An Interview with Philip Chase
By Sebastian Vice and Philip Chase
The Edan Trilogy
1. First, thank you so much for taking part in this interview. As a fan, it’s a high honor. Second, tell us about yourself.
Thank you for your kindness in inviting me! The pleasure and honor are mine. As for me, I'm an English professor who specializes in medieval literature, and I run a YouTube channel dedicated to exploring fantasy literature. I'm also the author of The Edan Trilogy, which includes The Way of Edan, The Prophet of Edan, and Return to Edan.
2. Tell us about your Edan trilogy. I must confess, I’ve not read it, but everyone says it’s a beautiful mix of poetic prose, and a balance of classical and modern fantasy.
My shortest pitch is that The Edan Trilogy is "Beowulf meets Buddhism." To elaborate a little on that, it's a story that asks whether humans are capable of transcending our tribalism. The holy war at the center of the story is the perfect backdrop to explore this question. That conflict also provides plenty of scope for epic fantasy action, including the appearance of fantasy creatures and races like dragons, dwarves (though I use the Old English word "dweorgs" rather than the Norse derived "dwarves"), trolls, and others. Most unique, I think, is the story's take on elves. In medieval literature, elves are beautiful but frightening, and trust me when I say you would not want to meet an elf in Eormenlond! The Buddhist and Hindu influence on my writing shows most in the magic of Eormenlond, a magic that is rooted in empathy and the recognition that all lives are connected -- that we are, in fact, all like fleeting waves on the surface of the ocean. The wave may for a moment believe it is something other than the water, but it always was the water, and to the water it will return. My time living in Nepal and traveling in India gave me a healthy respect for this perspective, which has helped me a great deal in my personal life.
3. Why did you choose self-publishing over traditional?
I initially wanted to publish traditionally, and I got as far as working with a first rate agent. Alas, traditional publishing, which is under all kinds of economic pressure, is currently out of love with epic fantasy, and we never had any takers. My agent, who believed in the story and helped me to improve it, encouraged me to give self-publishing a try. The decision to publish on my own immediately gave me a sense of freedom and empowerment, and I have not once regretted it. There is an audience out there for epic fantasy, and self-publishing is currently the best way to reach it for a new author.
4. What was it like working with The Broken Binding on a special edition of The Way of Edan?
Working with The Broken Binding has been a dream come true. Everyone there was pleasant to interact with, and the talent they have tapped into is incredible. Jack Shepherd's map, Rene Aigner's color art (including that gorgeous dust jacket that evokes Kinsford perfectly), Peng Lu's black and white art, Kate Cromwell's cover design and interior design -- all of it is first rate, and I couldn't be more thrilled that their talents contributed to the beauty of the special edition.
5. I know Tolkien, and Beowulf were massive influences on you as a writer. Why are these works so important to you?
Tolkien's tales in Middle-Earth inspired me on my life's path. After reading The Lord of the Rings at about 12 years of age, I decided I wanted to be a writer. A writer advised me when I was 13 that I would probably need a day job, and so I eventually fell into academia. By no coincidence, I ended up studying the very things that Tolkien specialized in as an Oxford professor: Old English, Old Norse, philology. I also learned Welsh, which heavily influenced one of Tolkien's elvish languages. In terms of Old English, there is no more famous poem than Beowulf. In many ways, Tolkien's world takes its ethos from Beowulf, where a central concern is the keen sense of the lives that came before us. This ubi sunt ("Where are those who came before us?") theme pervades Tolkien's stories, which have layers and layers of myth and history within and beneath them.
6. Both you and I are huge Malazan fans. In my estimation, Malazan is the pinnacle of fantasy. If I may be so bold, and this might be heresy, Malazan barely squeaks ahead of Tolkien’s work. Tell me the impact Malazan has had on you, your writing, and whether you enjoy Malazan more than Tolkien.
Middle-Earth baptized my imagination, and Malazan freed it. For me, Malazan edges out Tolkien's tales in Middle-Earth as my favorite of all time mainly because Erikson and Esslemont show us the future of fantasy -- what fantasy can do and can be. Reading and discussing all of the Malazan books together with my infamous Nemesis A.P. Canavan (A Critical Dragon, or, as I prefer to call him, Professor Fireballs) was the greatest literary journey of my life. It taught me more than I can express about compassion and connection.
7. Besides Tolkien, Beowulf, and Malazan, which works of fantasy would you recommend as essential reads?
There are too many! I could write a very long list, but I will keep myself to two series that I believe are on a similar level to Malazan's: Robin Hobb's Realm of the Elderlings, and Janny Wurts' The Wars of Light and Shadow. These are long series with incredible world building, beautiful prose, excellent character work, and thematic depth. They are stories that will change you.
8. Which non-fantasy works would you recommend?
I recommend reading diversely, including non-fiction. If you're interested in space and the origins of the universe (I am), read about it (I have). If the brain and the nature of consciousness fascinate you, delve into some books about them. And read lots of fiction from all sorts of times and places!
9. What are some of the most underrated books?
I mentioned Janny Wurts' The Wars of Light and Shadow above. I don't think this series has received nearly as much recognition as it deserves. Mark Lawrence's books are also brilliant, especially his recent Library Trilogy, and I'd love to see more people checking them out.
10. Thank you so much for indulging this many questions. Lastly, what are you working on? Which new authors should we be keeping an eye on?
It has been my pleasure! I recently submitted a manuscript of my next book to my developmental editor, who is none other than the aforementioned A.P. Canavan. The book is called While Darkness Gathers, and it's a sequel to The Edan Trilogy. I plan to release it on June 21 of this year. As for new authors to keep an eye on, I would advise anyone interested in discovering the next great fantasy authors to keep tabs on the Self-Published Fantasy Blog-Off, a contest founded by author Mark Lawrence to shine a light on some of the best self-published fantasy. Past winners include books that have gone on to much acclaim, such as The Sword of Kaigen, and there have been some deserving contestants that did not win but garnered enough attention to take off, such as Senlin Ascends.
In other news, Cassie Premo Steele has an upcoming workshop:
And there my TBR pile went up...
Excellent interview! Looks like I have more books for my Must Read ASAP list.