In the following email interview about his dark fantasy novel The Dissonance (hardcover, Kindle, audiobook), author Shaun Hamill not only discusses what inspired and influenced this story, but also why — despite its timeframe and because of its location — it may or may not also be an urban fantasy story…and why he doesn’t really care either way.
Photo Credit: © Cedrick May
To start, what is The Dissonance about, and when and where is it set?
The Dissonance is a dark fantasy novel set in a small Texas town. It tells the story of a group of friends who discover and learn to use a mysterious energy called (you guessed it) The Dissonance. We follow their adventures across several summers as they come of age in the late 1990s, intercut with events set in 2019, when the broken, adult versions of the characters are forced to return to their hometown and face the unquiet ghosts of their past.
Where did you get the idea for The Dissonance? What inspired it?
I’ve wanted to write a fantasy novel for as long as I can remember, but it took me a long time to come up with a central concept, an idea that might make my story stand out. I liked the idea that magic was costly, and had unforeseen consequences: a dark and mysterious force, likely to damage the user. My agent and I tossed a couple of ideas back and forth before I settled on the concept of the magic system.
As for the characters and story, those were born out of the COVID-19 pandemic. I started writing in the summer of 2020. At the time, I was working from home and self-isolating in Alabama, and missing my friends back in Texas terribly. I think that yearning powered the book. I wanted to tell a story about what they’ve meant to me — how they make me whole in a way no one else ever has.
Once I had those two core concepts — magic based on disharmony, and the power of friendship — everything else fell into place. I won’t say this was an easy book to write (so far none of them have been easy), but I had my guiding lights, and they allowed me to get to work.
So, is there a reason why the magic system is based on harnessing negative emotions? It sounds like it could be therapeutic, but it also sounds like a path to the dark side…
Like I said above, I love stories about wild magic, which can get away from the user and cause more harm than good (look no further than the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” short in Fantasia). I also tend to write about people who are a bit “broken” — mentally ill, neurodiverse, odd. I’m all three of those things, and some days, it feels like a superpower, and other days it’s a tremendous hindrance. I wanted to get at that dichotomy of pain and power, and how that “outsider” status can bring people together. But I didn’t want to make it all warm and fuzzy. I wanted to examine what happens when broken people gain power. The temptations that arise, and the paths to darkness.
Also, is there a reason you set it in Clegg, Texas as opposed to some small town in another state or country? Or, conversely, a bigger place like Austin or Houston?
Funny story: the Clegg, Texas in my book is a made-up place. I named it after a friend of mine, and never thought to fact-check the name. I recently received a confused email from a reader who grew up in the real Clegg, so I learned an important lesson.
I set the book in Texas because it’s where I grew up. I know what Texas towns look and feel like. I can write about it convincingly without much travel or research. That frees me up to focus on elements of the story, like the characters and the plot. If I set the book in Colorado, or somewhere in Africa, I’d basically have a third chunk of research to do.
But setting that aside, I think that my mixed feelings about Texas — particularly about its politics and the pervasive presence of some of the more toxic branches of Christianity — makes an interesting backdrop for a story about students of the occult. I don’t think that the novel addresses this directly (not in the way that A Cosmology Of Monsters [Hamill’s first novel] confronted toxic fundamentalists and their war on the LGBTQ community), but I think it’s part of the general stew of my personal creativity.
I chose a small town instead of a big city, because I wanted my heroes to be lonely. Cities tend to be a bit more liberal than small towns. The atmosphere is less oppressive for outsiders. I wanted the friendships between my main characters to matter. Those friendships might matter less if there were large communities of alternative countercultures for my young heroes to explore.
You said The Dissonance is a dark fantasy novel. But it also sounds like an urban fantasy story. Do you concur?
That’s an interesting question. I know my publisher is sort of riding the line, pitching it as “fantastical horror.” I guess to try and reassure readers that I haven’t wandered too far from the roots of Cosmology?
But if you’re going to add The Dissonance to an established subgenre, urban fantasy is probably the closest fit. Though, as you pointed out, there’s nothing particularly urban about it.
