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Charles Ardai is probably best known for creating Hard Case Crime, a retro-styled line of crime novels that revives the look of the pulp fiction of the 1940s and 50s, and GUN HONEY and HEAT SEEKER, a pair of sexy action thriller comics inspired by James Bond and Modesty Blaise.  We caught up with them to find out more about their new book, Heat Seeker : Exposed. 

How would you pitch Heat Seeker to someone who thinks a hardboiled detective is a kind of candy?

HEAT SEEKER is the story of a very beautiful female criminal who, for a price, will help you disappear if you’ve been marked for death. She uses elaborate techniques of deception to get you out of danger, taking all the heat onto herself. She’s reckless, a thrill-seeker, and her high-octane adventures find her constantly on the edge of disaster – like a cross between the Now You See Me heist movies and Mission Impossible.

And how would you pitch it to a fan of the Maltese Falcon?

Dahlia Racers, a gorgeous femme fatale who lies for a living, threads her way through a web of fellow criminals, persistent cops, dirty reporters, and shadowy European conspirators, trying to turn a dishonest buck while risking her life at every turn.

What’s your personal favourite thing about the hardboiled genre?

I love the atmosphere, the cynical voices, the way there are no good guys, only varying shades of gray; I love the twists and betrayals, and the velocity at which the stories race forward, leaving you breathless. A good hardboiled novel really is like a movie, just one that plays in your head.

If you could have coffee with any one character from your novels, who would it be and why?

From my novels? Probably Susan Feuer, the former stripper turned private eye in the books LITTLE GIRL LOST and SONGS OF INNOCENCE that I wrote under the pen name “Richard Aleas.” She’s whip smart and can see through all your bullshit, but she’s fiercely loyal and cares about the people in her life. She’d be an awfully good friend to have in your corner in a crisis. Now, if I could have coffee with someone from one of my comics it would be pretty hard to turn down a date with Dahlia Racers from HEAT SEEKER.

And which character really needs to calm down?

Dahlia. When she’s not leaping out of a crashing plane without a parachute or from the top of one racing New York City subway car to another, she’s getting into gunfights on nude beaches – all exciting stuff, to be sure, but damn, this lady needs a nice cup of tea and some Me Time on the sofa.

How long does it take you to get to a first draft?

Pulp writers don’t know from “first” drafts. There’s only one draft – the words go straight from your brain to your typewriter to the printer’s press and on to the spinner rack in your neighborhood drugstore. And you write that one draft in a white heat. I wrote my fastest book in just 27 days. My longest, FIFTY-TO-ONE, probably took three months.

What’s your favourite funny thing about the genre?

How so many people stubbornly refuse to take it seriously. Sure, crime novels are fun, they’re entertainment, no question – but the best of them ask tough questions and cast a bitter lens on the world we live in, and they’ll break your heart as well as any Pulitzer winner. Hell, THE GREAT GATSBY is a crime novel. OF MICE AND MEN is pure noir. But those books get taught in schools, and Raymond Chandler’s THE BIG SLEEP and THE LONG GOODBYE don’t, and why not? It’s funny when you think about it. Not funny ha-ha, though.

What does the first day working on a book like this look like compared to the last day?

The first day? Desperation. The last day? Relief. “Can I do this…?” “I can’t possibly do this.” “Dear god, I did it.”

Doctor Who or Doctor No?

I grew up on science fiction (Tom Baker was my Doctor), but I also grew up watching James Bond movies and film noir on TV, and in the end it was Bond and Bogie that won my heart. So I have to give the edge to Dr. No.

Murder on the Orient Express or Death on the Nile?

I’m more a train guy than a boat guy, plus that twist – that brilliant, brilliant twist! Orient Express all the way.

Truth or Beauty?

It’s a false dichotomy. Read your Keats: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty — that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.” Or as Star Trek asked, “Is There in Truth no Beauty?”  They’re a pair, friend, conjoined twins, and you get ’em both or you get neither. Beauty may be the bally that lures you behind the curtain, but truth is waiting there with a club to knock you cold and pick your pockets. All you can hope is that there’s a smile on your face when you go down.

Heat Seeker : Exposed can be pre-ordered here. 

Rob Jones has written comic books such as Griff Gristle, Paperbacks and Inkstains. He is the co-writer and letterer of the upcoming Titan Comics Original Graphic Novel War of the Worlds: Thunder Child.  We caught up with him to find out more.

