WHEN THE STARS THREW DOWN THEIR SPEARS, the third book in Kersten Hamilton's YA Goblin Wars trilogy, just released. Inspired (in part) by William Blake's poem The Tyger, the story deals with choice, destiny, faith, and the burden of the past. Woven together of magic and myth, art and poetry, the world of the Goblin Wars is a place where evil has a will (and a shadow following) of its own–but also where song has power, and bent things, once good, can begin to find their way back to where they began.
It's the conclusion to a gorgeous series (we talked about TYGER TYGER and IN THE FORESTS OF THE NIGHT earlier) that does not disappoint. I already want to go back and soak up a little more magic. (and if you haven't read the first two, this is your lucky September, because they should all be read in a row, and now you can!) (seriously, GO.)
Kersten, ever gracious, has answered some questions for us. Enjoy!
AG: You've
spoken before about your reasons for writing the Goblin War books; can you now
tell us more about writing and creating them?
KH: There was one element of the creation of these books that I
did not want to talk about until I knew whether or not I could finish well. I
have finished as well as I am able. And so:
Philip Pullman’s HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy was
very much on my mind when I started THE GOBLIN WARS. I hope that, like Pullman’s
books, mine are enjoyable to people who simply want an adventure. But there is
more to both trilogies. HIS DARK MATERIALS is a parable of the Republic of
Heaven; THE GOBLIN WARS is a parable of the Kingdom of God.
I completely love Pullman’s writing and
completely disagree with the final note of his worldview. Here is a quote from
one of my favorite Pullman interviews:
“Firstly, a sense that this world where we live is
our home. Our home is not somewhere else. There is no elsewhere. This is a
physical universe and we are physical beings made of material stuff. This is where
we live.
Secondly, a sense of belonging, a sense of being part of a real and
important story, a sense of being connected to other people, to people who are
not here any more, to those who have gone before us. And a sense of being
connected to the universe itself.
All those things were promised and summed
up in the phrase, 'The Kingdom of Heaven'. But if the Kingdom is dead, we still
need those things. We can't live without those things because it's too bleak,
it's too bare and we don't need to. We can find a way of creating them for
ourselves if we think in terms of a Republic of Heaven.
This is not a Kingdom
but a Republic, in which we are all free and equal citizens, with – and this is
the important thing – responsibilities.” (http://www.surefish.co.uk/culture/features/pullman_interview.htm)
I agree wholeheartedly with Pullman that “All of
those things were promised and summed up in the phrase, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’.”
But if the Kingdom is dead, if it never existed,
why do we still need those things? Why do we feel that living without them is
too bleak and too bare? We—all of humankind—are hungry for exactly those
things. We long for the Kingdom. That longing shines through the myths, legends
and great stories of every tribe and nation. It is part of what makes us human.
AG: Poetry
and song are wound through all three stories, especially the last one. Did you
have to go searching for the right lyrics to fit, or did the songs come first
and guide the story?
KH: The lyrics, poems and stories had worked their way into me
for years, and were present in every part of the story’s creation, like strands
in a Celtic knot. For instance, G.K. Chesterton’s The Ballad of the White Horse
burned into my soul the first time I read these lines:
For the man dwelt in a lost land
Of boulders and broken
men,
In a great grey cave
far off to the south
Where a thick green
forest stopped the mouth,
Giving darkness in his
den.
