If you need someone to blame for this column/interview series existing, then you can probably point the finger at today’s subject: Laird Barron.

Barron is an expat Alaskan and the author of several books including The Imago Sequence and Other Stories, Swift to Chase, and Not a Speck of Light. Currently, he lives in the Rondout Valley of New York State, working on tales about the evil men do. Of course, that’s barely scratching the surface of Barron’s output and influence. From short stories to novellas to novels, his unique blend of horror, crime/noir, and weird fiction has taken many forms over the years.

Not only prolific in his writing, Barron has always been generous with the advice and recommendations for further reading that he shares with readers and aspiring authors. Indeed, hearing Barron talk of his own writerly influences across numerous podcast appearances and other interviews helped inspire me to start this series of interviews. Barron speaks eloquently about the many authors whose works he read in his youth and about how they continue to influence him and his own publications.

Following a grave illness and extended hospitalization in 2023, Barron is back writing and publishing new work. This is great news for the worlds of horror and weird fiction. With words full of dread and stories imbued with boundless creativity, Barron’s catalog is a treasure trove of inspiration for authors. Reading the work of the best of the best is often a sure-fire way to spark one’s own creative impulses. Laird Barron’s writing certainly falls into that category of the best. Starting this column, I knew that I wanted to eventually chat with Laird about one of his favorite authors and have him go deep on the whys and wherefores of his admiration. And I was not disappointed with the results! It was my absolute pleasure to chat with him about the writing of Roger Zelazny. I hope you’ll enjoy it as well.

Who is your favorite author and why?

Roger Zelazny. 

I was raised with a love of verse and his often austerely poetic delivery connects with that part of me that would rather write poems than prose. His fusion of science fiction and fantasy was considered transgressive back in the day. Transgressive and irreverent. I always loved that about his writing. 

I’m not one to seek life lessons in art. But, the fact remains, his sympathetic characterization of morally ambiguous protagonists, the notion that if you’re going down, go down swinging, and one should face inescapable doom with gallows humor, combined to get me through a rough childhood. When the going got tough, I often considered “what would Corwin of Amber do?” Well, he’d spit and roll up his sleeves. Good enough for me.

When were you first made aware of this author and when were you first drawn to their work?

I was around eight years old. Nine Princes in Amber was lying on a coffee table. I liked the cover. Picked it up and started reading. Something about his authorial voice clicked. Despite having read the classics aimed at children, Zelazny was speaking directly to me as an equal.

Many years later, I actually got around to reading author bios and discovered he’d taken up writing at an early age. He was first published during adolescence. Something we had in common. I took up martial arts in my mid-twenties; his elaborate descriptions of wrestling and judo in combat scenes were my primary motivation.

I see this often from writers, this notion of discovering an author outside of so-called children’s literature, who they connect with on a level beyond the standard reader-author relationship. In your case, it was Zelazny, for many others it was Stephen King, Bradbury, etc. There’s this almost passive mentorship quality to it. What do you think triggers this type of connection? 

In my case it was down to circumstance. I felt increasingly estranged from my parents, our way of life, which is life imitating art as it pertains to Zelazny’s Amber saga. I felt as if those stories were written for me. It’s certainly something  that can be cultivated. The poet Charles Simic was once asked about criticism and mentorship. He promptly listed several dead writers who sat like angels on his shoulder while he composed. Truer words were never and so forth.

Is there one particular piece of work from this author that you are especially fond of or that’s had a significant creative impact on you? What is that piece and what makes it so appealing or affecting for you?

Tough to narrow down because I admire so much of Zelazny’s work and continue to draw inspiration from it. Which of his titles is my favorite? Back me into a corner and I’ll say Lord of Light. It’s a big, messy novel; a sprawling, reckless, ambitious piece of art whose central ideas ripple through more contemporary science fiction—the science fictional underpinnings of Martin’s A Game of Thrones, for example. Its history is interesting—originally published as a series of short stories that were later patched together with a frame story; a common practice in those days. The quintessential fixup novel.

How often do you revisit that particular piece or the author’s work in general? What lessons have you learned at various times from the work?

From the latter ‘70s into the late ‘90s, I read and reread Zelazny with great frequency. Especially his Amber novels, Lord of Light, Roadmarks, and This Immortal. 

You’ll quickly find a definite rhythm to his work—he alternates short, punchy paragraphs with gossamer-light soliloquies as the mood strikes him. I learned much regarding the use of suggestion to create imagery and depth in the reader’s mind. His exposition harkens back to the classics in the sense of handling elaborate incidents and/or vast intervals of time within a few pages. 

There’s a section in The Nine Princes of Amber that chronicles an army marching through shadow dimensions to assault the capital of the cosmos. A novel’s worth of adventure flashes across the single (modest) chapter devoted to this epic journey. How does he conjure such sweeping grandeur and nail-biting tension with such brevity? I’ve studied that chapter for years and can’t tell you. Black magic.

