Author

A bit about the author...

Mark Lamb lives in an ancient limestone quarry with his lovely wife Ennyd. They are occasionally visited by Roggadog, Safframungous and Fennylicious, a trio of hairy creatures who claim to be Old English Sheepdogs, but go out to the woods at night and take part in strange ceremonies. Mark has two interesting tattoos, one of which reads 'Nox' and the other 'Lux'. There is a third though, which nobody has ever seen. He is a practising Ritual Magician and has done a great deal of research in the field of Enochian Magick. He also knows a bit about physics and is a whizz at something called thermionic emission. He can also fly, and was once the personal bodyguard of a Middle-eastern sultan. He's obsessed with stories of creation and the many and varied theories surrounding the ancient elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. Nowadays he spends his time sliding around the house in sheepskin slippers, sipping Martinis and thinking about angels. He is fixated with the idea of worlds beyond worlds, and, like his heroine, Lucy Blake, he tells quite a lot of lies. He likes to sprinkle the truth in there somewhere though, just to confuse people.

Most of all, he wants readers of all ages to enjoy the unfolding story of The Dark Inventions...

Contact the author...

Here's an extract from an interview with the author...

Tell me a little about the Dark Inventions series...

Farperoo is the first of four books based on the ancient elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. There is also a fifth book planned for the series which will be based on 'Quintessence', or the ‘fifth’ Element. Each book is based in a different world, but the same underlying themes are present throughout the series.

That sounds like pretty serious stuff...

I think you can be serious and readable at the same time. I particularly admire Philip Pullman for that.

But you’re not serious all the time?

Far from it.

What's the long term storyline?

Like I'd tell you!

The 'Farperoo' story starts off at quite a moderate pace...

In proportion to the length of the book (more than twelve hundred pages) I think it starts off with quite a bang. In any case, I like to build up some believable characters before introducing them to peril. Most readers wouldn’t be too bothered about the heroine getting thrown into a volcano on page one if they didn’t know her. Having said that, there’s a kidnapping early on, and of course there’s an evil psychiatrist and the scheming step-parents to deal with. I think it gets a bit heavier after that fairly ‘gentle’ introduction.

The story begins in an almost comedic manner, but rapidly becomes very dark, to the extent that some might be fearful of reading on. Are you aware of this?

There are some very dark passages, but I like to think that their sombre mood is always balanced by humour, like Yin and Yang. There’s no guarantee they will continue like that though. Life is seldom predictable…

It’s a massive story, isn't it?

I didn't intend for it to be quite so long. I started out with a target of 120,000 to 150,000 words, but the story just kept growing. You hear a lot about authors getting involved with their characters and eventually being taken over by them. I must admit that I thought this was complete tosh until I started getting deeper into Farperoo. Then I realised that the characters were driving the story in directions other than the ones I originally intended. Now that the first story is finished I've realised just how much I want to say. That's how I know roughly how long the subsequent volumes will be.

Ahem! That bit about the characters coming to life. Are you making that up?

I make everything up! That’s the storyteller’s mission. But seriously, the characters in Farperoo have become so real to me that I now know what they will say or do in any given situation. All I have to do is take them there. Hopefully they'll succeed in taking the reader along with them.

Part of story takes place in Grimston. Is that based on any particular town?

I’ve lived in seaside towns all my life, so it was only natural that I’d write about what I knew best. The core of Grimston is based on Scarborough, my home town, but there are elements of other seaside towns in there as well, for instance, Brighton, Fleetwood, Cromer, Eastbourne, Hastings, Whitby, Weston-super-Mare and a host of others. I have lived in many of these and feel at home in any of them.

There's speculation that the city of Assiah is based on London. Have you anything to add?

It’s no big secret. There are features of Assiah that match London exactly. Doctor John Dee lived at Mortlake during the reign Elizabeth I. He was her court astrologer. In Farperoo he lives in a huge library near the Morty Lakes. There are dozens of other similar parallels.

