they expect?

Necromantic skullduggery, high finance, politics, romance, banter, smart people making relatable mistakes, and, to paraphrase a Craig Ferguson bit—folks desperately trying to secure a triumph for intellect and romance over brute force and cynicism. The Craft Wars are set in a postindustrial world of supernatural feats and great horror, not unlike our own (only the wizardry and eldritch horror are a bit more visible); now that world is under threat, and its great powers are trying to come together to respond. One could wish they were a bit more effective.

And for those who have, what’s to come in Dead Hand Rule?

Tara and the King in Red have called a summit in Alt Coulumb, trying to get the world’s great powers on side to confront Dawn, and the skazzerai threat approaching across the stars. But each of the world’s great powers has their own strategy—and their own sense of who they want left standing when the chips are down. Can all these people come together to pull out a win? Well: maybe!

Were there any moments or characters you really enjoyed writing or exploring further?

So many. The conference setting was a wonderful occasion to answer longstanding questions and feature side characters from other books (or who have been mentioned prominently but never appeared). I’ve always loved Bob Dylan’s big storytelling / milieu songs, like Black Diamond Bay, these pileups of plot and character, and I set up Dead Hand Rule to evoke that sort of feeling. We get to see Belladonna Albrecht and Elayne Kevarian; the King in Red visits Alt Coulumb’s Broadway; Abelard tries to step up as a political player; Tara has alma mater feelings; Cat experiences an unexpected reunion… I could keep going.

Did you face any challenges whilst writing this installment? How did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge on a creative level was also an opportunity: initially this book and Wicked Problems were all one long, long, long book. Dividing them left me with a version of Dead Hand Rule that needed more—but I’d felt that need while writing it, too, so the chance to really let the book stretch its legs and find its pace was a relief.

On a schedule level, parenting plus a bit of health stuff meant that I kept having to put the book down for weeks at a time—not always a bad thing, since it gives the ideas more room to breathe. But, on the flip side, sometimes you come back to a book and find you’re a slightly different person than you were when you left it…

What’s the best and worst writing advice you’ve received?

The best writing advice I’ve received was also some of the earliest: don’t throw away your work. Every bit of writing matters. You never know what will catch fire, or inspire you on revisit—and also, keeping your writing around gets you in the habit of taking it seriously. Not everything’s meant for prime time, of course, or for posting-on-main, but if you keep your work around, you’d be surprised how it grows and changes when you’re not paying attention.

I’m reluctant to call any writing advice the worst, because I don’t want some well-meaning teacher to feel bad, and even “bad” advice can be the springboard to good advice. But I do think that any writing advice that uses absolutes is likely to be better honored in the breach than the observance, as the Danish guy says. If someone’s saying “ALWAYS do this” or “NEVER do that” or “all stories MUST work in this other way,” if you take them too seriously you’re giving away your own powers of discernment and discovery and judgment—and without those, what are we doing here but typing?

What’s next for you?

A couple things I can’t talk about—and finishing the draft of the next, and last, Craft novel!

Lastly, what books have you enjoyed reading this year? Are there any you’re looking forward to picking up?

I’ve been burning through the One Piece manga. Adrien Tchaikovsky’s Lords of Uncreation is a master class in how you end a trilogy. Dryer’s English felt like aloe for my writer-soul. Isabel Kim’s Sublimation was sharp and gripping. And I really dug Paul Fisher’s biography of John Singer Sargent, The Grand Affair. As for what books I’m looking forward to picking up: always the next one! Thought be on the lookout for John Chu’s Subtle Art of Folding Space and Laura Cranehill’s Wife-Shaped Bodies, both of which I had a chance to read pre-pub and really enjoyed.

Will you be picking up Dead Hand Rule? Tell us in the comments below!