How would you pitch this to someone who loves the Jeff Wayne version?
I grew up exposed to the Jeff Wayne version from being a young kid in 90s Lowestoft. I would listen to my late father’s L.P, and pour over the incredible artwork in the album sleeves by Geoff Taylor, Mike Trim, and Peter Goodfellow. The song was the standout piece for me on that album, so when coming to read the novel and finding out that the Thunder Child’s involvement in the story is very minimal always got me wondering – “What happened to the crew of that ship? What did they go through before the Martian’s melted their valiant hearts?”. So, my pitch would be, if you loved the musical version, we have a story here that compliments the one that Jeff Wayne, and all the artists involved when the album was originally released and those who came after, delivered, made with genuine love and care for the original text, but you don’t need to be familiar with that to enjoy it. Pop on the album, sit back and follow our crew through to their fateful end.

Why Thunderchild?
The answer to this should be “Why has there NOT been a Thunder Child comic?” The book sets it up as the last stand of humanity, the moment when all hope seems lost. Then that, coupled with Jeff Wayne’s incredible musical version, really hammers home that this ship, its crew, made the noble sacrifice to ensure others could survive. It’s pretty confusing to me that no one in comics has ever felt the need to explore this concept. So, we decided to tell our own story, set to the backdrop of
Wells’ novel, about the crew onboard that obsolete, vastly outgunned and outmatched vessel, and make you care about our cadre of characters as they barrelled towards their fateful showdown with the Martian invaders.

What’s your personal favourite about War of the Worlds?
The themes that Wells’ explored in the novel. This idea that there is something out there that is just exponentially more powerful than we are, that they view us with disdain and set out to destroy us without thinking about perhaps the natural consequences of their actions. It’s reflective in the imperialism of the time that the novel was written, this idea of superiority over the unknown and how those with bigger sticks and larger rocks always attempt to crush those they see as beneath them, and how at the darkest of times, those who seek to control and destroy are offset and thwarted by something which may seem inconsequential. That, and the GIANT MARTIAN HEAT-RAY FIRING DEATH MACHINES! The Tripods are iconic. I do love some solid sci-fi vehicles.

What’s your favourite thing about this book?
I assume “Everything” is a cop-out answer, yes? So, my honest answer would be just having had the opportunity to make it. Working with Matt is always amazing (We’ve known each other for years and have worked on multiple indie projects together in many capacities), having Kevin Castaniero onboard as artist and Simon Gough on colours really rounded out the concept and idea. Kevin’s art is beautiful, both intricate and emotional in all the right places, and simultaneously devastating and overwhelming in all the action set pieces. Coupled with Simon’s beautiful colour work, it really does hammer home the story we wished to tell. So being able to tell it through to the conclusion with this team is probably my absolute favourite thing about this book.
And, on a personal note, it was the first comic project that my father was genuinely enthused about me doing. He was the first person to read the first issue/third of the book, and really loved it. Unfortunately he passed away suddenly before we completed the book, so my favourite thing about this book is the connection to my dad and his excitement at something I was working on.

If you could have coffee with any one character from Thunder Child who would it be and why?
For me, it would have to be Miriam Young. If she was a real person, she would have been one of the first suffragettes for sure. She’s well read, open to ideas, forward thinking and yet, capable of understanding two sides of an argument and attempting to find a compromise. I think she would be a fantastic person to sit and have a coffee with (and hopefully, Simon Young, her husband, would later join us as well). Miriam and Simon very much reflect Matt and my world views and principles, so it would be great to speak with them and learn from them.

And which character really needs to calm down?
Major Makepeace. I nearly said I would love a coffee with him, but he is very much the yang to Miriam and Simon’s ying. He is a product of the landed gentry and a lifetime spent in service to Her Majesty’s armed forces. He represents single minded thinking, the opinions of the old guard and parrots the superiority of the British Empire’s propaganda. The story really does throw him through the wringer, and makes him challenge his world views and his perception of those around him.

