How did “Where the God-Knives Tread” originate? What inspirations did you draw on?

(Note to online readers: read both parts of the story before this interview. Spoilers ahead!)

The initial spark, the image I built the entire story around, was a scene from the FromSoft game Echo Night where the player must return the eye of a large fish mural. It’s not a particularly important part of the game, but I found the concept charming and wanted to turn it inside out. The story itself coalesced in a matter of minutes, and I wove in my love of deep sea exploration, botanical gardens, space opera, space gothic, and cosmic horror, plus my history minor and four years of high school Latin. At first I was very focused on aesthetics, such as replicating the feel of an underwater shipwreck in deep space. But the story soon bloomed into a love letter to sprawling space adventure, palace dramas, and monster movies.

Did you get stuck at any point while writing this? How did you get past that?

When I read the first draft, I thought it was unsalvageable. At the time it was the longest piece I had ever written, and it was a garbled and incoherent mess. The basic story was the same: Sien goes into a shipwreck, steals the Eye, gets chased by a god-monster. But nearly everything else was different, and I thought it wasn’t worth saving.

But I knew I wanted to write longer stories, which would also mean editing them. So I mentally wrote this story off and decided to use it as editing practice. I wanted to see how much I could do. I stripped the story down to the studs, lifted the frame off the ground, and repoured the foundation. Sien’s entire backstory and motivation changed, xir relationship with Jaks changed, the worldbuilding backdrop changed. I added the bar scene, cave scene, and agora scene. I added Pando. I realized I could use the story to explore imperialism, capitalism, and escapist media and looked for ways to enhance those themes.

And since I was still convinced no one would ever read it, I let myself be incredibly self-indulgent. I added Sien’s melodramas as a nod to my love for Chinese and Korean costume dramas. I added the mixed media worldbuilding bits, because I love piecing together history and culture through scraps of ephemera. Thousand Dancing Beetles was always Thousand Dancing Beetles, but I expanded on the other god-guardian names and folklore, as well as the names and plots of Sien’s many beloved melodramas. Jaks hates her spider rig, but I think it looks cool. Having fake Jaks be exposed by the established comms delay? What a blast to write!

Basically, if there’s something in this story you love, know that I love it, too. Making this story fun got it over the editing wall and out into the world.

What are you reading lately? What writers inspire you?

So far, my favorite reads this year have been Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson, Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, and The Devourers by Indra Das. Each one is a masterclass in gorgeous prose and deep feeling. I also read a Toni Morrison book every fall, which is coming up soon. I can’t wait.

What trends in speculative fiction would you like to see gain popularity in the next few years?

Fucked up characters and lush prose, please! I read to experience places and feelings that I haven’t experienced in real life, especially those I wouldn’t want to experience. I like happy endings; but happy endings are even happier when the characters (and readers) have been through hell first. So, please write me some fucked up characters, wet sex, and weird shit. Write me something deep and real. Make me cry. Make me wonder who I can even share your story with because it’s so raw. Take me somewhere I’ve never been and make me believe it. Don’t just drive me around the block.

What are you working on lately? Where else can fans look for your work?

I’m bouncing between short stories and editing a chunky novella. You can find my past work and newsletter at algoldfuss.com.