Hackett and Holmes Talk 'Five for Silver'

I'm incredibly honoured that prog legends Steve Hackett and Michael Holmes have each taken the time to pass on their thoughts about Five for Silver. Being top blokes and good all round eggs, they've also been kind enough to let me quote some of their comments to a press release, which you can read below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Following its publication in a Kindle edition at the beginning of 2014, independent novelist Justin Peter Beaney is proud to announce that Five for Silver – The Diabolical Pact of Leanne Labbartu is now available in paperback.

So what can readers expect from Five for Silver? “At its root, it’s a story about intolerance and the conflict that can arise when it takes hold.  The characters are all just ordinary people, but they suddenly find themselves thrown together in this confined, almost claustrophobic setting.  There are things going on that they simply don’t understand and they quickly find that they’re all way outside their comfort zones.  The book explores how that not only generates great fear but can also push people’s views into very extreme territory, with potentially dangerous consequences.”

As well as enhancing Justin’s reputation for creating gripping tales with a unique supernatural twist, Five for Silver continues to reflect his love of all kinds of folk tradition – from faerie tales to classical myths, and pagan beliefs to Christian history. “The first goal is always to try and create something new, and produce a story that people won't have read before,” he explains. “But if along the way I can reference something that's already a part of a much older tradition, I personally find that very satisfying.” Justin is adamant that such an approach needn’t constrain his storylines, nor stifle his creativity. “Actually, the opposite is true. What usually happens is that I’ll pick up on an interesting connection or similarity between a few disparate things – it could perhaps start with a line or two from a nursery rhyme and I might match that up with something from, say, Sumerian religion, witchcraft, or Scandinavian folklore.  That can open up all kinds of interesting possibilities, allowing me to mix these strands together and provide a new interpretation of what’s gone before.  After all, most of the folk tales we recognise today are probably corruptions of much earlier sources, so it’s great fun to look at something and think: what if everyone has it wrong?  What if the good guy of legend was really the baddie?  Or what if the fairy tale we happily tell our children was actually based on something very dark and very, very real?”

If Justin’s plots can be seen as a melting pot of different traditions, it’s no surprise that another key source of inspiration comes from his passion for progressive rock, the once-maligned musical genre that has always sought to fuse eclectic styles and different musical cultures. “I love music that fires the imagination,” he explains, “and particularly the kind that takes you on a journey, where you can completely lose yourself in the atmosphere of an album. I grew up listening to Genesis and King Crimson, and when I was a teenager in the mid-80s I had the privilege of going to see groups like IQ and Twelfth Night fly in the face of fashion at places like the Marquee Club in London.  Each of those bands really know how to convey the mood and atmosphere of a story in music.”  So do any of the fantastical concepts behind prog's epic albums make an appearance in his books?  “Perhaps, but not necessarily in an overt way. More often than not, the inspiration comes from odd scraps and bits of detail – a curious lyric or an intriguing song title, or perhaps even a melody that conjures a particular image or feeling.  In many ways, these responses are very personal and I suspect most people wouldn't even recognise a link to a particular song, even if they happened to be very familiar with it. That said, there are other times I like to make it a bit more obvious, like when I'm highlighting a legend or myth.  Either way, you don’t need to know any of the musical references to enjoy the story.”  Indeed, the majority of Justin’s readers will no doubt be oblivious to the musical delights of bands like Opeth or Porcupine Tree – two big influences on Five for Silver – but are more than happy to lap up his stories.  “That said,” he smiles, “those prog fans that have picked up on my books do seem to enjoy spotting the odd musical reference as much as I love slipping them in.  I think it’s a prog thing – we’re all musical trainspotters at heart!”

It seems somewhat fitting that some of Justin’s early musical heroes are now fans of his writing.  Steve Hackett, the legendary Genesis guitarist, has been a strong advocate ever since Justin’s first novel, Kâsdejâ's Children created a stir amongst Genesis fans.  And he’s similarly impressed with Five for Silver: “The book is a special read,” he says. “I enjoyed it a lot.  It has great pace, a strong sense of mystery with suspense and tremendous atmosphere.  I really like the way it explores the supernatural with a powerful Gothic feel, and there's a lot of depth to the ideas behind it. I can also see how it shares the spirit of the music that has inspired Justin over the years.”  Another legendary prog guitarist, Mike Holmes of IQ, agrees: “I loved it.  Five for Silver is a real page-turner of a book, one that takes a while to get going before you suddenly realise you’ve just read another 50 pages.  For the second time reading one of Justin’s books I’ve let the water go cold in the bath because I couldn’t put it down.  Great storytelling and great imagery, characters so real you have no problem picturing them in your mind – a fantasy told so convincingly that it actually starts to feel plausible.  It’s like a progressive rock double concept album (just let your head provide the music) and like all good stories I didn’t want it to end.”