How long does it take you to get to a first draft?
I suppose that depends on how you view a first draft. One of the best things about working with Matt, and with Mike Sambrook on the other books I have co-written, is that when you find someone who you click with when writing and coming up with ideas, the story just flows nicely out of the pair of you.
My experience of getting to a finished first draft stage of Thunder Child was Matt and I coming up with specific sections of the story we wanted to tell and then between us, coming up with the connective tissue that would form those ideas and instances into a cohesive narrative. That is to say, in a simpler way, Matt and I really gel when we’re writing together, we get what one another wants to explore in the narrative and both of us check our egos at the door. Once we started plotting things out, the first draft came pretty quickly between us; the structure of the book, how we navigated our cast and crew towards their fateful showdown, the themes and clashes we wished to introduce and then the set pieces and action we wished to include. I don’t have a specific time frame, but I remember we did wrap it up pretty quickly.

What’s your favourite funny thing about the genre?
My favourite funny thing about Victorian/Edwardian sci-fi is just how relevant the themes and the ideas that were explored in those pioneering works are to us today. I suppose funny, in an ironic way, is a better way of summarising it.
It shows that, despite moving forward exponentially as a species in a technological way, the route problems and struggles that afflict and affect us all are still prevalent now, and that we are all still looking for that escapism, that potentially cataclysmic thing or incident that occurs and acts as the great leveller for society. Always make me chuckle nervously like Ralph Wiggum in danger whenever I sit and think about it for longer than a passing moment.

What does the first day working on a book like this look like compared to the last day?
So, every book you write and work on takes a little piece of you, in my experience. This existed as some half baked idea in my head for a good 25+ years, just the experience of following the crew through the opening days of the invasion up to their epic showdown with the Martians. So I went into this project with gusto and enthusiasm, and I don’t think that has ever waned.
I am just as childishly excited about it as I was in those first few days of Matt and I coming up with the story beats, or when Kevin’s art first started landing in our inboxes, or when Simon Gough first started colouring up those pages. Seeing it develop and flourish and come to fruition, despite many roadblocks, hardships and personal challenges, never dampened my spirit.

Wolfman or Frankenstein?
Wolfman. But only because I am also a hairy beast whose mere visage causes those to flee in terror. Seriously though, the wolfman being this character who is a slave to his darker whims and urges when the moon is full, unable to control them in that state, is a really dark, interesting theme to explore. The guilt that follows, the desperation to stop, or the desire to lean into these moments of fury and Id fueled rampages is such an interesting way to look at a character and explore that.

Martians or Humans?
Humans. I have this inherent, probably naive, belief that humans, in the darkest of times, have an ability to pull together, despite our differences, to overcome threats and pull together and learn from one another. Admittedly, in the times we are currently living in, that belief is being pushed to its absolute limits, but I love this idea of plucky people, working together, learning from one another and trying to overcome something which is a direct threat to our existence in a tangible, real way.

I am a big player and lover of the Warhammer 40k universe, and my main army is the Astar Militarum (Imperial Guard in old money), as I love those 1,000,000:1 shots where the plucky guardsman takes out the Daemonic monster or Alien overlord. So, that was a big influence on my decision here.

Truth or Beauty?
I would say the truth. But the argument can be made that there is a certain beauty in truth, or vice versa. It is a belief of mine that deception and malcontent can affect a person physically, showing in their looks and the way they present themselves to the world.
Again, call this naivety, but truth – be it living your truth, being truthful to yourself and those around you, simply being able to show who you are to the world – is far more beautiful than any outward beauty.

The War Of The Worlds: Thunder Child can be pre-ordered here, and is out on June 2nd 2026.

Charlotte Robinson is a television producer and author from the UK. Their debut novel, Mars One, is out on the 23^rd April 2026. We caught up with them to find out more.

How would you pitch Mars One to a fan of Star Trek?

I would pitch it the same way as I would to anyone: it’s an epic global thriller about a one-way colonisation mission to Mars and three unlikely heroes trying to save themselves, and the people they love, from disaster.

But I guess what might appeal to Star Trek fans in particular is that the novel centers around humanity’s inherent desire to “boldly go where no man has gone before”, as well as focusing on the ultimate costs of exploration, and the responsibilities we – as a species – have to not only the planet we choose to call home, but also to each other.

And how would you pitch it to someone who is more into fantasy than science fiction?

I’d say sadly there’s no dragons, but there is most definitely a hero’s quest at the very heart of it, along with intrigue, adventure, and an enigmatic cat.

Why should I read this book?

Because it might just make you think about your place in the world and realise that everyone can play a part in our planet’s future. And also, because it’s great fun and you’ll make a debut author incredibly happy!

Are we ever going to Mars?

