For over a decade, David Wellington has been crafting stories that blur the lines between science fiction and horror, populating his novels with everything from vampires to cosmic terrors. Yet what sets his work apart isn’t just the monsters he creates, but his deeply human approach to fear and survival.
In this candid interview, Wellington opens up about his creative process, the evolution of horror fiction, and offers a tantalizing glimpse of his upcoming novel, Revenant X. His insights reveal not just an author at the height of his craft, but a keen observer of what makes us truly afraid.
I had a lot of fun asking David Wellington these questions which were burning on my mind ever since I heard about this latest Red Space trilogy book, Revenant X, releasing November 5th, 2024. Let’s dive right in!
One of the first questions I had was always about the classic monsters you seem to like so much. You’ve written about zombies, vampires, and werewolves. What draws you to these classic monsters, and how do you approach making them feel fresh and relevant in the modern world?
“I’ve always loved monsters, aliens, and robots. Characters on the outside of the norm. They’re just more interesting – human characters have relatable motivations, but monsters have their own agendas. You can never predict what they’re going to do.
As for keeping them fresh, that’s central to my writing process. I wouldn’t ever want to just create a stock character that feels like something you’ve seen before, so when I invent or re-invent a monster my very first thought is, what makes this one different?“
From all of your books that I’ve read, I would say that your characters, as you mentioned, are definitely not stock! Speaking of which, many of your stories feature strong female protagonists, like Alexandra Petrova (Paradise-1) and Sally Jensen (The Last Astronaut). Was this a conscious decision, and how do you approach writing characters with experiences different from your own?
“I love writing female characters because you can just throw away half the junk people have built up around male characters – all the macho posturing. Especially in horror you need your characters to be vulnerable, with a wide spectrum of emotional responses. In American culture especially we expect our male “heroes” to be closed off, dead inside except for that one manly tear they get to shed when someone kills their dog.
On the other hand readers seem to be cool with female characters having whole emotional journeys. Is this healthy for our society? Absolutely not! But it works for telling stories. As for experiences different from my own… I’ve had a lot of people tell me I’m one of the few male writers who can create realistic female characters, and they ask me how I do it.
My answer is always, I dunno, I treat them like they might be human beings? You just have to get out of the traditional writerly headspace that sees women as objects, as foils for men or even as rewards for the men to attain. Real women are so much more interesting than that.“
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Well, that is very true and could not have been said better; it’s the real aspect of a person or character that makes them that much more interesting. Looking at the horror genre in general, in your opinion, how has the horror genre evolved since you started writing, and where do you see it heading in the next decade?
“The horror genre has exploded. It used to be there would be one “hot” subgenre at a time, whether that meant splatterpunk or magical realism, dark fairytales… now it feels like there are horror stories from all over the map getting peoples’ attention.
I love that, I love picking up a book and not knowing what I’m going to get. I think horror is in the midst of a very slow renaissance, and I see that continuing for a while.“
When there’s so much to be afraid of in the real world, people are going to keep turning toward the darkness.
I definitely have to agree here and the last quote is so spot on! The horror genre is definitely in a renaissance phase with all the amazing books that are coming out, like Revenant X as well as horror books being adapted into movies and TV shows more and more.
Speaking of book adaptations, with the rise of streaming services and increased demand for content, have you considered adapting any of your works for television or film? If so, which story do you think would translate best to the screen?
“There have been many, many options advanced for my books and stories. Sadly none of them have ever gotten past the development phase. In my absolute dream scenario I’d like to see Mike Flanagan turn 13 Bullets, my vampire novel, into a limited series. But he’s already done vampire stuff. Maybe somebody could make The Last Astronaut starring Sigourney Weaver. That would make my head explode with joy!“
Ah, of course, the development hell as they call it, it’s a hard one to get out of. I can absolutely see Sigourney Weaver in the role of Sally Jensen from The Last Astronaut, that would be a killer cast and movie!