Are the other volumes going to be based on real cities?

The world in the second book (Phinisterre) will be based loosely on Saint Petersburg and Venice, but this is La Serenissima moved well to the north, inside the arctic circle in fact. The world in book four (currently code named Varekai) will be based very firmly on New York. And the one in book three (Darkenteria) be Alexandria or possibly somewhere in China. I haven’t decided yet, as it’s a long way off.

How far ahead have you planned the series?

I have notes that go all the way out to book five, although the notes are more vague the further out they go. I know that J.K. Rowling started writing Harry Potter with a very firm idea of the ending. I have a more fluid approach which is necessary for the way I write. Farperoo is a very different book from the one I started out to write, and although the stories that follow will develop along a route which is quite well defined at the moment I expect them to evolve in the same way. So although I'm writing with a good idea of my final goal I have no more idea about the fine details. As far as they go, I'm in the same boat as the readers. I can’t even guarantee that the same set of characters will be there at the end, but I think that’s good in a way. Personally I’d be pretty unexcited if I knew that the hero was going to escape every time he or she got into a fix, just because they needed to be there at the end of the last book.

You’re not averse to killing off major characters then?

If the plot demands it. The fear of death drives us all. Why should it be any different in a book?

How long did it take to write Farperoo?

I started making plot notes and writing the odd bit of dialogue in January 2003. The note taking process continued until around June 2003 and that’s when I started writing for real. The novel was finished to second draft level by May 2004, and then continuously redrafted until just before its release in March 2005.

Farperoo has been described as a dark fantasy epic...

In view of the length I suppose you could call it an epic almost automatically. It’s certain dark as well, and there’s a lot of fantasy in there, so it qualifies on all three counts. I think that might not be the whole story though. I like to think of it as a bit of a comedy too - there’s even a bit of philosophy if you look hard enough.

Is the next book started yet?

Yes. It's called Phinisterre (which means the 'end of the earth' in Latin) and represents the ‘water’ element - Farperoo is related to the 'earth' element. It's currently at the conceptualisation and ‘note taking’ stage. I have ideas bursting out of my head for this book - around three hundred pages of roughs are already in the bag.

You’re aiming for the 11+ age group. Shouldn’t it be higher than that, given some of the content?

I don’t think children should be talked down to, so I always address them as adults, whatever their age. Young people generally understand far more than adults give them credit for, so whenever there was a question of ‘is this a bit too heavy?’ I just left it in and gave them the credit for understanding it.

What's the upper limit on age for the intended audience?

Anyone who isn't dead. This is the one thing I've intentionally copied from J.K.Rowling. Harry Potter appeals to all age groups, and I'd like to think that Farperoo will as well. IN fact most of the readers that contact me through the website are adults. In the first book Lucy, the heroine is 13 years old. In the second book she has aged two years and will do so in each subsequent book if she remains alive. In any case, the time will move on two years regardless of which characters are featured.

Is it anything like Lord of the Rings?

Not really. It made a great film, but I always thought that Tolkien was a bit heavy going when it came to ploughing through the text. Having said that I read it three times when I was at school. There’s no doubt that it’s a work of art, but in book form it takes a very special kind of enthusiast to truly appreciate it. On the whole I prefer my serious stuff to be served up with a balancing portion of humour. I think I’ve achieved that with Farperoo, because it’s dark and humorous at the same time - I hope. So, on the whole, it’s not like Lord of the Rings, other than it’s a major quest.

Which books is it like then?

Philip Pullman’s 'His Dark Materials' is close, especially with the coincident religious angle. But there isn't a great deal of humour in the Pullman work. That's not a criticism, I'm just pointing out that although they're probably close, they're not that close. The similarity between 'The Dark Inventions' and 'His Dark Materials' is coincidental by the way. Not that anyone will believe that of course, even though they have only one word in common.

Are there any other books that have a similar feel?

