Exclusive Interview: Samuel C. Lacoste (Part Two: Grimdark, Writing & More)

Picking up from the first part of the our interview, we’re going to get Sam’s thoughts on the sci-fi grimdark genre, as well as explore some of his thoughts about writing. If you haven’t read the first part of the interview, you can find it here. For everyone else, let’s dive in!

• Let’s talk about what Grimdark is, for those unfamiliar and maybe stepping into their first grimdark story–how would you define what Grimdark is? And when they realize its going to make them uncomfortable, is that part of the genre?

Yes. Grimdark, being essence a dystopia has to make you uncomfortable. But there different degrees of uncomfortable and Grimdark is one of the highest. So you (readers) have to understand that its not for the faint of heart. The genre is a very graphical presentation of violence and even on a psychological level. So, yeah, it has to be. This is the kind of book from the 90’s that, deservedly, was for public advise [had public warnings]. Almost everything was for public advise. This one, yes, you have to warn people sometimes. But, you know, if you have to make a list about things you can find about a warning, you can have an entire chapter. Let’s assume for people that you can found almost everything… I say almost, because if you want to find everything you have to go to the splatter[punk] guys. Ok, you know? This [grimdark] is a little less than splatter, but we’re not very far from.

• Is there a grimdark cross-genre that you’d like to see? Something you’d like to see grimdark paired up with?

Recently, I played a game called the Forever Winter. The atmosphere is so unique. The setting, it was… this is the kind of game I was waiting for, before I was knowing it. I was wishing it, but I didn’t know what form it could have been. Recently, I played GTFO; the main story is very grimdark. I’m waiting for Den of Wolves. I like what was done with The Shadow Strays [movie] too.

• So… you’ve got an upcoming novel. The short story Those Eyes was a prologue or character background…

It’s a prologue, but not the full prologue. It’s a slice of life of the characters. I will introduce by this way, because if I don’t do that the main story will be very convoluted. So I need to give some fresh air and tell some things outside the main story. So, yes, Those Eyes is part of this plan. It explains a side of a character–something not everything about the character. I think I can have fun with this idea. A slice of life of characters.

I have another one in writing right now. Yeah, it will be “fun.”

• On that point, when you start a universe, you can’t put the universe in a three hundred… four hundred page book. It’s to dense.

Yeah. [My universe] grew up to be a very big universe on its own. This is why I developed a main story and side stories at the same time. It’s a piece of work. Especially with the time I have… or I lack. If I want to write it correctly, I have to sacrifice something. You have to sacrifice something if you want to build such a universe with so big.

• Are we going to see an earlier-origin story for each of the characters in your upcoming novel?

Characters… In Those Eyes, you will discover… if your attentive, you’ll discover two. This one is not so complicated, but you don’t have all the elements right now. In part, yes, you will discover some origins to some of the characters because it’s related to some of the generations. I won’t tell you everything at the same moment. So, yeah, you will see something about the past of the characters of course. But… but relative to the character that are interlinked to the story.

• Let’s say Sam has written a million words… multiple books. Are your stories going to follow a single timeline? Or will your novelizations branch out with different timelines going in different directions?

It has an end. It has the potential to do such a thing, but I’m not fond of trying to exploit it to the core right now. Even later, because… yes, it has an end. The stories are interlinked to the end are in the form of this of thing you trying to explain. Yes, this is a form of that. Other forms of that?… let’s assume I’m successful with this, I don’t know. Right now I don’t know. All the links have, I develop them myself in books or before. After that, I want all the books to be a similar story, you know? And after that, we will see, but if want them to be adapted other story from the original story, they’ll be in the same universe. Because there will different values in length. In the same universe. Some will be very short, some less, others long–we will see. But at this time, I don’t know.

• If you could remake a movie, whether it involves rewriting the script or reworking characters, what movie would you tackle?

I accept every movie as they are, yes. But, saying that… Some, yes, deserve an umm. I was talking about Predator. I don’t have any shame… Shane Black with The Predator. What you did. What you did. [insert Sam staring at the camera and nodding.] I don’t understand… even today, I don’t understand what happened, what you did. It’s in my throat, and it’s very very dry. Yes, this movie, I will have remade it. BUT, but… saying that. The follow-up with Prey… and I hope Badlands. Prey was very good. Great, great, great. Except the part with the French. We didn’t understand what they were saying… even us French, we needed subtitles to understand what was French they was speaking.

That’s all for now. We’ll be posting the full interview with Sam later this spring. Make sure you’re following him on Instagram and Threads. Check out “Those Eyes” in the free fiction section of the Arkhelian website. And stay tuned for more writing from Sam–he’s been hard at work writing the last several weeks.