The Devil and the Dark Water

AN APOLOGY TO HISTORY. AND BOATS.

Hello, friend.

Sorry for barging into your evening uninvited. I wanted to turn up after the plot dust had settled and have a word.

You see, I believe a book is whatever you decide it is. The sights, the smells, the characters – everything you believe about them, you’re right! That’s why I love books. No two readers are the same, which means no two readings are the same. Your version of Arent isn’t my version of Arent, as demonstrated by the amount of people who think Arent’s hot. Sexy bodyguard really wasn’t my intention, but who cares. If you want sexy Arent, sexy Arent you shall have.

Equally, I don’t like pinning a genre to my stories. Seven Deaths – my prior book – was variously described as a golden age mystery, a metaphysical sci-fi novel, a modern fantasy, and a horror. In every instance, they were right. It was their book, so it could be whatever they damn well pleased.

I suspect as many genres will be pinned to Devil, and that’s fine. Except … I’m a bit worried some people might describe this as a ‘boat book’, or a piece of historical fiction.

At a glance, they are. Devil’s set in 1634, so it’s definitely historical. And it’s definitely fiction. And it’s definitely set on a boat. My concern is that people looking for Hilary Mantel and Patrick O’Brien are going to come looking for detail I wilfully ignored. Not from arrogance, but simply because it got in the way of the story I was trying to tell.

An Indiaman would have had dozens of officers, all vital to the running of the ship. I had three, because I didn’t want to bog the story down with that many characters, or subplots. The history that snuck into my book often happened differently, much later, or not at all. The technology is far more advanced than it should be, as are some of the attitudes – and the speech. Definitely the speech. This is all intentional. I did my research, then I threw away the bits that hindered my story. See what I mean? This is historical fiction where the history is the fiction. Hopefully, you don’t mind that. But I know lots of people will, because lots of people want chocolate, not coffee. They want the details I tossed overboard.

This is quite a long winded way of saying please don’t send me critical letters about proper rigging techniques on galleons, or women’s fashion in the 1600s. Unless they’re super interesting facts you’d like to share.

I love a good fact.

Right, I’ve kept you long enough. I truly hope you enjoyed Devil, as I’ve enjoyed our chat. Have a lovely evening. Let’s talk again in two years when my next book’s out. It’s going to be really fun, I promise.

Bye,

Stu