Q&A with Brendan Reichs
For those of you who are regular visitors of my blog and regular viewers of my BookTube channel, you will know that I am OBSESSED with Brendan Reichs’ books: Nemesis, and the sequel, Genesis. For the release of Genesis, Pan Macmillan contacted me and asked if I would like to be sent a copy of Genesis (of course, I agreed). Once I had read, reviewed, and sent the review to Pan Macmillan, my correspondent at the publishing house asked if I would like to ask Reichs some questions. I nearly died a fangirl death.
So here we go! These are the questions I was dying to ask him, and these are his answers. Enjoy!
What made you want to make Genesis so much more violent than Nemesis?
I knew going in that the stakes had to be much higher in the second book, as the world these kids find themselves in is necessarily more violent. Genesis is a second phase for the sophomores of Fire Lake High School, and the book needed to show that. I knew things would be more intense, physically and emotionally. Remember that there are no more rules, and no firm morality to bank on—we are exploring the darker aspects of human nature. We see how the characters must evolve and cope with the brutal demands that have been made upon them by the Program. We see characters change, their beliefs change, and get a look at what people will do to insure their own survival.
“We are exploring a darker aspect of human nature”
– Brendan Reichs
Who’s your favourite character?
From the beginning my favorite character has always been Tack. I usually put at least one smart-ass character into my series who says exactly what I’m personally thinking in every scene, and that’s him. He makes the jokes I would make. In Genesis, Tack has an extremely rough time, but I think he stays true to himself more than anyone else in the series.
Hypothetically, would you have liked to be a test subject for Project Nemesis and undergo the phases? If so, do you think you would survive phase 2?
If Phase Two involved naps and sandwiches then yes, I would have gone through the phases. But I almost certainly would not have survived, because I have almost no skills useful in an apocalyptic context. That said, I think I’d have been grateful to be included and be given a chance.
I need to know the answer to this, otherwise I think I may go insane… Is there going to be a third book?
THERE IS. Look for the last chapter in the series, Chrysalis, in 2019! It’s going to get a LOT wilder. Trust me. 🙂
“The last chapter in the series, Chrysalis [comes out] in 2019! It’s going to get a LOT wilder.”
– Brendan Reichs
Add Chrysalis to your Goodreads shelf
Please tell me that Sarah isn’t based on a real person because SHE IS CRAZY!
A funny side note—the last comment I got from my editor scolded me for LIKING Sarah too much in the draft, and I think my editor was right! Sarah is brutally effective, which is something I respect. She gets things done. She’s also a psychopath who lacks basic human empathy, which isn’t great, but what a fun character to write!
Can we expect you to come to the UK anytime soon for a tour?
I’d love to come over for a tour! I always love visiting the UK and meeting some of my international fans. It’s been too long for certain. (Confession: I’m an obnoxious Newcastle United fan, even though we’re usually terrible. Rooting for them is a curse I can’t shake. Beleive me, I’ve tried.)
Are you working on any new series/standalones at the moment that you can tell us about?
I just finished co-authoring a new middle grade series called THE DARKDEEP with world-famous genius writer Ally Condie. I’m extremely excited about it. The story combines elements of The Goonies with Stranger Things, while mixing in a dash of Stand by Me. We wanted to explore the idea of children’s imaginations and their darkest nightmares, and really loved working together. It releases in the US this fall, with a UK release soon to follow, so keep an eye out!
Buy U.S version of The Darkdeep here
Buy U.K version of The Darkdeep here
Add it to your Goodreads shelf
Did you always know that The Guardian was Min’s father? It felt like such a Luke Skywalker/Darth Vader moment! (That’s a good thing!)
It was a totally Luke/Darth moment! I knew that I wanted the Guardian to be Min’s father from the start. Genesis takes everything one step further than Nemesis did, even the emotions of the characters. I think this element adds a lot to Min’s journey.
“Genesis takes everything one step further than Nemesis did”
– Brendan Reichs
Which book did you have the most fun writing? Nemesis or Genesis?
That’s really hard to say. Genesis was actually the original concept I had, but then I realized that so much had to happen to get the story to that specific place, which became Nemesis. I think I enjoyed Genesis for the extra intensity I put into it. It really upped the game for the characters, and I think it was fun to explore what makes us human and who we are as a person. I wanted to look at our morals and how easily some can abandon them to survive. It’s very Lord of the Flies and I think it’s my best work to date.
What would have happened to the students if all of their food got destroyed? I know that Noah blew up the supermarket, but what about if the Silo cache got destroyed as well? Would the Guardian have let them starve? I’m very curious…
The Guardian will not step in. No matter what. In Genesis, the kids are truly on their own. I hope my readers enjoy the ride!
So, there we have it! I would like to thank Pan Macmillan for giving me this amazing opportunity to interview Brendan Reichs and also for sending me a copy of Genesis (which was one of my most anticipated releases of 2018!) Now that I know that there’s going to be a third (and final) book, I NEED 2019 to come here now so that I can read it because OH MY GOD!
I hope you enjoyed this fun Q&A with Brendan Reichs! Visit the links below to buy Nemesis and Genesis and to add them to your Goodreads shelf.
Add Nemesis to your Goodreads shelf
Add Genesis to your Goodreads shelf
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