Marc Alan Edelheit - Intrigued by Military Sci-Fi and Fantasy

Marc Alan Edelheit - Intrigued by Military Sci-Fi and Fantasy
author of the day

When Mark Alan Edelheit isn't plotting out a new military fantasy or sci-fi, he enjoys traveling the world or studying history. It is this passion for history that got him interested in military fantasy in the first place, as is very evident in his book, Stiger's Tigers. When he writes fantasy, Edelheit likes to keep things very realistic - even if it means sacrificing the likeability of some of his characters. In today's interview, Edelheit talks about the Romans, magic and why his heroes are not always the "good guys."

Please give us a short introduction to Stiger's Tigers

A nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man… Captain Ben Stiger finds himself reassigned from a crack legion to the rebellion simmering in the South. Placed in command of a truly terrible company, the 85th Imperial Foot, he is unknowingly sent on a suicide mission to resupply an isolated outpost, the garrison of Vrell. Along the way he must rebuild his new company, gain the respect of the men he leads, survive an assassination attempt, fight bandits, rebels, and an agent of an evil god. His companions on this journey of discovery and adventure are one of the few remaining elven rangers and a paladin on a quest for the High Father.  Warning:  This is not your typical fantasy novel!

Give us an insight into your main character, Stiger. What is it that makes him so special?

Stiger is a man who has been hardened by war, and the politics of the Mal’Zeelan Empire.  He comes from a powerful, yet infamous imperial family. He takes his honor seriously, even though most of his peers question it. He has already been tested in the fires of combat and suffers as a result… at times running hot and others cool. He is a gifted fighter, a bastard of a man, master manipulator and as such a born leader of men. Though many would wish he had not, Stiger has made the legions and service to the empire his life.

Stiger sees the world from a mindset that one would find in the ancient world. It is not what you find in many fantasy books today… where the hero has to be perfect, always doing the right thing or be overly politically correct. I feel that is one of the traits people feel make Stiger such a unique character.

The first book picks up in the middle of his story after the conclusion of a major campaign in the forests of Abath that dragged on for years. Think of the forests of Gaul with a more determined and organized enemy and you have some idea of what he has been through. 

The Roman Legion appears to have been a big inspiration for the troops in your book. How much research did you do to get all the military details right?

I spent at least a year doing research on how the legions operated, lived, and fought. I must admit I am particularly fascinated by the roman legions. The legions in Stiger’s world are extremely similar to the legions of Rome, and have a real historical root.  They are made up of trained professionals, who are highly disciplined and able to stand strong under the most trying of circumstances. It is this historical root that I think helps to make the book so intriguing. I guess you could say that the legions in Stiger’s world are a tribute to those of Rome’s own.

Your book is set in a different world than our own. How hard is it to balance a good pace without sacrificing world building?

I intentionally made a choice with the first book to limit the world building to keep the story moving at a fast clip. The reader is placed into the middle of Stiger’s tale with limited knowledge of what is actually going on. This allowed me to focus on Stiger, his men and the awful situation they were placed in. As you progress through the series the world begins to open up… revealing a rich history and backstory. So instead of receiving a data dump early on… you kind of get things in reverse.  This approach also allowed me to add in some unexpected twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. Surprisingly I found it difficult to strike the right balance between pace and world building.

You take a very low key approach to magic in this book. What prompted this choice?

This was also intentional. Stiger is not your typical fantasy hero. I wanted Stiger to come up with real world practical solutions to help solve his problems instead of fixing things magically. This approach required an initial low level of magic to establish his character, as Stiger is inexorably pulled from his mundane existence into a more typical fantasy world setting. Part of the story sees Stiger coping with things he thought impossible or at the very least improbable.

In addition to Stiger, the book features quite an enjoyable supporting cast.  Which character did you find the most challenging to create?

Surprisingly I found Eli, Stiger’s companion challenging to create. You would be surprised at how difficult it is to be original when creating an elven ranger. That also required making Eli’s people different and unique to what has been written by others. It took some serious planning and thought.

Do you have a set of rules for your world? Is there a process you go through that helps define these?