If there are, I haven’t come across them. But that’s good, isn’t it? I don’t particularly want people to say ‘Oh, this is just like Harry Potter.’

Are you conscious of competing with Harry Potter then?

I don’t think anyone can compete with Rowling. She’s the de facto standard.  

You say that Angelic Magick is a central theme of the entire series. Surely this is just Harry Potter re-heated?

The Rowling books feature a diluted form of magic that’s recognised by children everywhere. A wave of the wand and a few simple words. Real magick is much more complex than that. And the storyline is nothing like the Potter books.

Isn't Enochian Magick supposed to be particularly dangerous?

The original Enochian texts were taken down by Doctor John Dee and Edward Kelley, and were sometimes dictated backwards by the angels, in order that their power was not unleashed unintentionally. Most, if not all, practising magicians would agree that Enochian Magick is by far the most potent form in the Western Tradition.

And you’re proposing to introduce this to children?

There are children's books that feature guns, knives and other dark weapons which can rarely be seen as a force for good. Magick, on the other hand, can be, and often is, a force for light.

Some of your characters actually existed, didn't they?

We've already spoken about John Dee, who was the original exponent of Angelic Magick. His assistant Kelley was also real, although in Farperoo he's called Boaz. There are also some ‘half-real’ characters, like Kolley Kibber, who appeared in ‘Brighton Rock’, a novel by Graham Greene. (There we go with the seaside theme again)…

Name some of your favourite books, and tell us why you like them...

The first would be Weaveworld by Clive Barker, which I believe is one of the finest books in its genre. I was drawn into the novel by the sheer poetry of the opening section. There’s an homage to Barker right at the beginning of Farperoo. The scene where Fenny is kidnapped by Raziel was inspired by Shadwell and his coat of lights. I’m not ashamed to admit that – great art inspires us all, and Barker is an undisputed genius. My second favourite would be Hawksmoor by Peter Ackroyd. I enjoy all of his work, (even the biographies), but I’m always drawn back to Hawksmoor. It’s so atmospheric, and so dark. And speaking of dark, there's a graphic novel by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean called Punch and Judy - that's one of my all time favourites in the 'comic' genre. And if we're talking comics, we shouldn't leave out Alan Moore...

Do you have any heroes?

Alan Ayckbourn and anyone else associated with live theatre. Richard Feynmann, Alan Turing and William Shakespeare.

You mentioned Feynmann, who was a physicist. Does this explain the strange devices we come across in Farperoo?

I don’t think Feynmann ever worked on a Thermionic Confuser, but then again, who knows what these guys get up to in their spare time. I’m fascinated by old technology, which nowadays is anything more than six months old!

Is that why you have a wire recorder in the Inspector Trembley interview?

Erm, ye-es. The novel isn't set in any particular time period, but it's definitely retro. People might have fun trying to place it in the fifties or early sixties because of this or that nugget of information. But remember, although Grimston is Lucy's real world, it isn't necessarily ours. We'll be finding out more about that in later books.

Which authors inspire you?

Philip Pullman of course, and Neil Gaiman. I also love J.K. Rowling, even though it’s not fashionable for children’s authors to like her. I’m a big fan of Terry Pratchett too, and Douglas Adams, - I think a lot of the humour in the book springs from an appreciation of their work.

What about illustrators?

Sir John Tenniel, for his pictures in the Alice books. And Dave McKean, for just about everything he produces.

Do you have a particular method of working?

I carry a small notepad and pencil everywhere I go. The dogs don’t like it because I keep stopping to write notes. I get most of my ideas when I’m out walking, or late at night, usually just before I fall asleep (much to the wife’s annoyance). I transcribe the notes onto an HP Jornada 820 palmtop and from there they migrate to my desktop computer. Most of the actual writing (as opposed to note-taking) is also done on the Jornada, because it’s an ‘instant on’ device. I couldn’t possibly work without it, which is why I have two spares. (No, really, I need them – I've already broken three!)

The illustrations in Farperoo are stunning.

