Difference between revisions of "Y is for Yanvar"
(Created page with "Philip Reeve tells us about Yanvar: Y is for Yanvar …which is the Russian word for ‘January’, and seemed like an appropriate first name for Yanvar Malik, the dogged Ra...") |
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| − | …which is the Russian word for ‘January’, and seemed like an appropriate first name for Yanvar Malik, the dogged Railforce officer who is tracking Zen’s employer, Raven. I wasn’t aiming to recreate Mortal Engines when I started writing Railhead - in fact, I was mainly trying not to - but inevitably there are some echoes. I guess the role Malik plays in this one is a little like the role played by Shrike in Mortal Engines: he doesn’t appear often, but we know he’s out there somewhere, relentlessly tracking our heroes, which hopefully helps to add a note of unease. | + | …which is the Russian word for ‘January’, and seemed like an appropriate first name for Yanvar Malik, the dogged Railforce officer who is tracking Zen’s employer, Raven. I wasn’t aiming to recreate ''Mortal Engines'' when I started writing ''Railhead'' - in fact, I was mainly trying not to - but inevitably there are some echoes. I guess the role Malik plays in this one is a little like the role played by Shrike in ''Mortal Engines'': he doesn’t appear often, but we know he’s out there somewhere, relentlessly tracking our heroes, which hopefully helps to add a note of unease. |
But Shrike had superhuman powers, and Malik is rather down-at-heel; a burned out cop, chasing a criminal who his superiors believe died long ago. He’s getting old, too; one of the things that makes him pursue Raven so singlemindedly is the sense that Raven has somehow cheated in the game of life; he got more chances he deserved, while Malik, like most of us, had only one, and is starting to feel he wasted it. It’s a hard, lonely quest. By the middle of the book Malik is down to almost nothing; just a shabby blue coat and a service handgun, but the energy of his long-held grudge keeps him going. | But Shrike had superhuman powers, and Malik is rather down-at-heel; a burned out cop, chasing a criminal who his superiors believe died long ago. He’s getting old, too; one of the things that makes him pursue Raven so singlemindedly is the sense that Raven has somehow cheated in the game of life; he got more chances he deserved, while Malik, like most of us, had only one, and is starting to feel he wasted it. It’s a hard, lonely quest. By the middle of the book Malik is down to almost nothing; just a shabby blue coat and a service handgun, but the energy of his long-held grudge keeps him going. | ||
| − | I several times considered telling the whole of Railhead in Zen’s voice - it’s almost all seen from his point of view - but I didn’t, and part of the reason was that I liked being able to cut away to Yanvar Malik at odd moments. There’s no point making your hero a thief unless someone is out to catch him. | + | I several times considered telling the whole of [[Railhead by Philip Reeve|Railhead]] in Zen’s voice - it’s almost all seen from his point of view - but I didn’t, and part of the reason was that I liked being able to cut away to Yanvar Malik at odd moments. There’s no point making your hero a thief unless someone is out to catch him. |
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| + | You can find more about the A-z on [https://www.facebook.com/philipreeveauthor Philip Reeve's Facebook page]. | ||
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| + | [[Category:Philip Reeve]] | ||
Latest revision as of 12:39, 27 June 2019
Philip Reeve tells us about Yanvar:
Y is for Yanvar
…which is the Russian word for ‘January’, and seemed like an appropriate first name for Yanvar Malik, the dogged Railforce officer who is tracking Zen’s employer, Raven. I wasn’t aiming to recreate Mortal Engines when I started writing Railhead - in fact, I was mainly trying not to - but inevitably there are some echoes. I guess the role Malik plays in this one is a little like the role played by Shrike in Mortal Engines: he doesn’t appear often, but we know he’s out there somewhere, relentlessly tracking our heroes, which hopefully helps to add a note of unease.
But Shrike had superhuman powers, and Malik is rather down-at-heel; a burned out cop, chasing a criminal who his superiors believe died long ago. He’s getting old, too; one of the things that makes him pursue Raven so singlemindedly is the sense that Raven has somehow cheated in the game of life; he got more chances he deserved, while Malik, like most of us, had only one, and is starting to feel he wasted it. It’s a hard, lonely quest. By the middle of the book Malik is down to almost nothing; just a shabby blue coat and a service handgun, but the energy of his long-held grudge keeps him going.
I several times considered telling the whole of Railhead in Zen’s voice - it’s almost all seen from his point of view - but I didn’t, and part of the reason was that I liked being able to cut away to Yanvar Malik at odd moments. There’s no point making your hero a thief unless someone is out to catch him.
You can find more about the A-z on Philip Reeve's Facebook page.
