Teenage Rampage

Hengist Journey #6

The second Hengist: People of the Horse book sees Archer travelling from his quasi medieval world to modern day England (although set in the mid/late 90s). His mission is to gather data about the abrasive, planet-destroying world which threatens his. So he reports back about cars, computers and even chocolate. The other foster boys try to break his spirit by threatening him with his own bow – they have no idea they are dealing with a trained warrior. He teaches them honour, integrity and archery; they teach him how to get in trouble with the authorities.

So why is it called “Rory”? Because she is the only kid who shares the values of his world, being kind, generous and concerned about nature. As well as head over heels in love with him. But at twelve, that’s just not gonna work. She has to wait a decade before he’s allowed to even consider it.

I’d never intended to write this one, but something inspired me to take a trip to Glastonbury on 31st April 2009. While staying in a lovely farmhouse, I had the inspiration to have Archer interact with modern-day teens. I walked up to the top of the Tor twice on that day, at 9am and 9pm. The second time there was a bit of a do going on with people chanting and banging drums. At that time I had little concept of Pagan ceremonies – I don’t think I’d planned to be there on Beltane eve – but I'd just finished writing a whole book about Beltane, so it couldn’t all have been coincidence.

The main focus of this story is the dreadful things teenagers will do to each other – something many of us had to endure as we struggled through week after week where we were made to feel less than. Having been horrendously tormented by a bully (and his gang) back in his own world, Archer is well able to stand up to the much tamer physical cruelty the boys inflict on him. But his honourable nature renders him helpless against the mental torment inflicted on him by Mandy – a bolshie punk who was one of my all-time favourites to write. As was her partner-in-crime, Stiff. But I did have images of Buffy’s Spike when I wrote him. He turns up in this latest series, but is more of a composite as i-Zombie’s Blaine DeBeers gets in on the act. Have you any idea what it’s like living with all these characters in my head?

Anyway, in Catalyst, all the storylines started in this book mature to give a complex set of interconnections worthy of Game of Thrones. Without the dragons. And Wights.