Yes, absolutely. Rules for a fantasy world are critical. Without them, it will not come off as believable. For any given action, whether it be magical or spiritual, there must be some sort of a penalty or counter action. When you lay out your rules in advance, even if the reader never fully learns them, it makes the actual writing easier and helps to keep the story consistent over a number of books. I have the rules for my world well established and part of the fun so far has been concealing them from my readers… though believe it or not they are in plain sight.

As to a process for defining the rules, I make sure I write them down in advance to writing. I clearly delineate what is possible, impossible and probable. I also list out who, how and why?  The rules for Stiger’s world ended up being over forty pages in length and that does not count the outline for each book. 

Stiger is not your typical hero who always acts like the “good guy”  - especially by modern standards. Was this approach intentional and did you ever worry about alienating readers?

Yes, it was very intentional. I knew a few readers would take issue with this. I’ve received a number of emails from fans who say they find it hard to identify with Stiger’s empire as the good guys. That is because they are applying modern day norms to the ancient world. Some of the things ancient cultures did to their neighbors would be considered war crimes or crimes against humanity in today’s world. When studying history you have to understand that ancient peoples thought differently than we do today. It is no different in Stiger’s world and the reader is thrown into it.

I’ve read a number of fantasy books where the hero does everything “right” in that the decision making process has to be good in relation to what the reader would consider acceptable behavior in our modern day world. I specifically set about avoiding that pitfall. Once you dispense with modern day norms, it opens up all kinds of interesting possibilities for both the storyline and the characters.

I feel that the realism in relation to norms is one of the reasons why people feel so drawn to the story, while others love it but have problems identifying Stiger’s empire as the good guys. Besides… who is to say they are? The Carthaginians and many other nation states certainly did not feel the Romans were the good guys.

What is it that appealed to you about writing military fantasy and do you have your sights set on any other genres?

I started Stiger’s Tigers as a test to see if I could do something ‘new’… tell a military fantasy book with historical realism. So… I took great pains to give the imperial legions in the series a ring of authenticity in that they fight and act like those of Rome. I wanted my fantasy tale to be believable and for the reader to learn something. Much of what you find was what it was like in the ancient world, with some magic and other races tossed in. I found this really fun to write. The hero, Captain Ben Stiger, also has to come up with practical solutions of his own. He is a nobleman from an infamous family, imperial legionary officer, fighter and a right proper bastard of a man. His companion, Eli, is one of the last elven rangers. The first book Stiger’s Tigers picks up in the middle of their adventures. Both are thrown into the deep end that sets them off on quite an adventure that neither the audience nor they can predict where it will take them. Lots of really cool twists and turns along the way! Based upon the feedback from my fans I feel I have been successful.

My real passion is military science fiction. I have plans for a series that I am actively working on while finishing up Stiger’s story. The first book may be delivered before book 4 is released.

Which actor would you like to see playing the role of Stiger if there was ever a film adaptation?

That is an awesome question… I would love to see Sean Bean or perhaps even Kevin McKidd play Stiger.  I loved Kevin in HBO’s Rome.

What types of books do you enjoy reading? Any favorite authors?

For pleasure, I read science fiction and fantasy. I am also an avid history buff…  Currently I am reading Ryk Brown’s latest book. I also enjoy Terry Goodkind, Brandon Sanderson, David Brin… the list goes on and on. In my basement I’ve got literally thousands of books in storage going back to when I was a kid.

Before I started writing I could devour several books a week.  :P

You have traveled extensively - how have your travels inspired your work? 

My travels have helped to inspire a love of history and different cultures. I am a bit of an adventure freak. Traveling has allowed me to add realism into my work through both the sites and people I’ve met traveling. I’ve also spent a lot of time hiking and mountain climbing. There are a few scenes in my books that came right out of my personal experiences… 

What are you working on right now?

I am working on a prequel novel entitled Stiger, Tales of the Seventh. This project is due out in September/October. I am also working on the start of a military science fiction series.

Where can our readers discover more of your books or interact with you?

They can go to my website:  We’ve just added a forum for fans to connect. 

http://maenovels.com/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/MAENovels/?ref=bookmarks

Goodreads:  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13708274.Marc_Alan_Edelheit

This deal has ended but you can read more about the book here.