Yes. I think it’s safe to say we will. Although how we will get there and who will ultimately be paying the price for it (both financially and ethically) is a very interesting and important question. A new space race is already upon us. And with private companies and wealthy individuals becoming more and more imbedded within national space programmes, as well pursuing their own missions and agendas, I think it will also happen sooner than we think; especially if there is power and profit to be gained from it.

(Note: the first steps to Mars are already very much underway, as NASA’s current Artemis programme is launching new lunar exploration missions as we speak, and that is being used as a road test for future Martian exploration!)

What is the most interesting sci-fi element in your books? Why?

I think the most interesting sci-fi element in the book is that everything within it is possible: it’s fiction based on science and technology that we have right now. If someone had the means and the guts, they could launch a ship to Mars tomorrow (although, whether it would get there in one piece, is another thing entirely!). But probably the most “sci-fi” of all elements in the novel is a device within the narrative that runs off of the body’s very own bioelectricity. Bio-energy harvesting is an area of science that is moving rapidly fast and some of my initial research into the magic of bioelectricity was sparked (pardon the pun) by working with Naomi Alderman on the television adaptation of her incredible novel THE POWER.

If anyone is interested in more information around electricity within the body and the new science of our body’s ‘electrome’, I’d highly recommend Sally Adee’s book WE ARE ELECTRIC, which shows how concepts that have previously only been the stuff of science fiction are now becoming a reality. All of which feels pleasingly circular when you realise that it was Galvani’s studies of bioelectricity that inspired Mary Shelley to write the very first work of science fiction: the incomparable FRANKENSTEIN. Science inspires fiction which, in turn, becomes science.

How long does it take you to get to a first draft?

This book was a long time in the making, as I originally pitched it as a television show when I was working as a script editor. So, it was several years before I attempted to write it as a novel. When I did finally start, it took me about three years to get a full first draft, as I was also holding down a day job, and then I worked on it for another year, rewriting and editing, before I was ready to send it out into the world.

What’s your favourite joke or pun in the book?

It’s not a joke, per se, but as a sci-fi fan and self-declared nerd I had fun dropping in some pop-culture references and nods to my favourite films, TV series, or books: MEN IN BLACK inspired a really key element to the plot; a character makes a dig at the THE MARTIAN (a book and film I hugely love and respect, by the way!); there’s Star Wars references; a Game of Thrones reference; Pixar references; also a few in-jokes from the TV industry about self-important producers (being very aware that I am a producer myself!). And, of course, a cat is key to the story, so I couldn’t avoid a pussy pun.  And watch out for the bit where a character quite literally lets the cat out of the bag. I shamefully made myself chuckle with that one.

What is science fiction for?

I slightly touched upon this already, but I think it’s for three key things:

1. First and foremost: to entertain. That’s what stories of any kind are for. To tell stories, and to entertain other people with them, is the most basic of human instincts. It’s the way we connect as a species.
2. To make us question who we are, and where we’re headed. What science fiction is brilliant at doing is allowing us to slightly distance ourselves from reality, so that we can think more clearly and critically about the human condition and the world that we find ourselves in. And when we’re able to ask questions, we’re also then able to change things.
3. To inspire: so many innovations, technological breakthroughs, and even moments of political change, have been inspired by works of science fiction. If MARS ONE inspires someone to question things, to make a change (however big or small), or even to become an astronaut, a coder, or an environmental activist, I would be thrilled and honoured beyond words.

 

Mars Attacks or Mars Bars?

Mars Attacks! (I’m not a huge fan of caramel)

Dragons or Death Stars?

Dragons

Truth or Beauty?
Truth. Always. Even if it’s painful.

Mars One by Charlotte Robinson (Bantam, £16.99) is published on 23^rd April 2026.

 

Mark Lawrence is a novelist best known for The Broken Empire trilogy. He also won the David Gemmell Award for For Fantasy. His latest novel, Daughter of Crows, is the first of his new series, The Academy of Kindness. We caught up with him to find out more.

How would you pitch Daughter of Crows to someone who loved The Book That Wouldn’t Burn?

I would say that it starts a trilogy that, like all my trilogies, is pretty different from my others. Give it a go if you enjoyed my writing – don’t go in expecting more of the same.

It shares a somewhat literary edge with TBTWB and has some thoughtful moments on the themes it has in focus – in this case a person’s whole life, and how the years change us and how they don’t. It also looks at how experience shapes us and how we resist shaping.

On the other hand, it’s a much darker and more violent book with far less charm and whimsy on display.