Matt Armstrong and I have this incredible synergy that allows us to feed off each other. Also he has a huge amount of talent, which helps. There are eighty chapters in the book, each one accompanied by a full-tone illustration. When you put them all together and read them like a storyboard the effect is incredible.

How do you and Matthew work together?

Matthew pretends to read the book (sorry Matt) – then he comes to me for some suggestions for thumbnails. I shoot him a textual description which he then expands into two or three thumbnails, one of which gets chosen and then fine tuned. Then he makes a pencil drawing and we tweak that (digitally). Sometimes though, all this goes by the board and Matt just goes for it. Usually he gets it right. So far we have only had two outright kills. (Illustrations that were completed and then scratched because they weren’t felt good enough).

Did you get excited when you saw the illustrations for the first time?

Absolutely bone-wobblingly so! From my limited experience with the illustrations I can well imagine what it feels like for an author to see their book getting made into a film (assuming the studio sticks to the original story) – it’s like seeing a child born. The story just comes to life.

There might be some who say there's no place in a children’s book for bad language...

Actually the language in Farperoo is quite mild, compared with some. The book reflects real life (albeit in a slightly out-of-kilter ‘real’ world) – where people swear all the time. They even do it in children’s books aimed at a lower age group than this one. Personally I did rather a lot of swearing in the playground, and I’m sure it’s no different today. In any case, ‘bad’ language, when it’s done right, invokes passion and vigour.

Where do you get your ideas?

I liked Philip Pullman’s answer to this one. He told someone he got them at Ideas-R-Us, and the person wanted to know where they could find the nearest branch of the store! But seriously, this is an impossible question to answer fully. I get the occasional idea from reading a novel or watching TV, but the majority of the stuff I write comes from a dark pit of sludge in the bottom regions of my brain.

The sludge came from somewhere though...

Yes, the contents of the pit come from personal experience, so when I describe a ritual such as the one we see in the Tetravox chapter, it’s based on what I’ve observed, both in Masonic and Magical Lodges.

You’re a Freemason and an active Ritual Magician?

Thank you for mentioning it.

Does that not put you firmly on the dark side of public perception?

Perhaps, but I’m also a Christian. Obviously it’s dangerous to generalise, but I think it’s safe to assume that most people don’t equate Freemasonry with religion, despite the fact that the initiate must affirm the existence of God before being allowed to join. The 'VSL' in a Masonic lodge (Volume of the Sacred Law) is none other than the Bible. And many of the invocations used in Magical ceremonies invoke the assistance of God.

Are you trying to convert people to any particular way of thinking?

I’d like to think I was laying out a path of adventure, or a maze perhaps, that can be approached from many different directions and be navigated in many different ways.

What would you say to those who cite the book as being anti-religion?

I’d recommend they read the whole series before deciding. You can’t reasonably expect a six thousand page novel to unfold after the first few chapters.

There are others who reckon it’s pro-religion. They can’t both be right, surely?

If I’ve managed to sow the seeds of ambiguity then I’ve done a good job. Actually I wish people would just sit down and read the story, rather than attempting to analyse every line. My aim was simply to spin a (rather dark) tale and lead the reader on an interesting journey.

But there are points at which the heroine calls for the assistance of God - when invoking angels for instance...

There you go again, trying to second guess the plot! If you read the Grimoire of Solomon you’ll find there are many invocations performed in God’s name. This is a matter of historical fact. Likewise, in Freemasonry, the aid of the Great Architect of the Universe is invoked. He’s God by another name.

So you’re pro-religion after all?

Read my lips! And then go and read the story!

Has writing this book been a painful process?

Absolutely not. I have enjoyed every minute of it, even down to the level of continually proof reading, re-writing and re-proofing (which can sometimes seem like an interminable nightmare). I particularly enjoyed specifying the illustrations and the cover, but the most magical thing of all was having the story unfold inside my head.

Thanks for your time.

It was a pleasure.