Kester Grant is a British fantasy writer whose new book, The Court of Miracles, has been very well received by fans and critics. We caught up with her to find out more about this debut novel, which can be ordered from here.
So what is Court of Miracles about? How would you describe it to a beloved elderly relative?
The Court of Miracles is a reimagining of Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, and a fierce feminist alternate historical adventure romp. The story centers on young cat burglar Eponine “Nina” Thénardier’s desperate quest to save her sister from a vicious human trafficker. She must navigate the violent criminal underworld of The Miracle Court; governed by Guild Lords who live by an unforgiving moral code. It’s set between the dangerous streets of Paris- with famine, disease, and growing rebellion- and the glittering royal court of King Louis XVI.
My favourite review said that it was like Scott Lynch and Leigh Bardugo teamed up to rewrite Les Mis.
Or, if I was explaining it to my grandmother; it’s that musical in which everyone dies, but with more sisterhood and crime, and none of that awful Marius Pontmercy.
Why Les Misérable?
A childhood obsession with the book, musical and films…. 36 years of having to relive Eponine taking a bullet for that useless waste of space that is Marius Pontmercy. One day, I just snapped.
What character is the most fun to write?
Enjolras St Juste: he’s so all-consumingly obsessed with revolution that he is a joy to write.
Although there’s something quite freeing in writing the main villain; Kaplan “The Tiger” Lord of the Guild of Flesh. Is it weird to enjoy writing the bad guy? Interestingly, I don’t like writing Thénardier, the other main baddie, so perhaps it’s down to the Tiger having a compellingly tragic backstory (not that it condones any of his actions), compared to Thénardier who is just vile for no reason whatsoever…
Which character seriously needs to have word with themselves?
Sadly, the characters that would most benefit from a talking-to would probably congratulate themselves on their own wickedness.
That said, I think the Lords of the Miracle Court need someone to point out that allowing a human trafficker to deceive and betray his way into their fold is not in accordance with the law that governs their criminal underworld. Eponine is that challenging voice.
If Court of Miracles had to be set in another world, what world would you choose?
I think The Court of Miracles would do quite well as a huge space opera with guilds the size of planets. Or as an imperial court intrigue in the Wuxiq vein.
How would it change the story?
The space opera setting would scale the story upwards allowing for a more multi-planetary or, should I say, galaxy level of story. Although that would have required many more side plots and characters and I was already pushing the upper limit.
Is the genre world more accessible these days?
I do think the genre world is more accessible these days, thanks to successful storytelling in the realms of film and television; Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Game of Thrones… Non-genre readers have come to realize that they are attracted to the universality of themes in genre stories. A good example is the rollicking success of The Mandalorian.
How does magic change a society?
I purposefully employed tropes and techniques common to fantasy world-building. My aim was to create a world that is rich, detailed, lush, and feels a little strange. But there are no actual magical or supernatural elements in the Court Miracles, aside from the fact that it is an alternate history branching off after a failed French revolution.
Which writers inspire you?
One of my biggest inspirations is the Discworld novels from my hero, Terry Pratchett. Although the court of miracles also pulls from a lot of classical sources, including Victor Hugo’s other great work Notre Dame de Paris and Kipling’s Jungle Book.
What tropes do you personally avoid the most?
The Court of Miracles provided an opportunity to surgically remove the parts of Les Mis that most annoy me. For instance, the love triangle between Eponine, Cosette, and Marius. And the fact that most female characters in the story have little agency, other than inspiring the main male protagonists. My Eponine and Cosette are far too busy trying to rescue each other from very bad people with very bad intentions to sit around squabbling over a boy they’ve just met.
How would you describe your process?
The Court of Miracles was my debut novel. The idea came to me in a flash and the world started to build itself instantly. My ideas tend to multiply and expand out into series, sequels, prequels, and side stories before I’ve even set pen to paper. I have very bad world-builders disease.
As a historical novel, it involved a lot of research which, while fun, can become a deep rabbit hole. At some point, you need to stop yourself and just get on with the writing.
I write like a screenwriter- all action and dialogue with zero description- probably because I hate reading descriptions. I forced myself to do a descriptive pass in which I wrangled the fewest words possible to build a backdrop to the scene. I then did a last pass for world-building in which I delved into the habits, traditions and language of the Miracle Court to build a more layered, authentic feel.
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant (HarperCollins) was shortlisted for the 2021 Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award.
