Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your writing.
Hello and thanks for having me! I’m Ben Galley, an epic and dark fantasy author originally from the UK and now lurking on the west coast of Canada. I’ve been writing since I was old enough to spell and my biggest dream was to become an author. In 2010, I published my debut novel, a Nordic fantasy called The Written, and I haven’t looked back since. As of 2015, I’m thrilled to say I’m a full-time author, and I currently have almost 20 books under my belt, ranging from Norse fantasy to grimdark, weird west, steampunk, and recently progression fantasy. My aim whenever I’m putting fingers to keys is to create the deepest worlds I can, and fill them with 3D, compelling characters that live in the reader’s head rent-free.
Who would you say your biggest literary influences are?
Prepare yourself for a cliche. My original dream to be a professional author was born when I was but a knee-high waif living in Scotland. The first proper book my parents gave me to read? The Hobbit, closely followed by Lord of The Rings a few years later. The sheer depth of the world and breadth of the lore was the source of that dream, as it has been for many authors. So I have to blame old JRR and Middle Earth for first influencing me. Along with Tolkien, I also blame Brian Jacques and Redwall, CS Lewis, Sir Pratchett, Anne McCaffrey, and of course, Robin Hobb.
Since then, I’ve been heavily influenced by the balance of humour and darkness found in Joe Abercrombie’s and Mark Lawrence’s incredible books. The world-building of Philip Pullman, Philip Reeve, China Miéville showed me how deep and compelling worlds could be. Neil Gaiman has also been a huge influence, and taught me about balancing the real world with the weird and magical.
How has the history of the middle ages impacted/influenced your work?
For many of my books, the short answer is: hugely. My nordic Emaneska Series and Scalussen Chronicles are both European-inspired fantasy, Most of my books, even if they’re non-western, which five other books are, they are set in roughly the same era of technology. As such, I’ve done a huge amount of research into middle ages art, architecture, tech, culture across all facets of history, all around the world. Even aspects of Middle Age writing and storytelling have given me plenty of ideas for plots and stories. It was a time of discovery, invention, exploration, and upheaval, and that gives plenty of good inspiration for stories.
What do you think the current innovations in your genre(s) are?
There is a huge amount of innovation in fantasy at the moment. A lot of non-western settings are being explored, and most importantly, we have a rising number of BIPOC and LGBT authors bringing fresh voices and telling stories that aren’t the usual, codified medieval fantasy that I think there is more than a swathe of. Don’t get me wrong, you can still tell new stories in common settings, and there are a lot of people pushing the envelope with classic fantasy, but representation and expansion are very important. There are also a lot of authors mixing new and old in really interesting ways, such as exploring mixing genres together. Sci-fi fantasy, for example, and the stratospheric rise of game-lit and LitRPG. Or the rise of cozy fantasy, and a move away from dark and gruesome worlds. Authors are also launching their books in new ways via web novels and serials, which I find really interesting.
What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see more of?
I personally want to see (or keep seeing) more deep secondary world fantasy settings that are original and non-western, as well as more exploration into different story styles or characters. Instead of the stable boy and the prophecy, what about more villain origin stories? Or husband and wife characters? Exploring more family dynamics or cultural tales?
What is something in your genre(s) you'd like to see less of?
To be honest, there is a lot of darkness in the fantasy genre, and what I believe is a step over the line is to be violent for violence’s sake and be shocking. Sometimes fantasy does bleed into horror, and a lot of fantasy is dark and violent, but I feel to be dark doesn’t mean to be unnecessarily dark just for a shock factor. I’d like to see less of that.
Otherwise, while I have no problem with romance whatsoever, there is a subset of people who think fantasy is synonymous with romance, or vice versa. This is a categorisation issue primarily, and causes a decent issue on Amazon and other stores.
Is there anything else related I didn't ask a question about that you'd like to add?
Maybe 'What’s the most fun aspect of your genre?'
Where online can our readers find you and your work?
All my links are at linktr.ee/bengalley, which will take you to my ebooks, physical books, audiobooks, and more, as well as my socials, Discord and Patreon. Otherwise, all my books are order-able via your local stores!
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