And how would you pitch it to someone new to your work?

I am allergic to pitching. Yet here I am. There’s the surface level excitement of a badass old lady with a background that could be described as ultra-dark academia, getting pulled back into conflicts she thought she had escaped. And there’s the somewhat deeper examination of a life and how age changes us, not just physically, but at the core.

Which character would you want to avoid being trapped in a lift with, and why?

Being trapped in a lift sounds so unappealing that the question of “with whom?” becomes secondary. I guess I would want to avoid being trapped in a lift with someone skinny because if we were trapped for a long time someone with more meat on their bones would be more likely to sustain me until rescue arrived.

How long does it take you to get to a first draft?

I generally only do a first draft, and that typically takes between 6 and 9 months.

Sunshine or Lollipops?
Dragons or Death Stars?
Truth or Beauty?

I was a research scientist for 20 years, my first degree was in physics and my Ph.D in an area of statistical mathematics. Truth or Beauty makes me think of quarks. Sunshine or lollipops, here I’m too busy trying to work out the connection to answer the question. Dragons or Death Stars reminds me that I’m always being asked why a scientist chose fantasy over scifi. But it’s dragons every time. Though I don’t really like dragons in my fantasy books that much.

Daughter of Crows is out now. 

Trigun Stargaze takes us to the anime world of Trigun, a high-octane show available now on Crunchyroll.

The synopsis for the show is “Vash the Stampede is a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a “$$6 million bounty” on his head? That’s what is puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when they look into the fugitive only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation uncovers something heinous.”

We caught up with the show’s English dub stars, Johnny Yong Bosch who plays Vash (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle ) and Sarah Roach  who plays Meryl Stryfe ( the actor is also known for You and I Are Polar Opposites, My Dress-Up Darling) to find out more.

How would you pitch the show to a beloved elderly relative?

Sarah: Dystopian Space Western, with a lot of heart.

Johnny: Vash is a pacifist in a world that is very crazy and violent, and his twin brother is part of that violence, and he is just trying to bring peace to this world. And there are many adventures, meeting many friends along the way, and they end up working together to try to, you know, achieve that same goal. And it’s fantastic, and the animation is great, and the music is amazing.

But what was your first day on this project compared to your most recent last day? What were the two like?

Sarah: I mean, for me, I was really nervous and excited to be stepping into this series, and so I’m still very excited every time I go in, just a lot less nervous now

Johnny: I feel, I mean, I’m very comfortable with the character.  We show up and the script is right there, but it’s not like we can turn the page, it’s electronic, so we’re finding out what’s happening in the story as we’re going along. Or if we ask Jeremy, our director, would feed us what’s happening in the story. And I think, earlier on, I was just kind of curious where things are going to go. Now I kind of see the direction of where we’re going so I am more comfortable

What happens when you’re in that like you’re in the zone. You’re in that role, you’re going through the script, and suddenly there is a huge surprise. How do you essentially keep your characters cool during those moments?

Johnny: Well, sometimes you want to react to those surprises appropriately, you know. So if you’re seeing something for the first time and you’re saying something, a line or whatever, you might get a natural reaction off of, like, Whoa. Okay. A lot of times, though, with this sort of thing, with anime, specifically, there’s, you’ll have previews and stuff.

So this is a far future space apocalyptic story. What do you that’s very different from, you know, living in LA, what do you do? What do you do to get into the role to like, get into behind the wheel of the characters?

Sarah: For me, anytime I play a character, I like to listen to music beforehand that either kind of reminds me of the world that they live in or that I think the character would like. And so I like listening to kind of, like that Western, like whistly kind of stuff. Sometimes, sometimes, yeah, spaghetti western. I like to listen to kind of music to get me in that space.

Johnny:  Typically, I try to find what’s the heart of the character? Like, what is their main goal? Like, what do they want to achieve? And it doesn’t always happen right away. Sometimes you find out through a few lines or an episode or two, but once you find that piece, then you just sort of lean into that.

Why do we marry science fiction and Westerns together so often? What is it about those two genres that inspire that kind of merge?

Sarah: Something about it just really works. I don’t know. I. It’s always really cool. I mean, a Western in space, just saying that, it’s like, that sounds awesome.

Johnny:  It’s Pretty cool. I don’t know. I really just in anime there’s, there’s a huge variety, so you can find just about anything. But yeah, there is something fascinating about it, for sure.

