Wishing for a Stranger World: V.E. Schwab Discusses A Darker Shade of Magic

A few weeks out from the release of ADSoM, we had a chance to discuss with Schwab the genesis of the story, her plans to revisit these Neapolitan ice cream Londons in future books, and, of course, that singular coat.
Can you talk about what sparked the idea for this story? Was there one singular image that set you off on this path? Let me guess, it was the many-sided coat, wasn’t it?
Actually, the whole thing was inspired by a collision. Or rather, the idea of a collision, the image of a young man walking through a wall and running into a girl in a mask. I had that image a full six months before the rest of the plot, but the young man became the magician Kell, the girl became thief and aspiring pirate Delilah Bard, and their collision remained one of the pivotal scenes in the book.

The book struck me as a darker twist on Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Are there any books or authors who felt inspired by?
*Swoon* I love that you said that. As for inspiration, well, I’m inspired by doors, thresholds, the lines between. It’s a theme in all of my books. The line between life and death, ordinary and magical. One of my favorite authors is Neil Gaiman, and I adore the way he set a magical world on top of—or below—an ordinary one. I grew up wanting the world to be stranger than it was, and so I love the idea that magic is around us, we’re just not looking hard enough.
Do you see Grey London as our world, or is this an alternate history?
Grey London is inspired by our world, circa 1819. It’s the jumping off point, while Red London pulls from a much more eastern inspiration, and White London from a Scandinavian one. They are all alternate versions in a sense, but yes, they diverge more and more from reality, the farther they are from Grey London.
We seem to be living in Grey London. What did we do to lose our magic?
It’s an interesting question, and one I intend to play with, though I don’t know if I’ll outright answer. In the second book, Kell muses that it might be religion’s fault. After all, in Red London, Magic *is* their god. Grey London decided to believe in a higher power, one external from them. Whether it was the church, or simply the inevitable diminishing (they’re already the weakest, in that they’re the farthest from the “source”) is up to the reader.
What kind of research did you do to write about the period?
I did a fair amount of research, but as much for the aesthetic of the magical Londons as for the real one. I knew I wanted to ground one London in the real world, and a real time period (we see Grey London at the end of George III—the mad king) but this is an envisioning of all Londons, a faithful representation of none.
What’s the coolest bit of world-building or backstory that didn’t make it into the book?
I can’t say, because it will come up in the sequel. 😉
George Lucas recently said that he’s staying away from details about Episode VII so he can experience the story with fresh eyes. If you could choose someone else to write a sequel to ADSoM, who would it be?
Oh goodness, that’s hard. I would probably said Neil Gaiman, just because I’d love to see where he would take it. Or Holly Black, as I’m a huge fan of everything she does, but especially her masterful craft.
You’ve got multiple series/projects planned. Minus your own magic coat, what’s your process for managing these multiple worlds?
It’s very, very hard. I’m currently a full-time graduate student in medieval art history in Edinburgh, while writing a YA novel, an adult fantasy series, and several things I’m not even allowed to talk about. I wish I had a time turner, but the simple truth is just that I multitask and drink a lot of tea. The hardest part is factoring in the time it takes to mentally get in and then out of each project. Many late nights and too little sleep, but I’m doing something I absolutely love, so it’s hard to complain.

What book made you want to write fantasy?
Harry Potter! I grew up in line with Harry, and those books are my entire teens. Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which is one of the strangest, most wonderful books I’ve ever read.
What book do you wish you’d written?
The Golem and the Jinni, by Helene Wecker.
If you could will one nonexistent book into our world, what would it be?
I don’t know, but I hope I’d write it.
You obviously love telling your own stories, but what other fictional world would you love to play around in, and what would a V.E. Schwab in that universe look like?
Probably Marvel. I’m a comic book and action movie junkie, and I’d just love a chance to play in the superhero field (I’ve already put a toe in the supervillain pool).

Both Vicious and ADSoM could easily stand alone (but both also leave room for more). ADSoM is getting a sequel. How do you know if you have more stories to tell in a particular world?
I almost always do. But I’m also a firm believer that a book should always be able to stand on its own, even if it’s the first in a series. Otherwise, it’s not particularly satisfying for the reader.
If you could choose one of your books to be made into a film or TV series, which one would it be and why?
Vicious. Because I desperately want to take a photo with “Victor” and “Eli” since I like to think of them as my two highly dysfunctional sides.
What’s your favorite sentence you’ve ever written?
“Plenty of humans were monstrous, and plenty of monsters knew how to play at being human.”
What’s the first sentence of your work in progress?
“The night Kate Harker burned down the church, she wasn’t angry or drunk…she was just desperate.”
A Darker Shade of Magic is out Feb. 24.