The science fiction space opera board game Twilight Imperium has already inspired a trio of novels (Tim Pratt’s The Fractured Void, The Necropolis Empire, and The Veiled Masters), as well as a short story collection (The Stars Beyond).
But now the game, and people who like to read stories based on it, are getting some of the backstory of this sci-fi universe through a new trilogy by author Robbie MacNiven called The Twilight Wars.
In the following email interview, MacNiven discusses the second book in the series, Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning (paperback, Kindle), including how it was influenced by a trio of space-y cartoons.
For people who haven’t read the previous book, Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Falling, or the interview we did about it, what is the board game Twilight Imperium about, what is Falling about, and when and where is Falling set in relation to both the game and our time?
Twilight Imperium is a sci-fi board game where an eclectic cast of alien species — and humans — conduct politics, intrigue, and war in an effort to claim control of the former seat of galactic power and, through it, dominate the galaxy. Formerly, an alien species known as the Lazax were the pan-galactic rulers, but their empire has fallen, and now everyone is contending to take their place.
That is the current state of the setting. However, the Twilight Wars trilogy is set in the past, and deals directly with the fall of the Lazax empire and the wars that followed it. The first book, Empire Falling, looked at the characters and events leading up to that cataclysm, and Empire Burning follows on from it. It is set approximately 3,000 years before the “present day” of the board game.
And then for people who have read Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Falling, what is Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning about, and when does it take place in relation to Falling?
Empire Burning is set around 100 years after the events of Empire Falling. The galaxy has devolved into a state of near-total conflict, with all of the so-called Great Civilizations vying with one another to take control following the fall of the Lazax, or simply act out long-stand feuds.
The novel follows several different groups amidst the chaos, ranging from Syd and his Lazax exiles to a Hacan trader, a band of freedom-fighting Winnaru and others, as their paths lead them inexorably to a fatal meeting on a far-flung world.
When in the process of writing Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Falling did you come up with the idea for Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning, and what gave you the idea for this second installment?
The fact that this was going to be a trilogy had been discussed from the beginning, but I’d say 80% of Empire Burning came about in the immediate aftermath of Empire Falling.
The main thing I had to decide on was whether or not to continue to follow the characters from the first book, especially Syd, or whether to jump further forward in time and cover a completely separate episode of the Twilight Wars. This period of the setting’s history lasts hundreds of years, so there was a temptation to try and cover as much of it as possible, but ultimately I decided it would be more fulfilling to continue following Syd. He’s a fascinating character, enjoyable to write and, if you’re a fan of the setting, you’ll know that he’s a pretty important individual, too.
Despite this, I still wanted to break new ground in the second book and show things we didn’t see in the first, hence it being set 100 years after the closing events of Empire Falling. I was eager to explore more of the setting’s wonderful, eclectic mix of alien species, so focused on ones we didn’t see much of in the first book. The main point-of-view character is a young, upstart Hacan trader, who I loved writing, and we also see things from the perspective of the Naalu and multiple, ideologically opposed Winnaru, among others. In fact now I come to think of it, there are no Human points-of-view.
Twilight Imperium is a sci-fi space opera board game, and thus all the novels connected to it — including Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning — are sci-fi space opera stories. But are there any other genres at work in Burning?
I’m a big fan of historical fiction, and in some senses writing this drew upon similar aspects of that genre. Often in historical fiction you choose a major event from the past, and try and delve into the mindsets and on-the-ground experiences of those involved, or build your own side-stories around them. For this trilogy, I’m also dealing with what in-setting is a major historical event — the collapse of the Lazax empire and the wars that followed — so it was in a sense similar to writing historical fiction. I did my best to make sure that things matched the established background and that the characters and their involvement were “accurate,” while still hopefully presenting new and exciting insights into established events.
As we’ve been discussing, Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning is based on the board game Twilight Imperium. But was the story in any way influenced by other games, or maybe other non-literary influences, such as movies or TV shows? Because the ship on the cover is kind of Star Trek-y.
I’m a fairly big Star Wars fan, and while writing Empire Burning I was binging [the Star Wars cartoons] The Clone Wars, The Bad Batch, and Rebels, so some of that may well have carried over. There’s certainly something to be said for following a string of loosely interconnecting characters across decades of major political upheaving, intrigue and war. And yes, the ship on the cover does look quite Trek-esq (it’s a Hacan vessel). There are dashes of that in Twilight Imperium I feel, especially with the Human faction, the Sol Federation. Though to my shame I haven’t watched any Star Trek for years.
Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning is the second book of the Twilight Wars trilogy. Do you know yet what the third and final book will be called and when it will be out? And how much of it do you have figured out?
The third book’s title is a work-in-progress, as are some of the plot elements, but I’m hoping to get started on it in the next couple of weeks. Much as with the second book, where most of the planning was done after writing the first, I’m currently threshing out ideas and possibilities. We know the destination, it’s just the getting there.
The hoped-for release date is January 2026, but these things can change. Fingers crossed.
Also, is it safe to assume someone should read Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Falling before diving into Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning?
You will certainly get more out of the second book if you read the first, but I’ve tried to make sure that if you don’t, it isn’t wholly incomprehensible or unenjoyable. The plot itself is actually fairly self-contained, but you’ll get more enjoyment out of the character interactions and arcs if you’ve been following them from the first book.
So, is there anything else you think a potential reader might need to know about Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning or the Twilight Wars trilogy?
If you liked the first one I’d say you’ll like the second. The main enjoyment I got out of writing it was continuing the story of this cast of characters, seeing how they’ve changed, how they’ve struggled to survive in a galaxy that is continuing to crumble around them. In general, it’s hopefully just a good space opera romp, with eclectic settings ranging from abandoned space stations, pirate shanties and major capital worlds, and plenty of space battles, assassinations, high-stakes negotiations and a bit of murder-mystery. All told, I hope people enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Finally, if someone enjoys Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Falling and Twilight Imperium: Twilight Wars: Empire Burning, what sci-fi space opera trilogy of someone else’s would you suggest they check out while waiting for the third Twilight Wars book to come out?
That’s a tough one, there are so many incredible works out there.
It’s certainly more than a trilogy, but I’ve recently been re-read The Culture books by Ian Banks. You can’t go wrong with those.
