In the following email interview about Cold Iron Task (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), author James J. Butcher says this third book in his urban fantasy series The Unorthodox Chronicles is “a conclusion of consequences from the previous novels,” Dead Man’s Hand and Long Past Dues.
But if you think that means it’s the end of this series, or the witch / government employee Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby…
Photo Credit: Weneals Photography
For people who haven’t read the previous novels in The Unorthodox Chronicles series — Dead Man’s Hand and Long Past Dues — or the interview we did about Dues, what is this series about, and when and where do these stories take place?
The Unorthodox Chronicles is a series that takes place in a modern world much like our own, except here there are magic and monsters — and everybody knows it. They just don’t want to think about it.
To that end, the government has formed The Department Of Unorthodox Affairs, an agency tasked with wrangling all things Unorthodox.
This series contains the stories of Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby, a young witch employed as an Auditor at this agency.
And then for people who have read the previous books, what is Cold Iron Task about, and when does it take place in relation to Long Past Dues?
Cold Iron Task takes place roughly six months after the events of Long Past Dues.
In this story, Grimsby finds himself entangled in a heist into the Elsewhere on his search for a cure to his friend Rayne’s curse.
Where did you get the original idea for Cold Iron Task, and how, if at all, did that idea evolve as you wrote it?
Cold Iron Task is a conclusion of consequences from the previous novels, and focuses on Grimsby dealing with the results of his decisions in the past — both good and bad.
The evolution of the book was actually a devolution. The original version was roughly twenty-five-thousand words longer, as I had other story elements I wanted to include, but the editing process called for much of it to be relegated for a later story.
Dead Man’s Hand and Long Past Dues were both urban fantasy stories, though as you noted in the Dues interview, “the subgenres and elements will likely shift from book to book based on the kind of story I’m aiming to tell.” So, what are the subgenres in Cold Iron Task?
Where Dead Man’s Hand had stronger horror / thriller elements, due to the protagonist being so inexperienced in the world, and Long Past Dues was more of a mystery, Cold Iron Task is more of an intricate story.
The original inspiration was the concept of a heist, in the vein of Ocean’s Eleven. However, traditional heists spend so much time on the planning that other elements feel forgotten. Plot takes precedence over character and setting.
I wanted to have the feeling of a heist, with its mounting complexity and complication, but I didn’t want to focus solely on plot. Instead, I tried to take the elaborate nature of a heist story and expanded it to also involve the character’s backgrounds and the growing setting of the world as part of the mounting tension and complexity. By the end, I hope readers feel like their understanding of the world and the people in it has been expanded beyond their expectations.
So was Cold Iron Task influenced by any writers or specific stories that hadn’t been an influence, or as big an influence, on the previous books?
I mention this somewhat in the previous question, but to expand, the idea of an otherworldly heist was definitely inspired by Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn. And while it is not the core narrative to the same degree, my stories would not be what they are without Sanderson’s numerous efforts to educate the writing community via podcasts and lectures.
You said in the interview we did about Long Past Dues that you were planning for this series to be at least three books, but with more possible depending on sales and your own interest. And a moment ago you said, “Cold Iron Task is a conclusion of consequences from the previous novels,” but later said you’d culled parts of Task which you “relegated for a later story.” Sounds like there’s going to be more books in The Unorthodox Chronicles series…
There will indeed. There’s obviously a practical element that may or may not limit the series, with writing being a business and publishing even more so. However, I can say that there will certainly be at least two more novels, with book four being in the works. If I have my way, the series will go on considerably past that as well.
So, is there anything else you think potential readers need to know about Cold Iron Task and The Unorthodox Chronicles series?
I would just like to say that I quite enjoy writing the series, and plan to expand its scope and evolve both the characters and their stories as we go along. I hope that readers that enjoy these stories now will continue to have fun with them in the future — even when things get rough.
Finally, if someone enjoys Cold Iron Task, they’ll probably go read the other Unorthodox Chronicles novels, if they haven’t already. But once they’ve done that, what urban fantasy novel or novella of someone else’s would you suggest they check out?
I mean, there’s an obvious answer to this that I’ll leave intuitive readers to figure out on their own. But beyond that, while it’s not true urban fantasy, I’ve been reading R.S. Belcher’s Six Gun Tarot recently, and the simple language used in this novel has kept me hooked. It’s a pleasure to read, even though it’s a heavy story to work through.
