It's my pleasure to introduce A. J. Walker to you today. And be sure to check out Hard Winter, A. J.'s latest book and first in the Timeless Empire series. The book's links and description immediately follow the post.
Writing military fiction for those who have never
heard a
gun (or longbow) fired in anger
by A.J. Walker
Let’s face it: most writers are wimps. We spend our time in
front of the computer or curled up on the sofa reading while our heroes are out
slaying dragons and bench-pressing fair maidens. Yet so much fiction,
especially fantasy fiction, is set in wartime. How can we write about this
experience if we haven’t been in it?
Of course, some writers have, and it improves their work. Glen
Cook spent time in the Navy and knows the military life. It shows in his Black Company series. David Drake writes military science fiction
informed by his time fighting in Vietnam.
For the rest of us there’s research. The first thing you learn when you start reading soldiers’ memoirs and books about military life is that a soldier’s primary concern is not the enemy. The average soldier only rarely confronts the enemy. His day-to-day concerns are more mundane. While some enlist in order to escape their past, they tend to find the past following them.
For the rest of us there’s research. The first thing you learn when you start reading soldiers’ memoirs and books about military life is that a soldier’s primary concern is not the enemy. The average soldier only rarely confronts the enemy. His day-to-day concerns are more mundane. While some enlist in order to escape their past, they tend to find the past following them.
In my fantasy novel Hard Winter, the action takes place
in an army marching to war. Recorro, the protagonist, is trying to figure out
the secret of the Gatherers, strange spirits who randomly steal people from
their beds. They’ve taken his wife and even stolen his memories of her. His unit
is soon split apart between those who support their rulers and those who
suspect the government to be behind the Gatherers. Like the Russian army in
1917, many lose faith in the war and soon there’s a second army forming inside
the first.
Politics is only one of Recorro’s worries. Supplies is
another. This is the case in every army. Rations are bad, pay comes late, boots
wear out, weapons break on first use. Soldiers become scavengers to survive,
and this gets them into all sorts of adventures before they ever see a battle.
Like with many campaigns, the soldiers in Hard
Winter find their lives growing steadily worse the further they march into
enemy territory.
Soldiers also have lives back home, and these lives become
obsessions when they’re in the field. A good example is the Civil War novel A Fine Likeness, written by military
historian Sean McLachlan. While there’s plenty of fighting, the two heroes have
other thoughts on their mind. The rebel guerrilla leader is thinking of his
sweetheart back home (who’s being wooed by a rival) and figuring out how to get
percussion caps for his men before they run out and can’t fire their guns. The
other protagonist, a Union officer, is deeply in grief over his son’s death and
agonizing over his wife’s visits to spiritualists.
Notice that I’m taking examples from all across history. The
experience of the regular soldier hasn’t changed all that much. Whether he’s
wearing armor made of bronze or Kevlar, he’s hungry, homesick, sleep-deprived,
and alternately bored and terrified. It’s in these emotions, not those of the
battle, that the real story can be found.
Here are some books that provide insights into the
experience of the common soldier:
The Face of Battle
by John Keegan. A celebrated military historian gives us a soldier’s-eye view
of Agincourt, Waterloo, and the Somme. The medieval section is the most useful
for fantasy writers and includes such interesting details as how you’re just as
likely to get crushed to death in the crowd as you are to get cut to pieces.
War by Sebastian
Junger. An embedded reporter’s study of one American unit’s time in Afghanistan
and the lasting impact it had on their lives.
Eye Deep in Hell
by John Ellis. A detailed and grim account of daily life in the trenches of
World War One. How do you take a bath in a trench? This book will tell you!
A.J. Walker is an archaeologist specializing in the medieval
period. In his spare time he writes fantasies and mysteries. Find out more
about him on his AmazonPage and his blog, where he
hosts the popular Medieval Mondays series. His latest book is Hard Winter. The back cover blurb is
below.
His past has been
erased, his future is uncertain, but he knows one thing—in the coming
revolution he must choose which friend to support and which to betray.
The Dragonkin have ruled the human race for centuries, but now the eastern territories have broken away and a blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.
While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. Recorro lost his wife to the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets on moonless nights. Those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.
Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. What he discovers there may answer all his questions, and topple the empire he swore to uphold.
The Dragonkin have ruled the human race for centuries, but now the eastern territories have broken away and a blight has left thousands of humans destitute. Assassinations and riots plague the cities.
While the empire’s future is in peril, one man struggles to reclaim his past. Recorro lost his wife to the Gatherers, shadowy beings that prowl the streets on moonless nights. Those who witness their passing are forever changed. Recorro can remember nothing about his wife beyond the fact that she existed.
Aimless and struggling with despair, Recorro joins the army gathering to crush the rebels. What he discovers there may answer all his questions, and topple the empire he swore to uphold.
I have a fair amount of war in some of my stories. I do research and imagine what it must be like and try to capture it. Good post.
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting me, Jeff!
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure.
DeleteOne of my favorite military stories is "The Forgotten Soldier" by Guy Sajer. I've read it at least a dozen times and I cry everytime I read it. As you said, even the "mundane" things, when thrown into the middle of battle, suddenly become the most important - and heart wrenching thing ever. I tried to do this same thing with my military fantasy series. I hope I succeeded in doing that, relying on other soldiers to help me craft the story, since I myself have never served.
ReplyDeleteGreat post! Gives me the urge to work on my sequel! Woo!
Get writing!
DeleteAWESOME guest post!!
ReplyDeleteI tagged you for the Liebster BLOGGER Award! Check out my blog for more information:
http://www.theresamjones.blogspot.co