When the gods return to claim their world, the Five Realms will fall, in this earth-shaking epic fantasy thriller from the author of Lost Gods.
Micah Yongo’s Pale Kings is the sequel to his 2018 debut novel and it’s set to publish on August 13th. The epic fantasy series promises “betrayal, blood, wars, magic, gods, assassins, mythology, lore, fighting (lots), friendship, and political intrigue”, which is inspired by African legends.
We had the pleasure of chatting to Micah to learn more about the series and the new novel, as well as book recommendations and advice!
Hi Micah! Tell us a little about yourself!
Ooh, well, where to begin… I love Darth Vader. Think people who can make stuff are cool. Have a secret wish to one day move to South Africa. Also love movies, boxsets, the arts, sci-fi, superheroes, random nerdy bits of pop psychology, anthropology, philosophy or mythology. Oh, and I like to tell stories, the grander the better.
Your new novel, Pale Kings, is set to release on August 13th. Can you tell us a little more about it?
Ok, so Pale Kings is basically full of betrayal, blood, wars, magic, gods, assassins, mythology, lore, fighting (lots), friendship, political intrigue and… well, ok, no need to make this an exhaustive list. But in short, it follows a group of teenaged assassins as they grapple with a bunch of surprising newly discovered realities about their world in order to uncover a supernatural conspiracy – I guess I’d like to think it’s fast-paced, intriguing and pays homage to some of the classic fantasy tropes we all know and love, whilst also inflecting them with the ancient African/near eastern flavour of the world in which the story is set.
Were there any big differences between writing Pale Kings and Lost Gods?
Actually there were, which really surprised me. I mean, I started writing Lost Gods almost by accident, it was more a fun side project for my own gratification than anything else. It was only later that it evolved into a novel, or perhaps more accurately, it was only later that I realised I was writing one (I got through over two thirds of the manuscript before starting to even think of it in that way). With Pale Kings on the other hand, there were a number of added factors that just made the writing experience very different – deadlines, for one; but also the knowledge that it was going to be published; that, from the outset, it was being written to be read, if that makes sense. Along with having the world and characters already fully formed in my head it made for an altogether different but much more fluent process. One that I enjoyed.
How long has it taken you to write Pale Kings?
I doubt this will ever happen again – well, never say never – but the initial draft took about 5 months, which probably wasn’t particularly good for my social life, but has, I hope, made for an immersive reading experience. But I’m thinking it was most likely a very peculiar one-off for me. I don’t count myself to be a particularly quick writer.
Where did your inspiration come from?
Oh man, so many places… But I reckon the larger part of my inspiration came from the West African folklore I got introduced to as a child. As kids, my mother would tell my siblings and I these bedtime stories, tales that were almost always set in Nigeria, the country of her birth, and that often had a sort of parabolic, mystical quality to them that I found incredibly compelling. It was only later, much later in fact, when reading (the amazingly powerful) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe that I realised these half-made up stories she’d told us were based on actual Nigerian folklore. I think seeing one of those familiar bedtime stories appearing in Achebe’s book as a folktale is part of what first drew me to storytelling. Because it was then I realised these tales I’d grown up with were part of a larger tradition, a repository of Nigerian heritage, my heritage – a door to a vast and vital world; something, as a second-generation immigrant, I became eager to explore further. Looking back, it was perhaps somewhat inevitable my own stories, once I got around to writing them, would be suffused with the feel and aesthetic of those West African myths – the bedtime tales I first learned as a kid.
Were there any scenes that you found more difficult to write?
Definitely. There’s one in particular that’s a little on the gruesome side that springs immediately to mind, but that I shan’t spoil (prizes for those able to guess which it is when they read it). The difficulty was partly due to the scene itself, but also, I think, due to the character involved – whom I found difficult to write throughout, because doing so involved occupying a pretty dark headspace.
Was there any research you had to conduct?
Yeah, plenty. I think I was almost constantly trying to take things in I felt would help immerse me more deeply in the sensibility and feel of the world I was creating – documentaries, books, stuff online etc. – on occasion I’d research things in a specific way for detail; the way a certain cooking utensil should look or be used, for example. But for the most part I wasn’t interested in trying to recreate a historical context in pseudo form. I just wanted to supplement my imagination in a way that would help give more definition to the world that was already forming in my head. I found Henry Freeman’s book on the ancient civilisation of Sumer helpful, and also Stephen Belcher’s work on African origin myths, but for the most part all of the above were fodder and fuel for my imagination to run wild and create its own thing – something that would hopefully feel different, but real; shaped by my childhood experiences in Nigeria, those bedtime tales I mentioned earlier, and whatever other mysterious forces conspire to drive our imaginations and daydreams.
Your first novel published in 2018. What’s it been like being a published author?
It’s been a ton of fun. The people I’ve gotten to meet – readers, other authors and professionals in the industry, bloggers, genre enthusiasts etc. – just some of the coolest, sweetest and smartest people ever. I think it’s probably been my favourite thing about this whole experience.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?
Oh man, I still feel too much like a novice to have much in the way of advice. But, well, as corny as it sounds I’d say the truest thing really is to write for yourself first. To find a way to create the story you’re going to share in a way that feels most authentically you. The work itself will always be the most important thing, so reading as much as possible, and, in my opinion, as widely as possible, will always be a useful way of developing your craft. Beyond that, I’d say do a lot of research around how to submit to agents and publishers (The Writers and Artists Yearbook is chock full of useful information in that regard), and always be ready to listen to input and feedback when it comes to your writing. Even if you later choose to reject it, which you can, listening is always good.
Lastly, do you have any book recommendations for us?
Well, I highly recommend having a read of A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A. Fletcher. Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri. Cameron Johnson’s The Traitor God is a hugely fun read, as, I suspect, its sequel God of Broken Things shall be (currently on my ever increasing TBR list). And N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth Trilogy is, of course, a work of pure genius. So, do yourself a solid and get copies of each.
AUTHOR BIO
Micah Yongo is an author of epic fantasy novels. He’s a proud Mancunian (and Manchester United fan), but has also been a journalist, copywriter, videographer, community support worker, delivery driver, and once, in a distant and dark pre-existence he rarely speaks of, spent his days inputting data for a debt management service. His debut novel, Lost Gods, was a Brave New Words finalist, and has also been nominated for a British Fantasy Award. His second novel, Pale Kings, is scheduled for release August 13th. You can find Micah on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook, along with his website.
