Gregory Wunderlin – Crafting Worlds of Fantasy and Adventure

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readershouse.co.uk

The Mind Behind ‘The Soul of Chaos’

Gregory Wunderlin shares his evolution from writing detective stories to creating TTRPG adventures, discussing his inspirations, character development, and the themes in his award-winning novel, The Soul of Chaos.

Gregory Wunderlin’s journey from crafting simple detective dialogues to becoming a celebrated writer in the realm of tabletop role-playing games (TTRPGs) is nothing short of fascinating. His passion for storytelling, ignited at a young age despite his mother’s skepticism, has evolved into a vibrant career that blends fantasy, adventure, and intricate game mechanics. Now a professional “nerd,” Gregory channels his boundless imagination into creating immersive worlds that captivate and inspire.

Living in Reno, NV, Gregory navigates the desert heat by immersing himself in the fantastical worlds he builds, all while balancing the demands of his wife and three cats. His work, often tinged with darkness yet infused with hope, reflects a keen understanding of human nature and the power of imagination. His latest creation, The Soul of Chaos, explores profound themes of power, identity, and redemption, offering readers a thrilling escape into a meticulously crafted universe.

In our interview, Gregory delves into his creative process, the evolution of his interests, and the characters that populate his stories. He shares insights into his award-winning novel and the personal experiences that shape his writing. Join us as we uncover the mind behind the magic, exploring the worlds of Gregory Wunderlin and the adventures that lie within.

Can you tell us more about your journey from writing detective short stories to becoming a professional nerd writing TTRPG adventures and mechanics? How did your interests evolve over time?

Can I! The fun thing about those detective shorts is they were awful. I wrote them like a radio show from 1953 with nothing other than dialog. In all fairness, I was nine, so I gave myself a pass on that as an entry point to writing. As a millennial child, writing seemed fun, but I was the prime age for video games at the time, and they sank their claws deep. At least, until my brother and his friend slapped me over the head with Dungeons and Dragons. You know, the pre-80s board game version. The idea of a fantasy world I could create blew my mind, so much so I haven’t stopped playing for the two and a half decades since. And that’s what these games are. Escapism, sure, but at the core, they are pure creation, imagination that interacts with game theory to make an entire reality that you can indulge and share. As far as hobbies go, rolling shiny math rocks and throwing cheetos at my friends beat everything else. 

The Soul of Chaos seems to blend elements of fantasy, adventure, and perhaps even some darker themes. What inspired you to write this particular story, and what messages or themes did you aim to convey through it?

It’s difficult to not have a dim perspective in whatever version of postmodern we’re in now. Darkness naturally tints most of our stories; that deep seated nihilism that we carry with us from an overexposure to perpetual news and perspectives of humanity’s worst tendencies. How better to deal with that then explore it, and inject a slice of hope? The Soul of Chaos is that. It deals with people who think they have power coming to terms with the fact that they really don’t, and that in order to take control of their own lives, they’re forced to abandon what they thought they were to become something new. 

The protagonist, Rurik, faces challenges and moral dilemmas in his role as foreman in the mines. Could you elaborate on the development of his character and the internal conflicts he grapples with throughout the narrative?

Rurik is fun in that he’s already a developed character. When the book starts, we see him near the end of his story, having suffered a terrible defeat that pilfered an entire dukedom from his grasp and landed him an exile in the most dangerous ruin in the world. Most of his journey deals with accepting his new station and that his failings are, entirely, his doing, and we watch him deal with that dread. At times, he has to decide if he’s going to continue a cycle of abuse to secure power, or sacrifice pieces of himself to keep otherwise “inconsequential” people alive. Depression is a common thing with Rurik, and renewal: getting second, and even third chances, to make sure he does the right thing, at least in so much as anything can be right. I’d say he’s the traditional dark fantasy hero, but aware enough to understand that hero is a term of circumstance, not so much a persistent station.

Arkalis, Rurik’s twin sister, also seems to have a significant role in the story. How does her character arc intersect with Rurik’s, and what motivated her actions and decisions?

Arkalis the second major POV of the story and is a much less traditional protagonist. Having grown up as the second heir, or rather, with no responsibility, she’s a mess of privilege: a well educated ne’er-do-well without much motivation. And she’s an alcoholic. Her story starts with Rurik’s failure—suddenly, she’s the heir to her father’s kingdom, and he’s on the way out. So you have Arkalis, a rabble-rousing lush, with no sense of responsibility, participating, and the subject off, plots and deals on a level of entire nations. She’s my favorite character to write, mostly because of the verbal sass, but also from the fish-out-of-water perspective: she has no idea what to do, or how to handle much of anything, so she makes a royal mess out of everything. 

Her motivations are the purest of all: survive, and maybe find a bottle of good wine in the process. 

The whispers that offer power and freedom to the characters add an intriguing supernatural element to the story. What inspired this aspect, and how does it contribute to the overall atmosphere and plot?

When the book starts, it’s highly focused on politics, plots, and concerns itself with stations of power. As it progresses, you come to understand that those plots pale in comparison to the forces manipulating them. The world of The Soul of Chaos is one recently recovered from a world-shattering apocalypse, one it seems to be on the brink of repeating, and that fact is drawn entirely from the presence, and impact, of supernatural elements of dark deities and wide-spread, misunderstood magic. These elements give the entire story a distinct, sinister tone, an underlying feeling of despair that occasionally reminds that there is very real danger around every corner. 

Winning an award from Literary Titan is a significant achievement. How did it feel to receive recognition for your work, and how do you think this acknowledgment has impacted your writing career moving forward?

Imposter syndrome is a terrible, awful feeling. I think things like the Literary Titan reception go a long way towards a reassurance of presence. By that, I mean that my work isn’t trash. Professional reviewers encouraging others to read and enjoy my work is a sort of confidence you work to build over decades. The Soul of Chaos also received an IndieReader stamp of approval—the small publisher version of Kirkus—and between these two, it encouraged me to write more. A sequel, of course, and other random whatnots. Why stop at fantasy, afterall?

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