Science fiction is full of lovable rogues, from Star Trek‘s James T. Kirk and Star Wars‘ Han Solo or Firefly‘s Mal Reynolds and the MCU’s Star-Lord.
But in the following email interview, author A. Zaykova says the lovable rogue at the center of her noir sci-fi space opera novel Galaxy Grifter (paperback, Kindle, audiobook) is actually more rogue than lovable. “Levi isn’t based on anyone I personally know,” she says, “and if I did, I’d stay far away from them.”
Photo Credit: Anzhelika Moiseeva
To start, what is Galaxy Grifter about, and when and where does it take place?
It’s a space adventure about a smarmy con artist, Levi, who teams up with a snarky programmer, Vera, to decode a stolen alien tech blueprint. Neither of them trust each other, and have ulterior motives, but when things go sideways, they’re forced to outwit all kinds of adversaries, while discovering a sinister secret behind the blueprint.
The novel is set in our galaxy, in an unspecified distant future, where humanity mastered faster than light travel and formed an alliance with sentient aliens. The action takes place on spaceships and planets — some real, like Mars, some fictional. My favorite settings to write were Blackjack, an inhabited asteroid controlled by the mafia; and the Golden Nugget, a roving casino space station.
Where did you get the idea for Galaxy Grifter?
Thanks to my mom, I grew up reading science fiction (Norton, Herbert) and watching lots of it (Fifth Element, Lexx), all of which left an impression on me.
But I actually started writing Galaxy Grifter during a pretty dark period in my life. I felt like I needed a distraction that was both fun, and far removed from my real life, and space crime turned out to be the perfect escape.
So, is there a reason you made Levi a con artist as opposed to a high end thief or a professional assassin or some other kind of top shelf criminal? And does his profession even matter in this story?
He is a thief, though he doesn’t like to be called that, but he’s also a manipulator, a blackmailer, an informant. Basically, if there’s a way to profit off being sleazy, Levi’s tried it. I guess making him a con artist gave me more flexibility for the plot, including more ways to explore the darker sides of his personality.
Also, the press info about this novel describes Levi as being the “wittiest, smarmiest, most sycophantic person in the galaxy.” You don’t have to say who, but is he based on someone you know? Or someone we all know?
Levi isn’t based on anyone I personally know — and if I did, I’d stay far away from them. But I’ve always been intrigued by trickster archetypes like Hermes or Loki, and also thought it’d be fun to try living in the head of a character who isn’t constrained by empathy or ethics for a while. Levi developed his own distinct personality though. And I did a lot of research on how someone with his traits might react in various situations and what could push him in the direction of growth without “fixing” or fundamentally changing who he is.
Vera, on the other hand, is someone I’d get along with. She shares traits with some women I made friends with when I was younger: resilient, ambitious, and clever, but still flawed.
Galaxy Grifter sounds like a science fiction space opera novel, but Levi being a con artist makes me wonder if it might be noir as well.
Yes, I think so. It has some noir tropes or genre conventions, like the seedy underbelly, corruption, a whiskey-slinging homme fatale… I studied Film Noir in high school, so that must’ve left a big impression on me. I wanted to say the book excludes the detective element, but Levi and Vera do end up having to solve a mystery, so I guess it’s still there.
Now, Galaxy Grifter is your first novel, though you’ve had stories published in such journals as Etherea Magazine, and in the anthology Aftermath: Stories Of Survival In Aotearoa New Zealand. What writers or stories do you feel had the biggest influence on Galaxy Grifter, and are any ones that weren’t big influences on any of your earlier stories?
I started looking for more sci-fi / fantasy books about thieves and crooks specifically as I was working on Galaxy Grifter: from The Stainless Steel Rat, which is a pulpy series from the ’50s by Harry Harrison, to Artemis by Andy Weir, and fantasy novels like The Lies Of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch and Six Of Crows by Leigh Bardugo.
Along with prose, you also write poetry. Which implies that you read poetry as well. How, if at all, do you think writing and reading poems may have influenced how you wrote Galaxy Grifter?
Poetry is another thing that has been with me throughout life. I had to learn to recite poems as a kid, and also started writing my own very early.
But I wouldn’t call my prose poetic. On the contrary, it’s pretty spare and direct, which I think fits the tone of the book. Although I hope it has a decent rhythm, which I try to look out for.
I think the combination of writing poetry, short fiction, and press releases (which I used to do in my day job), taught me to keep my writing concise, snappy, and accessible. That’s the intent, anyway.
How about non-literary influences? Was Galaxy Grifter influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games?
For sure! I’d say Firefly, Cowboy Bebop, maybe even Guardians Of The Galaxy. Though instead of a rag-tag crew, Galaxy Grifter focuses on two individuals who are both drawn to and can’t stand one another.
Levi has also been compared to Star Wars‘ Han Solo and to Neal Caffrey from White Collar. Which is flattering, except Levi is probably a worse person than both of these.
And what about your rescue cat, Toni? How did she influence Galaxy Grifter?
We kept her after fostering a bunch of kittens a few years ago. She’s a great source of comic relief in our lives and loves to “help” with everything, from pulling laundry off the drying rack as I’m trying to hang it, to sitting on my keyboard as I’m trying to type. She’s also my PR assistant because social media loves cats.
Galaxy Grifter has some cat references but no actual cat characters, unfortunately.
Toni
Sci-fi space opera novels like Galaxy Grifter can be stand-alone stories or the start of something bigger. And this sounds like it might be the first misadventure for Levi. Is it?
I didn’t originally plan it as a series, and I think the first book can be enjoyed on its own, there’s no cliffhanger ending or anything like that. But there was a lot left to explore in terms of the universe, and Levi and Vera’s emotional arcs. So, I’m wrapping up the first draft of a sequel right now to send to my publisher later this year.
Book two will be a new adventure with the same main characters, that builds on the events of the first. I don’t currently have plans beyond that, but also not ruling anything out.
Earlier I asked if Galaxy Grifter was influenced by any movies, shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think Galaxy Grifter could work as a movie, TV show, or game?
I can see it as a TV series. The plot has plenty of twists and turns which I’d rather expand on than have to trim down for a feature film. But I’m obviously biased.
I’ve also been told it could work as a video game. I don’t play much, but my husband compares it to Star Wars Outlaws, which is an action-adventure game with some gritty missions.
So, if someone wanted to make a TV show or game based on Galaxy Grifter, who would you want them to cast as Levi and the other main characters?
I almost wish new or lesser-known actors played Levi and Vera. I love seeing new talent within the arts, and watching someone fresh with no preconceived expectations could be fun. I wouldn’t care if they didn’t look exactly like their book descriptions either, as long as they can capture the charm and snark of the two main characters.
Here are some ideas for a few of the antagonists though: Gina Torres [Firefly] as pirate Captain Wendigo, with her striking looks and commanding presence, Mads Mikelson [Rogue One: A Star Wars Story] as Isaac Brezni (a black market tech dealer), and someone like [Spider-Man: No Way Home‘s] Jamie Foxx as Blackbeard (a mafia enforcer).
Finally, if someone enjoys Galaxy Grifter, what noir sci-fi novel or novella of someone else’s would you suggest they check out while they wait for Levi and Vera’s next misadventure?
The Bubbles In Space series by S.C. Jensen, and Bis Rose by T.K. Toppin have that sci-fi noir vibe with organized crime, gritty settings, and unique protagonists. They’re more focused on solving crime than doing crime though, even if the methods aren’t always clean.
For those who want something younger and softer, Starflight by Melissa Landers. It’s a YA romantic space opera, but it’s still got that Firefly-esque grit, with space pirates and morally grey adventures.
