There is no notion of good and evil, only completion and lack, need and fulfillment. I would like to underline that I have no intention of associating white with good and black with evil -- that is complete nonsense, as anyone would see if they read the book. My villains are simply alien to the rest of us. They intend no evil, only the perpetuation of their own existence. Without giving any more of the plot away, I'd like to say that my "Dark Lord" is not the typical epic fantasy villain at all but is an integral part of the whole thing.
In short, there is no allegory here, only an alien -- and yes, fantastic -- way of perceiving the elements of our world.
Also, my brand of fantasy is completely devoid of the traditional notions of magic as ritual. Instead I see the fantastic as a meta-layer of existence beyond the real world.
No waving of enchanted wands but heightened perception. No magic objects, but a transformed and enhanced reality. No spells or chants, but the raw power of the human will to enact supernatural change upon the universal fabric. This is the kind of "magic" that fills Lords of Rainbow - elemental, organic, humanistic -- an extension of reality.
DL: What do you think is the important function of Fantasy literature?
VN: I think fantasy literature is the one true literature of hope and imagination.
Now, some writers whom I respect very much, like China Miéville and some others of the New Weird, consider the true role of fantasy to be not Tolkienesque consolation but subversion -- a kind of rebellion from complacency. Yes, I can see what is meant here. And I also see the need to change, to fix, to drastically improve the human lot.
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