/r/Fantasy Discussion Group discussion

Josiah Bancroft has graciously agreed to do a Q&A with us to go along with our reading of Senlin Ascends this month. He'll be checking in every now and then when he gets the chance.

So ask away! I'll be posting a few questions of my own once I'm a little further through the book. Please tag any spoilers.

Josiah, thank you for such a fun book! As I was reading, I was struck with something about Marya. As I said in the discussion thread, "The one thing I noticed as I was reading was that i started to doubt whether Marya was real - did Senlin create her in his mind? Had she once existed but had become just a memory? " Days, weeks, then months, go by and he holds her in his heart and mind as his ultimate goal, but aside from the painter, there is very little actual evidence that she is real, and even the painter can be argued away as unreliable proof. Am I reading way too much into his struggles and searches?

Mr. Bancroft, why did you choose Babel? To clarify, I mean why go with the established site in Jewish/Christian lore and references to surrounding areas (Ur, Sumer, etc.) instead of creating something new out of whole cloth? I don't mean that to sound like an accusation of laziness; it's totally fine to take an established story and run in a completely different way with it. I'm just curious if this being Babel will have any influence on the story, or if it was simply used for stylistic purposes.

While I'm here, I wanted to say I finished Senlin Ascends after really enjoying the book (especially the last third), and immediately dove into Sphinx. Thank you for writing them.

First of all, Mr. Bancroft, hats off to you, Senlin Ascends was one of the most delightful surprises of last year in my reading world! Secondly (and thirdly, fourthly, etc.), some questions:

1. Was your approach consciously that of having a point A (beginning) and a point B (ending) and everything else in between is more of a means to achieve that ending, or did you thoroughly plan the narrative of the first book/whole tetralogy? Which leads me to -
2. Do you know the ending of the whole series or are you still getting there?
3. What would you point out as the biggest influences for the Tower of Babel series, both book-related but also TV/music/film/other art form related ones?
4. Finally, have you read some Calvino?

Thanks for doing this, it always means a lot, and I can't wait to get my hands on Arm of the Sphinx! All the best in the world to you, and hope you had decent holidays!

Hi Josiah, really enjoying the book so far. Can you talk a bit about your experiences publishing the series and maybe how things have changed with the recent uptick in reader interest? Just a general question, anything you're comfortable sharing about the whole process. Thanks!

Josiah wrote: "I love the amount of control I have over the layout and design and pricing of my books, aspects which traditionally publishing authors often have to compromise on...."

Do you have any idea how this level of control might be affected by success with the books you have already published? If you decide to go traditional in the future, I would hope that publishers would want to keep a consistent feel with your existing books.

Howdy Josiah! Thanks for writing such beautiful and fun books. I've read both already and recently purchased the hardback version of Senlin Ascends. If I had known that I could buy one directly from you and get it signed, I would have! If I ever come up to Philly from DC, would it be possible to get it signed some how? I'd even throw in a beer or some other beverage/food of your choice as a thank you!

Real question though: what was your inspiration for Senlin the character, if any? He so reminds me of one of my friends, I always picture him in my head instead of Senlin. My friend is a tall, lanky and highly intelligent former professor with a PhD who is now engaged to one of his former students and who's family comes from the region where real life Ur was! So he is officially my Senlin head-canon.

Josiah wrote: "Pavle wrote: "First of all, Mr. Bancroft, hats off to you, Senlin Ascends was one of the most delightful surprises of last year in my reading world! Secondly (and thirdly, fourthly, etc.), some que..."

Ha, I knew you've read some Calvino! He's a treasure, isn't he? Invisible Cities is one of my favourites, as well.

Also, I think I have a nose for how authors behind the prose work and I think I was pretty spot on on your, well, modus operandi. I much prefer exploring themes than a thoroughly planned plot - it brings a sense of freedom and wonder that is just missing from rigid narratives.

Once again, big thanks for answering and much love from Serbia!

Josiah, I finished your book recently (it was the last book I read in 2016) and the part that sticks with me the most is the Parlor. It's probably the ringdom of Babel I find most interesting with it's layers upon layers of performance and the way all of the actors get so swept away in their roles.

Where did you get the idea for the Parlor? What inspired your creation of such a fascinatingly hellish version of community theater?

I'm at the parlor chapters of the novel now and this has been the turning point for me. I'm loving the novel now. I was wondering, what influenced the idea of having ringdoms in the Tower of Babel and what influenced the different ringdoms?

You're a Hesse fan too? I don't meet nearly enough people who've read him. I'll have to bump Steppenwolf up on my reading list as it's one of the few Hesse works I've not yet read alongside The Glass Bead Game. I'll also have to go get Invitation to a Beheading. Thanks for your response!

Josiah wrote: "Elizabeth wrote: "Josiah, thank you for such a fun book! As I was reading, I was struck with something about Marya. As I said in the discussion thread, "The one thing I noticed as I was reading was..."

Thanks, Josiah! I appreciate your response, and look forward to reading the second in the series to see how it all plays out! I really enjoy how the issue of unreliability is so key to the story!

Hello Mr. Bancroft! I absolutely love Senlin Ascends (I still have a little bit of the book left) and plan to order the sequel the moment I finish. A few questions,

How did you come up with all of Senlin's adversaries? The villains are some of the most despicable characters I've ever read, but they are also all varied and interesting in their own ways.

How do you go about editing a self-published book? I've read about the exhaustive editing process big name books go through, so I'm curious how the other end of the spectrum works. The layout and structure of the book is excellent so however you're doing it is working!

Lastly, any plans for an audiobook? My family takes a long car trip every year and I'm sure they would love Senlin's story.

Can't wait to keep reading your stories!

I've been really impressed with the quality of editing in both Senlin Ascends and Arm of the Sphinx. I don't think I've noticed any typos in the e-books, and quite a few traditionally published books I've read have had some.

Also, what are some of your favorite books you'd recommend? They don't have to be fantasy or science fiction, but I'm intrigued by some of your other recommendations here and was wondering if you had any more.

Greetings Mr. Bancroft! As I hope you are well aware, I'm quite taken with Senlin. We've discussed some things elsewhere, including during your AMA on r/Fantasy, but here's something else I've been thinking about since the time when I was actually reading the book.

It occurred to me early on what a wonderful TV series this would make. The characters, structure, everything about it lends itself in my mind. I even found myself casting the characters as I went along - and for some reason many of the actors that came to mind are those currently on GoT - but not for Tom.

In a wonderful dream world (which who knows may come true), who would you like to see cast as the main characters in a The Books of Babel TV series?

Thanks, very good of you to do this Q&A!

Wonderful, thanks Josiah!

Josiah wrote: "Hello, Alex. Thank you for giving my work a look and for your excellent questions.

Senlin's adversaries were inspired by a couple of books I was reading at the time, The Plague and Invitation to a..."

It was very interesting to see how you came up with the villains. I agree a villain with more behind them then just "evil" is much more realistic and intriguing.

I didn't realize how difficult it was to get an audiobook produced, what a bummer. I do really hope you find a publisher soon, not just because of the audiobook but also because your writing is far above the quality of a lot of published work I've read. Thank you for the in-depth responses!