Tom Huddleston - Floodworld
About Author
Tom Huddleston is an author and freelance film journalist based in East London. An experienced writer, he has penned two original fiction novels, as well three installments in the official Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space series, and now writes the Warhammer Adventure series for children, Realm Quest.
Interview
Dustroad (Floodworld Book 2) (Nosy Crow Books)
March 2020
DUSTROAD, the sequel to FLOODWORLD, takes us to a future North America where climate change has wreaked havoc, leaving scattered communities who live in conflict with each other. Kara and Joe are once again flung into the centre of a plot, this time masterminded by a group of sinister brothers, to overthrow the Mariners.
This is a fast-paced adventure that raises many questions about what our future world might look like.
Author TOM HUDDLESTON tells us more about FLOODWORLD and his latest book, DUSTROAD:
Q: Can you tell us what your books, Floodworld and Dustroad are about? One sentence each!
A: Ooh, challenging! Okay, hero goes: FloodWorld is an action-packed adventure story set in a future, flooded London, about two street kids who find a secret map and end up on the run from the police, gangsters and a society of ocean-going pirate people called the Mariners.
And DustRoad is the sequel, in which our heroes travel across the Atlantic to the desert continent of North America and find themselves caught up in a war between the Mariners and a clan of mysterious, sinister brothers called The Five.
Q: Why did you decide to write about a future, flooded world? Are you pessimistic about climate change?
A: I find the idea of a flooded city really intriguing - streets filled with water, boats instead of cars, wooden walkways and sunken buildings, it just feels like there's loads of potential for adventure.
As for climate change, I don't think there's any point being pessimistic, because it's already happening. As I'm writing this, large parts of the UK have spent the last two months underwater. What's important is how we respond to it - can we slow down the pace of change? And as the world gets warmer, can we find ways to help those who need it most?
The school strikes give me a lot of hope - the world is listening, and perhaps we can affect things so that the extreme changes that I've depicted in my books don't come to pass. But the world will be completely transformed, that's inevitable now.
Q: Floodworld is set in London; why did you decide to set Dustroad in the US? Have you visited the 'Dustroad' your characters travel on?
A: I wanted to explore more of this future world, it felt like there's was lots more to discover. And yes, a few years ago I'd been on a big road trip from the Atlantic to the Pacific coasts of America, and parts of it already felt like quite post-apocalyptic - we drove through ghost towns, past boarded-up shops and through big stretches of desert.
It gave me a great outline for the story - I just took the basic route of our journey and imagined it 200 years in the future. It hopefully gives the book a sense of reality that futuristic stories don't always have. I even had photographs to look at for most of the locations.
Q: How long did you need to spend planning each of these worlds - for example in Dustroad, the tech they could still be using?
A: I spent a lot of time imagining myself in this world, walking through the flooded streets of London, over rickety walkways and rafts; or flying over the abandoned towns of North America, seeing packs of wild dogs in the rubble. I really tried to visualise everything as clearly possible.
But as for technology, the story takes place in a future where the changing climate has slowed the rate of scientific advancement - people have been so busy just trying to survive, there's been very little time to spend on new breakthroughs. They speak about our era the way we talk about, say, Victorian times - they call it the 'Tech Age'. There's obviously some unfamiliar tech - energy cannons, and Mariner Arks - but the world as a whole hasn't moved on very far from the world of today.
Q: How did it feel returning to the some of the characters from FloodWorld for DustRoad?
A: It was an absolute pleasure. I'd grown so fond of all the characters, it was great to see what they'd do next, and explore new sides of their personalities. Also, there were some relationships in the first book - like the one between our heroine Kara and and her Mariner friend Nate, or between Cane and her father John Cortez - that I'd only just started exploring in the first book. This was a chance to see how those developed.
Q: Why do you keep Kara and Joe together during these adventures?
A: Well actually, in the first draft of DustRoad they were kept apart for much longer. They started and ended their journey together, but for most of the chapters in between they were apart. But my editor said to me - and quite rightly - that the relationship between Kara, who is this tough, streetwise teenager, and Joe, who is much younger and more innocent, was one of the most appealing things in FloodWorld. Their relationship is so loving and funny, they're like brother and sister, even though they're not related. So she urged me to keep them together for longer, and it really helped the book.
But it was important not to let the characters stay the same. In FloodWorld Kara and Joe had learned a lot, about the world and about themselves. In this book I needed to push that further. They both go through some pretty challenging experiences, they're not the same people by the end of the story.
Q: There are some fabulous villains in both books, who did you have the most fun creating?