I can certainly see the Zelazny influence in your writing, especially as described here. In the matter of using suggestion to add depth and imagery in the reader’s mind, what is your approach to adding these elements to your prose? Do you make a conscious effort to refrain in the initial drafting, does it come in later in the editing, or some combination of the two?

A combination. The first drafts are always too wordy. The rule I follow is essentially Zelazny’s—if it’s a major character, I give you three or four details. Lesser characters get one or two. Behavior, motivation, and dialogue set the table. Readers will always fill in the gaps.

Are there any pieces in the author’s oeuvre that have not worked as well for you? If yes, which ones and why do you think that connection was not as strong?

I connect less with his short fiction. Which is odd because I generally prefer short stories to novels. One hundred percent my failing. The exception being My Name Is Legion which is composed of three novellas that create an interesting character arc. It’s among my favorites. The connection with his short fiction might be weaker for me because his greatest gift was character development. Novels provide a broader canvas for that aspect.

What writing lessons have you taken, purposefully or accidentally, from your favorite author?

The art of describing characters and scenes in such a manner that readers glean much of the information by unconsciously reading between the lines. Specifically, the rule of three—upon initially meeting a character he gives readers (in general terms) height, size, and the color of the character’s hair or clothing. Generally, that’s it. If the character recurs, then Zelazny proffers an additional detail, such as a scar or distinctive mannerism.

Interestingly, he deviates from this formula at will and sometimes unexpectedly. His writing taps into the spiritual, the surreal. On those occasions when he’s really feeling it, he shifts up into another gear; more gauzy, free flowing, and ephemeral. It stings like bitter snow on your lashes, then melts.

I’m fascinated by this notion of an author like Zelazny having a formula/stylistic element in their work and then switching things up to produce a certain effect or impact. Is there anything similar in your own writing—a Laird Barron-ism that you’re aware of and have made a conscious effort to subvert to produce a specific result in the reader experience?

I frequently switch up tone and style. The Isaiah Coleridge novels tend to be fast paced and breezy; Jessica Mace is more elongated and free flowing. Some of my fantasy horror is full-on baroque. “Sound” is critical.

Are there any works in your bibliography that you feel are closest to the work of your favorite—whether in terms of style, subject matter, length, etc.? Talk a little about those similarities. 

I wrote a short novel called The Light Is the Darkness in homage to his overall style and intricate, occasionally Byzantine plots.

Some dialogue in my crime novels (The Isaiah Coleridge series) reflects Zelazny’s influence. Wry, punchy, laconic. He’d affected a meta or fourth wall-breaking self-awareness in his characters years prior to how it was updated and popularized in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly TV series. Before my first pro publications, I trunked a hell of a lot of Zelazny-lite manuscripts.

Where does your writing diverge from your favorite author’s? Are there any elements from your favorite author’s work that you would like to incorporate in your own? If yes, what are these?

My writing is less sardonic on the whole. Zelazny has a lighter touch and seldom dives full fathom five into horror. Even so, A Night In the Lonesome October is a classic of cosmic, Lovecraftian horror that possesses the light touch of vintage Ray Bradbury. That lightness when treating with hideous and diabolical subjects, the deftness of his humor, are characteristics I chase in my own writing. And probably always will.

A Night in the Lonesome October really is a delightfully fun and fascinating piece of work. The love and appreciation of what’s come before is evident without Zelazny feeling the need to be overly reverential of the characters and works he’s referencing. I feel like there’s a similar quality to some of your stories incorporating subtle and not-so-subtle nods to some of your contemporaries like Langan, Tremblay, SGJ, etc. Stories like “Frontier Death Song” or “More Dark.” The love/appreciation comes through, along with a sense of play, while still committing wholeheartedly to the needs of story. Is that a fair assessment? 

Sure, that’s fair enough. I play around with tone in those stories and even moreso in my crime novels. The idea is to interrogate the traditions of genre form, but in a way that respects and honors the tradition, honors the form, and most importantly, shows commitment to the art, the readers’ time.

If a reader wanted to start reading your favorite author, what piece would you recommend they start with?

Nine Princes in Amber showcases much of what made Zelazny so special. His wry humor (“I trusted him like a brother. Which is to say, not at all”), sparse, yet elegant descriptions, and trademark punchy noir inflected dialogue. It’s full of grand ideas, especially the notion that our own Earth is but a shadow of the one true world, Amber. Reminds me of Stephen King’s Dark Tower setting and The Territories from King’s collaborations with Peter Straub (The Talisman and Black House).

Nine Princes in Amber is also the most popular and easy to find title in Zelazny’s catalog.

If you could ask your favorite author one question about their work, what would it be?

I wouldn’t have a burning question. Instead, I’d say, “I’m sorry we never met. As always, goodbye and hello. Thank you for everything, Roger.”

What do you have coming out next on the writing and publishing front? What are you working on now?

I have a major dark fantasy novella called (Pretty) Red Nails coming out with Bad Hand Books in autumn of 2025. Currently working on polishing that, writing a novel and a handful of short stories…

Thank you for taking the time to chat with me about your favorite author.

Where can readers find you online?

Facebook and Twitter under Laird Barron or at my Patreon.