If you could grab one thing from the show, one piece of technology, one power, one ability from the show and bring it into your everyday, day to day life. What would it be?

Sarah: I love the birds that they ride on, like horses. I would love one of those to be my pal. I don’t know. They’re really cool.

Johnny:  I’d take Vas’s Arm.  Or Wolf Wood’s Cross.

You can catch the show on Crunchyroll here.

Based on the original popular manga created by Yasuhiro Nightow, TRIGUN STAMPEDE and TRIGUN STARGAZE are produced by Studio Orange (BEASTARS, Leviathan). TRIGUN STAMPEDE was directed by Kenji Muto (Land of the Lustrous episode director), and TRIGUN STARGAZE is directed by Masako Sato (HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP). Additional credits for both include scripts based on Takehiko Oki’s concepts and concept art and character designs by Kouji Tajima (GANTZ:0 character artist).

Official TRIGUN STARGAZE Synopsis

It’s been two and a half years since the Lost JuLai tragedy laid waste to an entire city and engulfed the whole planet in chaos. Meryl continues her search for Vash with her new younger sidekick, Milly, and runs into Wolfwood along the way. Meanwhile, Vash has taken the new name Eriks and is living in hiding in a backwater town. When he receives an abrupt visit and SOS from the third ship they call home, he acts swiftly in order to protect those dear to him. However, as soon as the planet receives good news from the far reaches of outer space, the one-winged angel returns to wreak havoc and despair. Fates collide to forge a final conclusion for the panicked planet. TRIGUN STARGAZE is the second season and final journey of TRIGUN STAMPEDE.

 

Trigun Stargaze takes us to the anime world of Trigun, a high-octane show available now on Crunchyroll.

The synopsis for the show is “Vash the Stampede is a joyful gunslinging pacifist, so why does he have a “$$6 million bounty” on his head? That’s what is puzzling rookie reporter Meryl Stryfe and her jaded veteran partner when they look into the fugitive only to find someone who hates blood. But their investigation uncovers something heinous.”

We caught up with the show’s English dub stars. Alexis Tipton plays Milly Thompson (the actor is also known for  Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, Fire Force) and David Matranga plays Nicholas D. Wolfwood  ( the actor is also known for My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan) to find out more.

What is your elevator pitch for the show?

David: Space Battle Western. Humanity is trying to survive, and the characters that are at the forefront of trying to help them survive are dealing with their own morality that bumps into each other and gets in the way as they try to save the planet.

Alexis: if I was going to add anything, I might just mention, like, great music, great animation, yeah, right, timeless themes that anybody can, can be entertained by and or relate to. There’s a little something for everybody. So it would be a good show for anybody to check out, because it stands to reason that there is something in it for everybody.

What was your first day recording compared to your last day of recording this show?

Alexis: We actually don’t really get any time to prepare. Sometimes we know we’re coming in to record. Sometimes don’t even tell us what we’re coming in for. They told us for this. But when we come in, everything we do is what’s called cold reading, which means that we’re seeing the script for the very first time. And there’s a lot in that process that helps us find the character, find our performance, figure out what the scenes need as we go through them, but yeah, the first day, it was just, it was that that just like nervous excitement of, oooh, new project, and I know what this is, and this is really fun. As the show and the title progresses get to learn more about these characters.

David: If you watch, you know, your favourite television show, let’s say, and you watch the pilot, and then you watch the season finale, or a series finale, you can see that the character almost deepen with the actor’s relationship to that character. Seamless transitions, those things deepen as it goes for me. You create the voice right there in that first session. And I’m a pretty physical actor, just in general. When I’m working with Wolf, would you know, my posture changes a little bit. My shoulders are held a little differently just because of who he is and his kind of aura. And so that you know that first session you’re trying those things on, you lock something in, but then you know, all to the last session, all of that stuff is second nature. It’s not even you don’t even know you’re doing it anymore  and the performance is just right at your fingertips.

What do you draw on as actors to get into the zone?

David: I think no matter how, and I’ve seen this with other media, no matter how futuristic something is, it comes down to those basic human needs of validation and love and friendship and community, and those things are so apparent in this show.

