“Beyonders starts like Narnia, then finishes like Lord of the Rings.”
That bold statement comes from Beyonders author Brandon Mull, whose second book in the series, “Seeds of Rebellion,” came out Tuesday.
“In the beginning, we have characters from our world crossing into a fantasy reality that needs help, which sounds Narnia-esque,” Brandon continued. “But once the story starts rolling, especially in the latter two books, it gets more complicated and epic, with a large cast of characters and events that span various clashing kingdoms. The story becomes grander than one might expect from a Narnia-type narrative. I like that Beyonders starts with a pair of characters coming to a strange world in an unlikely way, and ends with them involved in a more complex adventure than the reader would probably anticipate.”
At the center of the Beyonders is Jason Walker, a teenager who is unexpectedly transported to a strange world when he falls into the hippo tank at the zoo. Lyrian is a dangerous land where its people live in fear of the wizard emperor Maldor. As Jason searches for a way home, he meets Rachel, who was also mysteriously transported to Lyrian. Before they can return to our world Jason and Rachel find themselves in the smack in the middle of the effort to rid Lyrian of Maldor.
Brandon has had the Beyonders series mapped out for years, and he says he may never again write a story so thoroughly planned out prior to writing. “This enabled me to create some fun set-ups and pay-offs, moments where the reader will be rewarded for paying attention as some of the early moments in the story have surprising relevance at the end,” Brandon told Cracking the Cover.
But just because the Beyonders was mapped out prior to writing the series, it doesn’t mean everything came easily. The trickiest thing about “Seeds of Rebellion,” Brandon says, was probably managing the large cast of characters.
“I want them to feel relatable and distinct,” he said. “Jason and Rachel are helped by several broken heroes, men and women who are trying to overcome past failures and find a way to save their homeland. I hope I was able to spend enough time with these supporting characters that the reader could get to know them and find them interesting, but not so much time that it drags the book to a halt.”
One of Brandon’s goals is to forever improve as a writer. He says there will always be a better story to tell and a better way to tell it. “I think I’m getting better at choosing what scenes to portray in my novels, which helps the pacing,” he said. “I am getting a little tired lately, but if I take more than a few weeks away from writing, I always find myself itching to get back to it. I sincerely enjoy making stories.”
Brandon says he becoming more aware of what he’s doing as a writer. His writing is becoming more deliberate. “This can be good, because I’m quicker to recognize and fix weaknesses,” he said. “It can be bad because sometimes I overthink scenes and forget that some of the best stuff comes from relaxing and trusting my instincts.”
With a number of best-sellers under his belt, it appears that trusting his instincts is working for Brandon. He’s now so popular he sometimes gets recognized in public, an unusual thing for authors.
“My family went to Disneyland and I got stopped a few times,” he said. “I’ll get stopped when I’m out and about running errands near my home. It is almost always a pleasant experience. My readers tend to be young people and families and likeminded adults. I would guess that most readers don’t know what I look like. I suspect I get recognized more because of book signings and school visits than due to the photo in the back of the book.”
**Brandon took a lot of time and care answering Cracking the Cover’s questions. Read a complete transcript of his interview.
