Author Feature: Nick East
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Meet Nick East, author of fantasy comedy The Last Philosopher!
In the freezing mountains of Empris, Lyeasrakardsul, the oldest living sorcerer suffers from devastating nightmares. At the same time — far away in the sandstone desert of Zenon — Herschel, a man filled to the brim with strange ideas is escaping a prison filled with strange old men.
OR if you prefer the summary:
Before everything, it’s assumed there was nothing, but what if there was no real difference between the two? Just two extreme philosophies from the original conflict.
The planet Huom has been under observation for longer than should technically be possible. The primary watcher, a bitter black-hole, is excited to see that there is finally a proverbial Darkness at the end of the tunnel.
Meanwhile on the planet, in the freezing mountains of Empris, Lyeasrakardsul, the oldest living sorcerer suffers from devastating nightmares. At the same time — far away in the sandstone desert of Zenon — Herschel, a man filled to the brim with strange ideas is escaping a prison filled with strange old men.
What does all this have to do with arsehole Gods, hairy Dwarfs, frustrated Afreets, curious Knomes, lizard-women, and nude Áettar? Perhaps Nothing, perhaps Everything… but why can’t it be both?
Meet Nick and read an excerpt below!
Tell me a little bit about your writing journey. How long have you been writing, and how did you get started?
"I’ve always had a fascination with stories, even as a kid. But the main reason I started writing was because of reading. I wanted to see if I could do something like that too."
Why fantasy specifically? Is it something you write often, or is this your first venture into the genre?
"Fantasy is practically the only thing I’ve ever written, I think I like it because I don’t have to be limited by reality, I can make my own rules."
What are your goals for your writing?
"I’d like to make something that entertains but also makes one think. Whether it be me or the readers."
What inspired The Last Philosopher?
"I take inspiration form everywhere, so I can’t really pinpoint one specific source as the inspiration. But somewhere deep in the background of the subtitle “Nothing is Everything”, there’s an idea that perhaps the multiverse runs on philosophy."
Who is your favorite character in it and why? Tell me a little about them.
"In a multi point-of-view book, favourite character is tricky question to answer. However, if I had to choose one it would probably be the grumpy old sorcerer who tries so hard to hide the fact that he’s basically nice."
Were there any specific challenges to balancing fantasy and comedy? How did you deal with those?
"I think the hardest thing is to not feel like you have to shoe-horn in the comedy, to find the fun where it comes naturally."
Do you have anything else you’d like to say to the readers?
"Please Sir/Madame, may I have some more… feedback?"
On the edge of an odd galaxy — in a universe older than all others put together — a displaced black hole was spinning out of control from the force of perpetual indignation.
Richard, long for Dick, was outraged at all the untraditional things going on here in what the black hole considered to be ITS galaxy.
Imagine having an ego so astronomically large that not even light could escape.
Then picture a never-ending garden party, where one’s ego got seated on the wrong side of the hedge, away from the glittering lights. All alone in the dark.
From the other side, an endless stream of tittering banter drifted Dick’s way. But on this side, there was no one to listen to its exceedingly selfish opinions.
This would give a vague idea of how Richard has felt for what doesn’t just seem like an eternity.
Read The Last Philosopher for free on Wattpad or RoyalRoad, or follow and support Nick on Facebook, Reddit, or Patreon!