So, you know, it’s, it’s not like I have to imagine myself or something in a futuristic world. I think, I do think about, you know, what would it be like if things were more dire than I feel they are for me now. It really is about how you take on those given circumstances of the world, whatever those are, and then you play the truth of the character in those moments. And if you do that, I feel like the journey will always sort of calibrate itself well

Alexis: And we’re also very lucky with this title, that there are so many amazing storytelling elements present. And so when we preview all the lines in Japanese first, before we lay down the English track, and we get to hear the music, and we get to hear what the Japanese has done, like if there’s a big action sequence happening and or there’s a bunch of people screaming, or there’s something really emotional happening. You can really lock into those emotions of the preview, and it really does translate to feeling it in your own body.

If you could take one thing from the show, like it’s a power or a piece of technology or something like that, and have it for yourselves, what would it be?

Alexis: I mean the space travel is pretty great. I mean being able to travel farther in space than we can currently,

David: Being able to operate with like, acrobatic ease. That or a gun that is in the shape of a cross that’s got like, two different ends to it. That would be really cool. That would be really cool. I don’t think you could take it to a traditional shooting range or anything.

You can catch the show on Crunchyroll here.

Based on the original popular manga created by Yasuhiro Nightow, TRIGUN STAMPEDE and TRIGUN STARGAZE are produced by Studio Orange (BEASTARS, Leviathan). TRIGUN STAMPEDE was directed by Kenji Muto (Land of the Lustrous episode director), and TRIGUN STARGAZE is directed by Masako Sato (HAIKYU!! TO THE TOP). Additional credits for both include scripts based on Takehiko Oki’s concepts and concept art and character designs by Kouji Tajima (GANTZ:0 character artist).

 

Official TRIGUN STARGAZE Synopsis

It’s been two and a half years since the Lost JuLai tragedy laid waste to an entire city and engulfed the whole planet in chaos. Meryl continues her search for Vash with her new younger sidekick, Milly, and runs into Wolfwood along the way. Meanwhile, Vash has taken the new name Eriks and is living in hiding in a backwater town. When he receives an abrupt visit and SOS from the third ship they call home, he acts swiftly in order to protect those dear to him. However, as soon as the planet receives good news from the far reaches of outer space, the one-winged angel returns to wreak havoc and despair. Fates collide to forge a final conclusion for the panicked planet. TRIGUN STARGAZE is the second season and final journey of TRIGUN STAMPEDE.

 

K.A. Linde is the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of The Oak and Holly Cycle. Their new series, The Royal Houses, launched to an excited fan base and is currently grabbing the attentions of fantasy fans all over the world. We caught up with them to find out more.

How would you pitch House of Dragons and House of Shadows to someone who was a fan of Dungeons and Dragons?

For anyone who enjoys Dungeons and Dragons, my Royal Houses series would be a fun adventure. The main characters, Kerrigan and Fordham, go on many quests throughout the books to discover who murdered Kerrigan’s friend as well as entering into a dragon tournament. And in the second book they travel to a new land that has been forbidden entry for a thousand years and the spell around it is weakening and Kerrigan may be their salvation or their doom.

Why should I read this book?

The Royal Houses appeals to anyone who loves a good dragon story, a good slow burn romance, and good magic learning. There’s also fights for the rights of those who are not Fae. There’s an underground fighting ring, dragon tournaments, spies, a magical academy type setting, regency era Season events with dancing, an arranged marriage, a murder mystery, and so much more. It has a little bit of everything for those who love the fantasy genre.

Why has fantasy and romance suddenly become huge as genre?

While romantasy itself is a new term, it has been big for a long time. We can look back at Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series, Karen Marie Moning’s Fever series, and C. L. Wilson’s Tairen Soul series which were all massive New York Times bestselling series. They were already out there in the 90s and early 00s. Then with the rise of Sarah J. Maas and Jennifer L. Armentrout, we could see the shift that more readers wanted it. And it really boomed with Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.

Part of that is because for so long most women were relegated to writing young adult, because if there was romance in your fantasy then it wasn’t for adults. Partly it is because readers demanded it. The self publishing boom helped shape what readers wanted more of and romantasy became it!

What is the most interesting fantasy element in your books? Why?

I have a personal love for magical artifacts. The book opens on an underground magic fight where the heroine beats someone who shouldn’t and he comes after her in retribution. He gets away with it by using a magical artifact that would knock her out. Throughout the books you get introduced to new artifacts like the Ring of Endings which is immune to magic and the Collector which can take a trace of magic from every user who touches it and then used by other people. And all the artifacts build up each other as you read.

How long does it take you to get to a first draft?