Well, I don’t think urban fantasy stories have to take place in urban environments, necessarily. I think it’s more about the timeframe. After all, “suburban fantasy” isn’t a subgenre of fantasy, nor is “rural fantasy.” As far as I know.
I guess I don’t mind where it’s shelved or how it’s categorized, as long as it finds readers who enjoy it.
The Dissonance is your second novel after A Cosmology Of Monsters. Are there any writers, or specific stories, that had a big influence on The Dissonance, but not on anything else you’ve written, and especially not Cosmology?
My two guiding lights on this novel were Lev Grossman’s The Magicians and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell. I also owe a debt to Robert E. Howard’s Conan stories, with their mix of weird horror and heroic fantasy.
How about such non-literary influences as movies, TV shows, or games? Did any of those things have a big influence on The Dissonance?
I went through an intense hyperfixation on the first two Hellraiser movies while writing this book. I listened to the Christopher Young scores on repeat, for months. Clive Barker’s body horror / pain-as-religion fixations were potent inspiration, though I think the end result in The Dissonance is pretty mild by comparison.
I also owe a debt to Buffy The Vampire Slayer, which is the quintessential coming-of-age horror / fantasy show. At its best, it balances a large ensemble of characters against an epic backdrop, but still manages to make the stakes personal and meaningful.
Now, The Dissonance sounds like a stand-alone story. But since you never know, I’ll ask: Is it?
I originally pitched The Dissonance as the start of a trilogy. The draft I sold ended on a massive cliffhanger. My publisher wasn’t keen on the idea of three books (apparently “upmarket” series don’t do as well as those published by more traditional genre publishers, like, say, Tor). My editor suggested that we focus on the book at hand, and tell a complete story, instead of trying to spin up a whole franchise. So we cut the cliffhanger, and tried to make this a cohesive experience in itself. I’m proud of that fact.
The end result is a book that, hopefully, can stand on its own, but leaves room for more exploration, more stories. If the sales and reader demand are there, I will happily return to this world and tell more stories in it.
But if the demand is not there? If sales are flat? I’m satisfied with how the story ends. I like where the characters end up. I can move on with my life without feeling like I’ve left something unfinished.
I asked earlier if The Dissonance was influenced by any movies, TV shows, or games. But to flip things around, do you think The Dissonance could work as a movie, show, or game?
For a straight adaptation, I think TV might be the way to go, since the book is set across multiple years, and we get to watch the characters grow up. I could easily see it stretching across a few seasons.
But if someone came to me with a strong vision for a movie, I wouldn’t say no. The movie would probably need to focus primarily on the adults, and just feature flashbacks to their adolescent adventures.
So, if someone wanted to make The Dissonance into a movie or show, who would you want them to cast as Athena, Hal, Erin, and Professor Marsh?
I think, if you’re making a TV show about the kids, you need unknowns. Maybe an established character actor for Marsh.
If you’re making a movie about the adults? I’d love to see Valorie Curry [The Boys] as Erin. Keke Palmer [Nope] would be a great Athena. I like John Gallagher Jr. [10 Cloverfield Lane] for Hal.
And what if someone wanted to make The Dissonance into a game…?
A game could be interesting, but I wouldn’t want it to be a straight adaptation of the book. I think those kinds of video games are pretty boring.’
But an open world RPG where you get to explore and level up and grow your own powers, and decide whether to be a good or bad guy? That could be really cool.
So, is there anything else someone might need to know about The Dissonance?
I guess I’d say: don’t be intimidated by the page count! It’s nearly 500 pages, but I’m told it’s a quick read.
Finally, if someone enjoys The Dissonance, what similar kind of fantasy novel of someone else’s would you suggest they check out next?
Go pick up those two novels I mentioned before, Lev Grossman’s The Magicians and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange And Mr. Norrell. Buy all of Lev Grossman and Susanna Clarke’s books, while you’re at it)! They’re terrific, and (to my mind) direct ancestors of The Dissonance,
Also, while he wasn’t a direct influence on the book, I recently started reading Charles de Lint and his work is really lovely. Check out his Newford books.