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Diving a bit deeper into the horror genre and novels, your novels often explore themes of isolation and survival against overwhelming odds. What personal experiences or philosophical ideas inspire these recurring themes?
“I’ve only ever been in one truly life-or-death situation, when I rolled a car when I was sixteen. I could have killed myself and a bunch of my friends. Luckily everyone walked away just fine. Maybe that shaped my writing, that moment when the tires left the road and I realized the steering wheel wasn’t going to do a damned thing.
It’s that moment of loss of control that I think makes a great story, when the characters are at the mercy of fate. Does that represent a personal philosophy? I suppose so. I hate when people want to tell you that you make your own luck or that if you just work hard enough, make the right choices, you can control your destiny. That’s nonsense. All of us will eventually meet a situation we can’t just grit our way out of.
We’re all going to die, after all. The universe is far too big for us to control, and I think that’s what I try to get at with my fiction. That sense of a person fighting the entire world and knowing they can’t win, so they just have to do their best. And sometimes that’s enough. Sometimes.“
Wow! I can only imagine how scary and intense this must have been, glad to hear everyone was ok. Also, intense moments like this in someone’s life can definitely shape their approach to life or even writing, whether it is consciously or not.
Changing gears a bit towards Revenant X, your upcoming new release, without spoiling anything, what’s one scene or moment in the upcoming book that you’re particularly excited for readers to experience?
“The book is classic science fiction, it’s about exploring an alien world, but it’s punctuated with moments of real, visceral horror. There’s a moment in the middle of the book where an old wound gets re-examined and a character realizes what their future holds. I know I’m being vague. Sorry! But I would love to watch the face of every reader when they get to that scene.”
Well, I simply cannot wait to get to that part of the story! I’ve already picked up my copy and started reading and it’s frankly hard to stop. I just finished rereading Paradise-1 in anticipation of Revenant X and continuing the story right from where it stopped right away, is the best thing ever.
Speaking of your new book, if it was contagious (pun intended) – not in a horror way, but in terms of the feeling or idea it spreads – what would readers ‘catch’ from it? What would be the first symptom they’d notice?
“This one starts with the eerie, then moves to the weird. These are two ideas from the horror discourse, they represent two ways you can build fear. The eerie is that moment when you notice something is missing, something that you were counting on being there.
Later you get the weird – the thing that is there, but shouldn’t be. So we start with the creeping dread you feel when you open your kitchen cupboard and realize all your food is gone. Then I hit you with the realization that the food was eaten by a three foot rat with glowing red eyes who’s still very hungry. Enjoy!”
Well now I have nightmares, haha, thank you for that!
So, from cosmic horror to body horror, psychological terror to technological dread – there are so many flavors of fear in speculative fiction. What kind of horror would you like to write next?
“I want to write an old-fashioned haunted house story, I want to write a book about the dangers of AI, I want to write a continuation of the movie The Bride of Frankenstein… I have so many ideas. Slasher novels and a period piece set in the 1920s and… you name it.”
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With the rise of AI in the last few years, I think a horror book about the dangers of AI would be absolutely on point right now! I am all for it.
As a last easy question to end off, what are you currently reading or watching that you absolutely love?
“I just started re-reading Melanie Tem’s Wilding, which is this spellbinding werewolf story. I’ve loved it since it came out in the 90s and I’ve been reading it over and over ever since.
I also just watched the latest V/H/S movie, V/H/S Beyond, which is one of the best in the series. Anthology movies are always hit-and-miss, but this one is really solid.”
I’ve actually watched V/H/S Beyond myself when it was released and it was great! Loved all of the segments and loved that this time it was taken more towards the sci-fi aspect of things. Definitely a great movie to watch if you are a fan of sci-fi horror.
And that ends it. I would like to deeply thank David Wellington for taking the time and answering our questions with a lot of detail and interesting information.
Revenant X comes out on November 5th, 2024, make sure to pick it up at your nearest bookstore where available!
