The Alloy of Law also deals with the influence of commerce and industry on events, an element I found in Daniel Abraham’s The Path of Dragons as well. Do you see this as a new trend, broadening the traditional fantasy scope—or is it something that has always been part of the mix?
I think it’s always been part of the mix. Dune , which is one of those hybrid fantasy/science fiction books, is all about this, and is—I would say—the great example of this. It’s the foundation for a lot of modern science fiction and fantasy. A fantastic book, and it deals with the idea of how commerce affects a fantasy and science fiction world.
So I don’t think it’s a new trend, necessarily, but what is a new trend in fantasy is digging into nonstandard (for the genre) types of plots. Moving away from the quest narrative and focusing more on political intrigue, or focusing on the effects of different fantastical elements on a world and its economy. Basically, George R. R. Martin is going this way too, and he’s been doing this for 15 years so I can’t say that it’s a new trend. But it certainly is an exciting direction for the fantasy genre.
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