I’ve been a fulltime writer since 2012 and have always been very fast at drafting. I can write more first drafts in 6 weeks.

What’s your favourite joke or pun in the book?

In House of Shadows, Kerrigan and her dragon, Tieran, don’t get along. So the entire book they are overly sarcastic and poking at one another. Tieran’s sense of humor is so clever and witty. But most of it makes sense in context.

What sort of fantasy setting do you enjoy?

Personally I love almost all of them when I’m reading. But I really loved getting to explore writing in a city in the Royal Houses. I have another series, Ascension, which was a typical journey fantasy, where each book is a different country or city they go through. But the majority of the Royal Houses are set in the city of Kinkadia. It was interesting to see how much more you had to dig deep into one world rather than getting fun new things to play with every book.

Dragons or Kobolds?
Dragon

Star Trek or Star Wars?
Star Wars

Truth or Beauty?
Truth

You can find out more here and pick up a copy of the book here.

Emily Carding  is an actor, theatre-maker, writer and artist. They are best known for their award-winning interactive solo Shakespeare shows, as well as the role of Dara 2026’s Return to Silent Hill.  Their award winning  work immersive experiences such as The Key of Dreams and, of course, Bridge Command, where they play the dour and disciplined Captain Athena Hamilton. We caught up with them to find out more.

How did you end up working for Bridge Command?

Owen Kingston (artistic director of Parabolic Theatre) is very careful about who he hires and thankfully I was recommended to him by a couple of people on the immersive scene whose opinion he trusts. As a lifelong fan of Star Trek and sci-fi in general as well as specialising in responsive immersive work, it’s a dream!

And how would you pitch it to someone who can quote Wrath of Khan?

Live your dreams of being part of a real starship crew and be the hero of your own adventure. We don’t believe in the no-win scenario- at Bridge Command we know you’ll succeed.

What is the trickiest part of your job?

One of the extraordinary things about the company is how every aspect is run by the actors, including the bar, admin, video editing…everything! I can find working in the mess pretty stressful when it’s loud and busy but we all muck in and get the job done and remember how lucky we are to essentially play pretend in space for a living.

Why science fiction?

Genres like science fiction allow us to view humanity through an alternate lens and look at real issues in a revelatory and insightful way as a result. The possibilities of immersive adventures in this environment are not just escapist but allow us to explore facets of ourselves that the everyday may not allow for or support.

How does it compare to other, similar shows?

Tricky to say what’s out there that is similar, but in terms of other immersive shows it’s incredibly responsive and remembers your progress. For example, you can be promoted and that’s the rank you’ll be when you come back. There are now around 25 different missions running and we always do our best to make sure you won’t do the same mission twice. For our most committed regulars who have been even more times than that, we do our best to put unique spins and twists in when we can. Outside of the missions there is a constant, unfolding and developing world in which your actions have consequences, and ongoing relations between our characters in that world that you become part of. It’s truly unique in that sense.

Is this the future of entertainment?

I think people are hungry for something that feels real in a world that is too often virtual and detached, yes. Video games are obviously incredibly popular as they give you agency and put you at the centre of the action. At Bridge Command you really get to live that experience and interact with the world in a physical way which is beyond anything virtual reality can achieve, along with an incredible community-building social experience.

How similar is this to other projects you’ve worked on?

It’s very unlike anything else, but in terms of immersion, responsivity and audience agency it has some crossover with Key of Dreams, the 24 hour luxury Lovecraftian experience by Lemon Difficult which is my other main gig. It’s a very, very different show for many reasons but the personal interactions and consequences are special in both. You never know what extra magic or challenges audience members will bring and it’s a privilege to co-create their experience with them in this way.

What is your favourite moment in the show?

Every show is different, but the moment when you can create real magic and wonder for someone- that’s my favourite.

What’s next?

More Bridge Command, more Key of Dreams, and I have a small role in the new Silent Hill movie, Return to Silent Hill, which is out in January. In the new year I’ll look into touring possibilities for my new solo show with Brite Theater, Timonopoly, which had a great run at Edinburgh fringe this summer (2025).

Doctor Who or Doctor No?

Always the mad individual in the blue box.

Death Stars or Dragon?

Why not both? Imagine riding a dragon down the trenches of the Death Star!

Truth or Beauty?

Is there in Truth no Beauty?

Bridge Command can be found at Vauxhall in London, England. Book now to avoid disappointment.