Dragon Week: Interview with Author Michael Miller
It’s Dragon Week on my blog! This week, I’m fortunate to be joined by some great authors, to chat about my favorite fantasy creature: the dragon!
I’m excited to be joined by Michael Miller, author of The Dragon’s Blade Trilogy as well as Songs of Chaos . Welcome, Michael! WS: Will you introduce yourself to the readers?
Michael: Hi reader! I’m Michael R. Miller. I’m the epic fantasy author behind The Dragon’s Blade Trilogy and the ongoing dragon rider saga, Songs of Chaos .
I’m Scottish but currently live in London with my wife and our grumpy cat, Ash.
WS: How would you describe your writing?
Michael: I seem to have developed a style for taking classic stories and tropes and putting a fresh twist on them. You’ll find a familiar feel to the tales, but all won’t be or end up quite as it first seems.
I write ‘clean’ meaning I don’t use swearing or sex in the stories, and I intend for a wide age range to be able to enjoy them. However, that doesn’t mean they are ‘young’. I assume I am writing for adults, and adults are the ones buying my books, although a lot of families enjoy the audio on car journeys too. You’ll find the character arcs to be rich, nuanced, and interesting. You’ll find the magic systems detailed and hard, with some softness and wonder at the edges.
Above all, you’ll find that the most uncommon of things in a lot of modern fantasy. You’ll find hope and optimism even in the darkest of circumstances.
WS: What inspired you to include dragons in your books?
Michael : I’ve always been drawn to the dragon rider trope. I loved the Inheritance Cycle growing up and the How to Train Your Dragon films. In 2018 I was considering what my next series should be, and it struck me that we hadn’t had a major attempt to fill the void left by Eragon . I decided to throw my hat into the ring.
WS: There are so many different personalities given to dragons throughout fantasy history. What are your dragons like?
Michael: In Songs of Chaos there are so many dragons that you’ll see every sort of personality. They are as varied as humans. Some are greedy, some power hungry, some straight deranged and evil. Others are full of pride, and the odd one is even cowardly. Dragons are villains and heroes both in this series.
WS: How do your dragons interact with your fantasy world? Did you have to adjust for their inclusion?
Michael: Dragons in this world can be one of five types – Fire, Ice, Storm, Emerald or Mystic. There are more out there… but that’s something those inside the world are discovering over the series.
Dragons contain a magical core inside their souls. These cores collect ambient magic known as motes and the more ambient motes of a typing there are the easier it is for a dragon to grow naturally stronger. So the Fire Flight live around a great volcano, and so forth. The presence of very powerful dragons an impact on the environment. If you’re near a strong ice dragon you’ll feel cold even if the weather is warm.
The dragons are quite an extreme bunch when it comes to strength and purity. None of the flights allow eggs to hatch which they deem ‘flawed’ and this includes the dragons who are part of the dragon riders as well. This plays a critical role in the setup of the series!
WS: What role do they play in your books?
Michael: In Songs of Chaos , most of the dragons live in the Wild Flights which live apart from humans. Those dragons who live with humans do so as part of the Order of riders – the Riders of Falcaer.
Dragons who willingly join or remain in the Order do so voluntarily to fight the great existential threat in this world called the scourge – fans of World of Warcraft doubtless know the source of my inspiration here. The scourge in this world are a mix between the darkspawn of dragon age, the zombie like scourge from WoW, and the horrific bugs of starship troopers. The horrors of the scourge are a constant threat in the world, and at least once a generation every nation fights tooth and nail for it’s very survival. The dragon riders are crucial in defending against the swarms which spill up from the depths of the earth and infect the living with the blight.
All of society is geared toward fighting back against the scourge, and so adaptions have been made to house and feed the dragons of the Order. It turns out that the correct sort of food, properly prepared, gives the dragons magical benefits depending on their magic type. For example, emerald dragons gain special benefit from eating pork, and if it’s herbier then all the better.
WS: Why do you think dragons have been so popular in fantasy over the years? Will they continue to be a large component of fantasy books?
Michael: I think it’s because dragons are used to represent extremes in a lot of mythology. Dragons are the ultimate challenge in many an old tale. In a Song of Ice and Fire they represent the most powerful weapons in the world, dangerous and coveted by many who wish to wield them to their own ends. You can see hints of nuclear proliferation in it. If you want to take an idea toward a mythic extreme, dragons are a great way to do that both for villains and for heroes.
Dragons will always be a part of fantasy. They’re as inseparable as the magic and the swords.
Also, they are cool.
WS: I’ve seen your novel, Ascendant , described as Eragon and Pern meeting Cradle . Were you inspired by any particular epic fantasy dragons?
Michael: Eragon along with the full Inheritance Cycle is the biggest bookish influence on Songs of Chaos . The How to Train Your Dragon films had a critical influence in shaping the relationship between the young boy Holt and his blind dragon Ash. I’ve drawn a lot from the various dragon aspects and flights from WoW too and fans of that game will see homages in the books.
WS: Do you have a favorite dragon/s in literature?
Michael: I’m asked this every time, and I always have to say it’s too hard to choose!
Michael Miller’s books are available in all formats. Author site: https://www.michaelrmiller.co.uk/