A: Villains are sometimes the hardest characters to write, because if they're too nasty they end up feeling like cartoons, and if they're too nice they're not scary. In FloodWorld and DustRoad, I've tried to create villains who are both good and bad - they often have pretty good ideas about how the world ought to be, but they push those ideas too far and they start to believe that their way is the only way. I've taken the idea of a villain who can be both good and bad to a new extreme in DustRoad, but I won't spoil that!
My favourite baddie in the books has to be Redeye. He acts like a super-tough deadly assassin, but underneath there's a lot of self-doubt and fear and anger about his own past. Plus he's got an artificial eye, which is just cool.
Q: What is your favourite moment in Dustroad?
A: Well a lot of them come near the end, so I can't spoil them! There's this bit with a flying machine... and another bit with three cars and a bonfire... and a scene with a tram that's really exciting... but I can't talk about any of those.
So I'll go for the scene where Kara, Joe and Nate meet a new character called Lynx, a bounty hunter that they run into in a kind of outlaw bar in the ruins of an old amusement park. Lynx - one of the Wildcats - is my favourite new character in DustRoad; tough but complicated, and with a really unique manner of speech.
Q: How many more books will there be in the series? Can you give us a glimpse into 'what next'?
A: Well I'm planning a third book, but obviously I can't talk about that! The story is all mapped out, and we'll get to go to some very cool places... But that's all I'm saying at this point.
Q: Do you have strict plans and goals for your writing days?
A: Not really, as long as I start on time and work for a decent number of hours. I don't set myself word targets or anything. I tend to write really fast - I can knock out a first draft in a few weeks. But it's always complete rubbish, so then I rewrite it. Then I rewrite it again. Then I rewrite it again, and again, and I keep going until it's good. In those circumstances, word targets wouldn't be much help.
Q: What are you most likely to be found doing when you're not writing?
A: Lying on my sofa watching movies on my new projector! Writing about film is how I make my living when I'm not writing books, and I watch far too many of them. Or if it's sunny I love to swim outdoors, that's my absolute favourite pastime. Get a few friends and a picnic, go somewhere out of town and swim in a river. That's my ideal day.
Q: Your books are packed with adventure - what's been your own biggest adventure to date?
A: Well the road trip I mentioned earlier was pretty exciting. But I think my greatest adventure was when I travelled around southern Africa as a teenager. My sister had been working in a hospital there, and the two of us travelled with some friends through South Africa, Zimbabwe and Malawi. The Lake Malawi ferry was probably the craziest part of the journey - an ancient ferry boat packed with literally hundreds of people, all carrying goods to sell in the capital. At one point it was so crammed that I actually had someone sitting on my shoulder - and someone else was sitting on his knee!
Book 1: Floodworld (Nosy Crow Books)
October 2019
FLOODWORLD is set in a future London, semi-submerged as a result of climate change. The wealthy City centre remains safe, hidden behind strong walls, but outside this privileged world lies the Shanties, a lawless area where people fight to survive from day to day.
This is where Joe and Kara live, until the day that they are accidentally caught up in a complex plot that threatens the world they know with further danger.
We asked author TOM HUDDLESTON to tell us more about his latest novel, FLOODWORLD, aimed at readers aged 11+:
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your writing career and what have been your highlights to date?
A: I published my first novel The Waking World in 2013, it was a future-medieval fantasy story with shades of King Arthur. Since then I've written three installments in the Star Wars: Adventures in Wild Space series for LucasFilm, which as a lifelong fan was extremely exciting, and I've recently been working on a really cool fantasy series for 8+ readers under Games Workshop's Warhammer Adventures banner.
Both of these series have been loads of fun to write, giving me the chance to create my very own corner of an established universe. But it's great to publish a new book that's entirely my own.
Q: How would you describe your writing style?
A: I try to make my writing as vivid as possible, to create clear visual pictures in my readers' heads. I worked as a film critic for many years (and still do, on a freelance basis), and my books are heavily inspired by the movies I love.
That said, the most important thing is to make sure that the characters are believable, and that we care what happens to them.
Q: What inspired you to write FloodWorld, a story of a future, submerged London?
A: The image of a flooded city is such a compelling one, it's been lodged in my head for years, inspired by seeing the (admittedly fairly dreadful) movie Waterworld as a teenager, by reading JG Ballard's The Drowned World, and by trips to Venice, where I have relatives. The idea of making it a floating slum perched in the tops of tower blocks is all mine, though, I hope!
Q: Is the title a reference to the Waterworld film?
A: As I said, I'm always inspired by movies, and the scene in Waterworld where Costner swims down and finds a ruined city on the ocean floor was definitely one of the early sparks for this book. But the title isn't a deliberate reference - in fact, the book was actually called The Mariners until pretty late in the process. I'll admit, though, when we settled on the title FloodWorld, I thought this question might come up!
