Not the end

by danabnett on Feb.01, 2010, under Dan Abnett and Graham McNeill

So I guess we’re at the packing your suitcase and waiting for a cab to the airport stage of our visit here at Babel Clash, and I’d like to echo what Graham said last night: we’ve had a splendid time, it’s been great meeting you all and chatting to you and, hey! We broke a record too!

I was just checking over the comments from the last post to see if there were any questions left unanswered. I was drawn to Paul’s comment -the point he made was a good one, but I especially enjoyed his admission that “this is by a long way the nerdiest thing I’ve ever posted so forgive me”. I could almost hear the resigned sigh that accompanied it, and I so recognised the feeling: the moment you know you’ve been drawn into, and committed to, the internal logic of a conversation that you know has long since crossed the Nerd Event Horizon. My empathy for Paul’s remark aside, it’s actually a significant characteristic of my work and the over all subject of this fortnight’s digressive discussion. It’s the level of willing immersion you have to embrace if you want to play in someone else’s universe. It’s taking the sort of questions typified by that old cliche, “Who’s stronger? The Thing or the Hulk?” and considering them soberly and thoughtfully, despite all the eye-rolling and the mocking and the digs like, “Why are you taking this so seriously? It’s not real, you freak! It’s only a comic/game/movie/bunch of toy soldiers!” (delete where applicable). Digs like, “It’s not even a proper book.” And “You are so sad, dude.”

And I guess we all know why, don’t we? We’ve all got at least one thing that we take that little bit too seriously. The thing that can actually draw us across the Nerd Event Horizon to engage in serious debates about non-existent things… like hit points or gene seeds or power rings or flux capacitors or jelly babies.

You can make a good case for it being much easier to work in someone else’s universe because a) someone else has already set the rules for you and b) there are lots of other people to ask, but both of those points are based on the false assumption that the rules work and all of those other people agree with one another. You can make a similarly good case for the idea that your own universe is the easiest playground, but it can be lonely there, and cold, and you can get cabin fever, and there’s no one around to stand with you when the wolves start growling outside the door.

I suppose what I want to leave you with more than anything is the idea that tie-in work, when it’s taken seriously, is not a soft option, a quick hack job to earn money. I wouldn’t want to draw a line between my original universes and the ones I’ve been allowed to play in: I have found both rewarding, and if it sounds like I’m bigging-up the latter here on Babel Clash, it’s probably over-compensation. People say some crappy things about tie-in work. It’s only just getting a scrap of the respect it deserves for the industry and craft it involves, and… well, to be honest, if us tie-in writers don’t stand up and explain what goes into it and why it shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand as a great big pile, then who the hell else is going to?

That final stray question from Marine, seconded by Elizabeth - yes, I menaced poor Ben with an axe and told him to keep Loken’s ‘death’ vague. And if I told you guys how he was going to make it off Istvaan, it wouldn’t be a surprise, would it?

On behalf of me and Graham, thanks again everyone, and thanks to Morgan and Babel Clash for having us. We’ll both be checking in over the rest of today to catch any final comments. But this doesn’t have to be the end, oh no! If you look to the right or below, you’ll see links to our home pages, where you’ll find our blogs. You can come and have chats like this with us there, where we will be prepared to speak about all aspects of anything. I kid you not. My particular area of expertise is digression. So, party at our place! Let’s go!

One last thing. I was struck by how many of you have said that the enthusiasm of our posts over the last fortnight have inspired you to write your own stories or even novels. That’s pretty amazing. Off you go, find some universes… your own or otherwise.

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8 Comments for this entry

Cees
February 1st, 2010 on 8:10 am
Thanks Dan. Thanks Graham. Thanks babelclash. As for the Nerd Event Horizon. I expect I’m about to dive over it head first with Lost tomorrow
TimK
February 1st, 2010 on 8:24 am
Likewise from me. Thanks Messers. A and McN for the mental nourishment and inspiration and I am now eagerly anticipating the arrival of the next trench of Heresy novels and despite my lack of love for the Ultras I’m thinking of starting the novels.
Roderick
February 1st, 2010 on 9:39 am
I’ve just managed to get up to date with this bloggery in the nick of time - thanks to you both for them all, I have now also been bitten by the writing bug, so let’s see how things end up.
By way of contribution to the Astartes Breeding Programme discussion, I’m going to go way back in a nerdy timewarp to the 2nd Edition Codex Chaos, which states that many Fallen Angels chose to settle down and have families rather than go looking for trouble any more. And that’s more recent than Ian Watson’s Inquisition War series, which had a Squat teasing a Space Marine about having no goolies.
Something I picked up on from the first few HH books, which doubtless was intended by you fine gentlemen, was that The Emperor allowed the Primarchs to be taken and scattered. This to me implies that he knew what would happen, and it was all part of his Cylonesque Plan. I therefore theorise that he had thought in advance about what he would do with the Astartes at the end of the Great Crusade, and felt that the only thing that would allow mankind to resist the threats of the future was conflict… and sacrifice. Sacrificing himself to become a beacon of hope, and sacrificing his beloved sons and grandsons to Chaos (itself an incarnation of our own darkest feelings), and all the antisocial behaviour involved, was the only thing that could keep humanity united for another ten thousand years. The sheer scale of the Heresy and the absolutism of the threat of Chaos were the only ways to be sure mankind would not gently slide into its grasp, as the Eldar did. Is that, perhaps, how you intended it Messrs. Abnett and Mcneil?

