Can you give our readers an overview of your YA novel, Niflheim?
Niflheim is a fantasy thriller: Norse myths weaved around mystery and murder, where the victims don’t stay dead for long.
We follow a young man named Eben as he journeys to an island in the frozen north, discovering danger at every turn. Niflheim is full of thrills, scares, action. Hopefully it’s a really fast-paced, exciting read!
And, if you could do it in just 5 words or less, what would they be?
Monsters, mystery, murder… Take care!
From fighting off vampires with garlic-stained hands to sharing an awkward family dinner over curried cod, Eben and Freya’s relationship walks a fine line between supernatural terror and sweet YA romance. How did you navigate balancing those quiet, vulnerable character moments with the relentless pace of a survival thriller?
Eben is the heart of the story, and so it’s his arc that dictates the pace. Sometimes (actually a lot of the time!) he must be threatened or face danger. But sometimes he needs a quiet moment of happiness: a chance to reflect.
The pace of any story needs to ebb and flow. It’s often in the quiet moments, those character moments, where you are building the stakes: for both the character and the reader. Even in an intense thriller, you need to pause to study the character. That’s when you give the character something to lose, and you give the reader a character to care about.
In Niflheim, magic isn’t effortless; channelling it is physically draining, volatile, and deeply tied to intense emotion. What guided the rules and sensory details behind this magic system, and why did you choose to make Eben’s power feel as frightening as it is liberating?
This is such a fantastic question, thank you so much for this one!
I felt it was absolutely essential for Eben to struggle in harnessing the magic because that’s how it is when learning a new skill. Even in fantasy, there needs to be an element of realism.
The struggle is also what makes it satisfying. The reader needs to see that struggle, to urge Eben on, and to feel the same achievement as Eben when he succeeds.
Regarding the sensory details of Eben’s experience, I loved writing these. I tried to give Eben a perspective of himself that he had never before experienced, as if he were viewing himself through a microscope.
Regarding the rules of the magic, I tried to keep them few, and I wanted Eben to understand even fewer. I wanted Eben to be frightened by what he was doing. Again, that’s how it can feel to learn and utilise a new skill. You are working at the edge of your competence, treading that line between success and failure, with the consequences of that failure dangerously close.
What was the original spark that inspired Niflheim?
I imagined a young man stood alone in a storm, staring out to sea. He kept surfacing in my imagination and I began to wonder who he was and where he was going.
And so the island came to me next: sea swirling, waves churning. I imagined the people in their homes, sheltering from the storm, and I realised… it was the perfect night for murder.
Who was your favourite character to write and why?
I loved to write Freya, Eben’s friend and crush. She’s gutsy and very capable. With Freya, I was keen to explore the difference in emotional maturity between her and Eben. (I’m not making any moral judgement or criticism, but there can be big differences between boys and girls at that age.)
I also enjoyed seeing how Eben acted when Freya was around. She brings out the best and the worst in him.
Is there a character that you relate to?
I relate to them all in different ways, including the bad characters. Of course, having spent so much time with him, I feel a special connection to Eben: that young man I saw alone in the storm.
But there are particular elements to the archivist Klemens’ story that I relate to. Klemens describes moments from his past that I feared I might face myself. I won’t go into the details, but when he recounts those events to Eben, I can feel that pain he feels.
Is there a particular scene that felt rewarding to write?
There is a scene towards the end of the book where Eben goes to speak with someone in an effort to finally confront his fears. He’s looking for answers to questions that all young people wrestle with: questions of identity, belonging, one’s place in the world.
As I was writing Niflheim, I knew that scene was coming. There was so much emotion being bottled up, so much anguish building. I couldn’t wait to let it out and it was such a joy when I did.
I cried all the way through writing that scene. I still cry each time I read it.
Did you have to do much research before you started the writing process for the book?
I deliberately avoided detailed research. I wanted to keep my imagination open and unrestricted.
For example, I knew I wanted to take inspiration from the Norse myths, but without becoming tied to them. I kept my research very surface level, hoping that this would allow me to interpret those stories in a fresh and unique way. I think I’ve achieved that.
Niflheim is set in an alternate 19th century. It’s like the world of Charles Dickens, but with a mythological twist. Even if you’ve studied Norse mythology, you’ve never heard the story of Niflheim.
Is there another character’s backstory you are excited to explore in your next book?
I’m desperate to explore the story of Eben’s father. He doesn’t appear in Niflheim, but he lurks in Eben’s thoughts like a spectre, guiding and misguiding him.
Eben’s father is viewed by the reader through a very negative lens in Niflheim, but his story is complex. It wasn’t appropriate to explore those complexities yet, but soon it will be.
How did you come up with the title? Was it a hard process?
No, it wasn’t a hard process. It felt like the only choice.
Before I started writing, I had it in my head as the title. I kept working on other ideas and at one point I had a whole document full of titles, but nothing ever topped it.
Niflheim is the name of the island setting of Eben’s adventure, and it’s like a character in itself. It plays a part in every scene, and so how could it not become the title?
Where do you write?
My favourite spot is my son’s bedroom. It’s south-facing – the lightest room – and somehow he has got himself the comfiest chair in the house. It’s a bright yellow armchair and always makes me feel cheery. When he’s at school, I love to be in there, wrapped in a blanket and tapping away at the keys.
What is your favourite genre to read?
It’s not really a genre, but I love books with a fantastical element. Of course I enjoy pure fantasy, but I tend to prefer stories set in our world with a magical twist.
The House in the Cerulean Sea is an example that comes to mind which I recently enjoyed.
So I enjoy thrillers with a fantasy element. I enjoy historical fiction with a fantasy element. I think that’s how I came to write Niflheim.
Where can our readers find you on social media?
I’m on Instagram @andrewwilson.author
Finally can you give us your favourite quote from a novel (it can be yours!)?
I’m so sorry. At the risk of appearing conceited, I’m going to pick a line from Niflheim because it means a lot to me…
Eben stood at the edge of the world and stared into the abyss.
These were the first words of Niflheim I wrote. They became the opening line of the book and they never changed. To me, they encapsulate the desperate situation that Eben finds himself in as he begins his journey. I use the line again later in the book to reflect the similarities in Eben’s predicament, and to show the reader how he has grown.
Andrew Wilson is an author who blends rich world-building with sharp, compelling mysteries. Niflheim, the first title in his nail-biting trilogy, masterfully weaves Norse myth around a murderous thriller with unforgettable characters.