Q: Did you do any research to plan the book, for example reading about what might happen to the world's cities in the future? If so, what's the prognosis for London?
A: I looked at projected maps of the world as the sea levels rise and learned about the potential impacts of climate change (spoiler: it's not good).
I'm sure that a real climate scientist could pick enormous holes in FloodWorld - I think the sea levels would have to rise an awful lot for London to be affected - but that's why this is a work of fiction!
Q: How long did it take to create your setting of a future, flooded London where the poorer Shanties are pitted against the privileged (ie dry) City of London?
A: The image of the Shanties arrived pretty much fully formed - it just seemed like the natural way things would go if a wall was built around London, but only the very privileged were allowed to remain inside. Someone's obviously going to clean the loo and carry the shopping!
I was also inspired by images of floating slums like Makoko in Nigeria, where the residents make rafts and walkways from driftwood and scrap, living as best they can in this really challenging environment.
Q: Your main characters, Kara and Joe, get caught up in a plot that will have a dramatic effect on the City. Was their sibling-like relationship always going to be at the heart of the story?
A: Yes, Kara and Joe were there from the very first draft. They're partly inspired by my own family - Kara is a bit like my sister, and Joe is a bit like me - but I thought it'd be more interesting if they weren't actually related, if they stayed together by choice.
Kara has taken Joe under her wing, trying to cling to one last scrap of innocence in this unforgiving world. And Joe treats Kara like a Mum, a Dad, a big sister and a best friend rolled into one. I believe that chosen family can be every bit as important as your 'real' family.
Q: Other than a great adventure, what would you like your readers to take away from Floodworld?
A: I'd like them to think about the impact of climate change, because one way or another the world is going to look very different in a few decades, let alone a few centuries. I'd like them to think about the way our society is set up, about the growing inequality between those who have too much and those who have too little. But as you say, most of all I'd like them to have a really good time! To be transported to an exciting new world, and lose themselves in it for a little while.
Q: Will you be revisiting Kara and Joe's world?
A: Yes, the sequel to FloodWorld, entitled DustRoad, is coming out in 2020. As the title implies, this time the story takes place mainly on land, as Kara and Joe find themselves lost in the war-torn continent of North America and get involved with a mysterious tribe of identical brothers called The Five, who have a major grudge against The Mariners.
If the first book was like a disaster movie, this one's a proper road movie, an epic chase in all kinds of rusted-up vehicles, buses and trucks and boats and flying machines... it's pretty cool.
Q: You have lots of nautical episodes and gadgets - there's a whole town on the waves, a submarine, submersible and an impressive ship or two. If you could take a trip on any of them, which one would it be?
A: I'd love to visit a Mariner Ark - that's the one that's like a floating town, a huge ocean-going vessel where thousands of Mariners can live and work and study.
But the thought of racing around the ocean floor in a little four-person submersible seems pretty exciting too. The submersible chase was maybe my favourite part of the book to write, I could picture it so perfectly.
Q: Do you write full time? How does your writing day go and where is your favourite place to write?
A: I do write full time, dividing my day between writing fiction and film and TV-related freelance work. We have a spare bedroom in our flat so that's where I write, at a desk by the window so I can look out towards Stoke Newington Common.
I tend to get up at 8.30, exercise a bit, then be at my desk by 9. I then work straight through until 3pm, minus a few short breaks for tea and toast, so that afterwards I can just relax, have a late lunch and watch a movie or reply to some emails in the afternoon. Six hours is all I can manage before my brain goes to mush, anyway.
Q: What are your top tips for writing action scenes?
A: Keep it simple. It seems illogical - an epic action scene should be, well, epic. But there's a limit to how much a reader can keep in their mind's eye at any one time, and if you load a scene with complicated movement and lots of characters and vehicles and locations, it gets confusing, and then you switch off.
The example I always go back to is the escape from Moria in The Lord of the Rings. In the book it's surprisingly brief - they run from the orcs, the Balrog turns up, Gandalf falls, and it's done. In the film version there's all sorts going on - there's a cave troll, the bridge falls over, nobody tosses a dwarf, etc etc. But the book version is every bit as memorable, because you're inside the characters' heads.
Q: Describe your ideal 'writer's shed' and where would it be?
A: I don't need much - a desk, a comfy chair, a computer and a bit of view, preferably of something green. That said, I do prefer to be in a city - that way if I run out of milk I don't have to lose an hour of my day getting to the shops. I'm not sure I can think of a better setup than the one I have now, to be honest...
StormTide
DustRoad
City of Lifestone
The Waking World