I’m also now very interested in reading your Ultramarine novels, Graham, but I can’t resist a little teasing humour I found upon the webs on the subject of the mighty blues:

…

HISTORY OF THE ULTRAMARINES

Circa M29: The Unification Wars. The Emperor of Mankind unites Terra, and sets off to conquer the stars. The Ultramarines’ Primarch, Robute Guilliman, is conveniently located on the other side of the galaxy when this occurs.

012.M31-014.M31: The Horus Heresy. Half of all Space Marine chapters betray the Emperor and turn to Chaos. Terra is sieged by the traitors, most Astartes legions suffer major losses, the Blood Angels, Imperial Fists, and White Scars are forced to make a stand on Terra, while the Dark Angels lose their homeworld,the Salamanders, Iron Hands, and Raven Guard are nearly destroyed,and the Emperor is crippled. The Ultramarines are conveniently located on the other side of the galaxy when this occurs.

546.M32: ‘The Beheading’: The High Lords of Terra are all slain on the orders of Drakan Vangorich, Grand Master of the Officio Assassinorum. The rogue Master of Assassins is tracked down and slain by a Space Marine strikeforce drawn from the Imperial Fists, Halo Brethren and Sable Swords. Only a single Space Marine survives the campaign. The Ultramarines are conveniently located on the other side of the galaxy when this occurs.

843.M35: Distress call from Grendel’s World investigated. Planet discovered to have been attacked and all inhabitants slain by terror tactics of the Night Lords. The Ultramarines are conveniently located on the other side of the galaxy when this occurs.

723.M36: The 5th Black Crusade begins. Doombreed, a prince of Khorne declares war on the Adeptus Astartes. The Warhawks and the Venerators are lost. The Ultramarines are conveniently located on the other side of the galaxy when this occurs.

…

There’s lots more of that as well, but I’ve cut most of it out. I hope you take it as tongue-in-cheek, I’m still going to read your books and enjoy having my mind changed. I also love what you did in Mechanicum with the Dragon and the Emperor, and I feel that perhaps the influence of the Dragon upon the inhabitants of Mars was also part of his Plan?

Lastly, Dan, it doesn’t matter how long Prospero Burns takes, just make sure you look after yourself. I’m of the same mindset towards the Wolves as you were when you started out, so I know it’ll be a wonderful revelation whenever it comes, and all of us fans will wait with baited breath for however long it takes for the book to turn out in the shape you want it, with you still in the shape you should be.

Thanks again for the fabby blogs Gentlemen, I’m now going to try and write some more…
Adam
February 1st, 2010 on 12:06 pm
I’m going to create a universe and force people at sword point to write in it.

“No! You can’t kill Maladrient! he is the Keeper of the Veil of Tears, the mighty artifact of the Prophet Forderog, wielder of Arganoth, the sword of flame! ANY nub knows that!”

I would have commented more, but Mass Effect 2 has really been cutting into my everything-else time.

To the Babel Clash hosts - maybe it’d be fun to get a video game writer on here sometime? if they could make as interesting a case as Dan or Graham, it’d at least be a fun discussion.
morgan
February 1st, 2010 on 2:09 pm
Adam, the idea of getting a video game writer to guest here is a great one. Let me see what we can do.

I’m also interested in finding editors and artists to participate. Maybe even some scriptwriters. I’m optimistic that 2010 will be full of good surprises and a diverse mix of guests.

Thanks for commenting,
Morgan
AmbroseKalifornia
February 1st, 2010 on 2:32 pm
Dan, this was great fun. You and Graham working off each other made this a better blog, I can’t wait until Borders invites the two of you back to pimp out the Ultramarines movie.

As for all this tie-in business: Warhammer 40,000 IS your universe. You might not have created it, but for me, and for others it was you that made it great. I’ve bought extra copies of “The Founding” that I keep around the house, just to give to people to get them into your work, and into that universe. Not to take anything away from anyone else, but YOU are the reason 40k books have their own special shelf in my home.

See you around the internets, Dan
-AK
Marine
February 1st, 2010 on 4:26 pm
@AmbroseKalifornia : I was telling myself the same thing a bit earlier ! Warhammer 40k is built with the novels written in its universe, so it doesn’t “belong” to someone in particular, but to the authors who made it real. (… as real as books can be, but you get my point ><)
Paul
February 1st, 2010 on 5:29 pm
“Nerd event horizon” is one of the best things I’ve heard in some time. I can just imagine being dragged irrevocably past the point of no return into a nerd-hole…full of all the things I do already (Whilst I scream, “My money’s on the Hulk, Dan!”)
Anyway, thanks you two it’s been a fine blog and it may be a tired point but I think everyone will agree that the things the pair of you write are not so much tie ins as they are the stuff that ties the whole 40K universe together. See you around.