Interview with Joseph P. Macolino, author of The Battle for Erathal (Book 3 of The Evorath Trilogy)

 

Today it gives the Speculative Fiction Showcase great pleasure to interview Joseph P. Macolino, whose novel The Battle for Erathal (Book 3 of The Evorath Trilogy) has its debut on February 20, 2024.

The Battle for Erathal is the third volume in The Evorath Trilogy, which began with The Birth of Death. Where are we at the start of the book and how does it relate to volumes 1 and 2?

I like to consider this trilogy to be equal parts plot-driven and character-driven. So, in relation to the first two books in the trilogy, this novel concludes those character arcs readers have come to love during the first two stories. In terms of plot, this story kicks off a few months after book 2, which ended with the imprisonment of the main antagonist, Yezurkstal. And as he breaks from that prison, the entire continent of Erathal is in danger.

To what extent is The Battle for Erathal a stand-alone novel and how far is it an entry point for newcomers to the series?

While I’d say it’s possible for a newcomer to pick up and read it by itself, I wouldn’t think it’d have the same impact. The growth of Artimus and Savannah’s relationship, the personal development we see Irontail go through, the hateful and merciless attitude of Yezurkstal, the loss experiences by characters like Casandra and Zelag…all these things and more lead to the events in The Battle for Erathal. So, while you could technically pick up the book and fill in the contextual gaps well enough, I doubt the full emotional impact of the story will be felt.

What can you tell us about Evorath itself? What sort of world is it?

In many ways, it’s not dissimilar to Earth. It has 356 days in its calendar, 12 months in the year, and all four seasons we enjoy here. It has governments, religions, philosophers, artists, and all things good and bad you’d find in the real world. From an ecological perspective, the world of Evorath is more temperate than earth, with a heavy concentration of deciduous forest around the world. But it’s a world filled with magic and mythical creatures. The magic of Evorath flows all around, in rocks, in trees, and in the very people that call Evorath home. Centaurs, elves, dwarves, dragons, and all manner of mythological creatures have a home on Evorath. In this trilogy, you can consider the events taking place in a world similar to medieval earth.

Would you call The Battle for Erathal epic fantasy or high fantasy, and how important is that?

I always find the distinction to get muddy, but this is how I define the two terms. Epic fantasy is about the scale of the story, the scope of events. High fantasy is about the setting. In this way, I’d say it is an epic, high fantasy. That is, the stakes and overall plot of the story are epic in nature. And the setting, being in it’s own unique and original world, makes it textbook high fantasy.

What can you tell us about Irontail the centaur, and what is he doing at the beginning of the story?

Funny thing about Irontail is that he ended up being a much more important character than originally planned. I found the more he grew and developed, the more I loved writing about him. At the start of this story, he has worked with some others to organize the first ever Gratitude Festival. This holiday is being celebrated to give thanks to the goddess Evorath and serve as a uniting force among the various species that call Erathal forest their home. For him, recent years have been a time of great change as he’s taken on the reigns as Chieftain of his tribe. Of course, he still isn’t content with the status quo, always looking for ways to empower the people of Evorath.

When a new - and old - trouble returns, who are his allies in the fight?

Irontail is joined by Artimus and Savannah, a married pair of elves who were just hoping to enjoy a quiet winter. We also get to see Tel’ Shira again, a felite warrior and athlete who is always ready for a fight. Zelag, the shapeshifter introduced in Book 2 of the series also returns, along with Casandra, the lamia mage who is a student of Evorath’s. Additionally, the heroes are joined by a barghest (dog-person) Mojo and a troll, Oogmut. And the major heroes are rounded out by Evorath’s Avatar, that is, a creature akin to an angel who was summoned to help fight Yezurkstal in book 1.

How much can you tell us about your main antagonist, Yezurkstal?

As with the real world, nearly everyone on Evorath is simply a person. That is, no one is simply “good” or “evil” by birth or circumstance. Instead, the daily choices of their lives add up and culminate into various actions, some good, some bad, and some neutral. Yezurkstal is the exception to this rule. He is pure evil. Tyrannical, jealous, wrathful, and just all around unlikable. While I don’t believe this type of person is too common in the real world, the reason I made him so unredeemable is because people need that contrast. Evil is real. And while it seems popular today to make villains sympathetic, I wanted to make a clear line in the sand: there’s no excusing mass murder and genocide, no matter what hardships or character flaws you might have.

To what extent is Evorath a classic fantasy world?

I suppose that defends how you classify a “classic fantasy world.” If it’s about the magic and creatures, it has that. There’s also no shortage of fantastic locations like the living ritual mound of Dumner (a mass of living foliage that moves and responds to the will of the centaur living there). If we’re talking more philosophically, it is a world torn between the forces of good and evil, the goddess Evorath battling against Yezurkstal and his demonic forces.

How did you set about world-building and did you go about it systematically?

Quite systematically indeed. And at this point, there’s more fleshed out in the world of Evorath than most readers will realize; and it’s not done yet. Since I started building it over a decade ago, I can’t recall exactly where I started, but I can say this. I spent time building out the medieval setting first (around the time of this trilogy). That is, I worked on what species called Evorath home, how many continents there were, etc. I also spent time mapping out what the year looked like, wrote a timeline of ancient historical events, developed various governments and religious systems, and quite a bit more. Over the years, the source documents have grown, and new ones have been added. And at this point, I have about 1,000 years of Evorath mapped out for various series to take place in the world. Really, it might be easier to consider what I didn’t account for in worldbuilding than what I did.

How important are your religious beliefs and your politics in creating an imaginary world?

That’s a really tough question because I don’t know that I can accurately say. My politics have changed so drastically since I created the world, and I don’t think they were ever important to the world-building. Since I’ve adopted an anarchist/voluntarist philosophy, you can bet there will be more non-coercive communities showing up in Evorath’s future. Because even if you don’t agree with the practical implications of the philosophy, I’d be hard pressed to imagine anyone seeing a negative in a system that people voluntarily engage with, as opposed to all the governments and political systems of Earth. My beliefs as a Christian undoubtedly had some impact, but I don’t think too heavy on that front either. The reason I say this is simple. I read more on philosophies, religions, and politics that I don’t agree with than those that I do. And I built the world of Evorath accordingly. So, while the themes and moral messages of the story may be anti-tyranny, celebrate diversity, individual liberty, and similar ideals, the world itself was crafted in a way that resembles Earth. Said differently, I’m sure there is some impact my personal biases have had on the world-building, but that doesn’t mean the stories or events match those biases. In most cases, they don’t.

What writers influenced you when you were growing up, and more recently?

Tolkien was influence number one. If I hadn’t read The Hobbit and followed up with Lord of the Rings, I likely wouldn’t have started writing in the first place. I read other books growing up like Chronicles of Narnia, Harry Potter, Animorphs, and some Goosebumps. But all of that followed from learning how fun books could be. Here’s the funny thing about me though…by most standards, I haven’t read any recent fantasy authors other than myself. I’m sure I will one day, but right now I exclusively read nonfiction. Why? Because I constantly thirst for knowledge and understanding. So, I’m often reading history, philosophy, religious books, political books, etc. This way, I continue to get inspiration for worldbuilding without ever feeling like I’m taking inspiration from story plots.

What do you feel about writers like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien who were both deeply religious men, but approached writing fantasy in very different ways (Tolkien was not keen on allegory, for example).

I love this common picture of Lewis vs. Tolkien. And what I love most about it is that Tolkien was so inconsistent about his use of allegory. That is, he had letters where he insisted Lord of The Rings was not allegory, but then wrote later how it was clearly a Christian work and contained allegory. The reality is, Lewis was much more upfront and honest with himself about allegory. And as much as I admire Tolkien, I think his own alleged disdain for allegory was a bit exaggerated. With that said, I absolutely appreciate both styles, but I gravitate more towards Tolkien. Except in my books, I recognize upfront that there are still some allegorical influences on Evorath. But overall, like Tolkien, I try to minimize that allegory.

Now that the trilogy is complete, will you write more books set in this world, or branch out into something different?

I think I’ve effectively alluded to this answer. At present, I have more than 30 novels planned in this world. And most likely, I won’t stop there. In fact, I’ve finished writing book 1 of Legends of Evorath, a new series (more than 3 books) set about 60 years after the events of the Evorath trilogy. But as alluded to before, I have nearly 1,000 years of history outlined for stories. And the best part of that for me is that I get to explore different genres in some sense. For instance, this trilogy and the next couple series are all medieval fantasy settings. But like I said earlier, there are five continents on Evorath and these first few series are just all about one, Erathal. So whether it’s visiting pirates and mermaids in the southern islands of Evorath, or heading east to the desert kingdoms, there are plenty of stories to tell and interesting characters to meet.

What can you tell us about your experience as an indie writer so far and what do you think of the current situation for writers - and readers?

This is a loaded question if I’ve ever heard one! So, I’ll start by looking at it from the simplest perspective of being an indie author. That is, every book we write costs us money. After professional editing and cover art, we need to sell a few hundred books just to break even. If you have a story, don’t let this concern stop you from telling it, but remember you need tenacity and real passion if you hope to make it a viable career. With that said, there’s the greater implications of modern technology that are making a lot of people scared for the future. That is, technologies like AI. And while on one hand AI is great for indie authors, because we can get things like character art generated for free, it also means people are using it to make covers and even write stories. I can’t speak for everyone, but to me, neither of those two uses is acceptable. As a writer, that makes this one of the most uncertain times to be alive. As a reader, you can help though. That is, when you read books written by people (and not machines), make sure to tell others. Follow that author’s page on Amazon, leave a rating and write a review, interact with them on social media. All these things not only help encourage us, but they help ensure the real people out here writing real stories can cut through the noise.

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About Joseph P. Macolino:

Joseph Macolino has a passion for nature, philosophy, and all things fantasy. An unwavering Christian and self-declared anarchist, he dreams of a future human society where people can truly cooperate and voluntarily exchange ideas, goods, and services. When he’s not writing Evorath, he’s likely outside gardening, spending time watching a show with his family, or reading a book on philosophy. Considering himself a lifelong student of humanity, Joseph enjoys meeting new people and being exposed to new perspectives. He believes each person’s unique gifts can help contribute to stronger communities and hopes his work encourages others to embrace their gifts. Find out more about him at his website.

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