K. Eason Q&A + Thorne Multiverse Chronicles

May 12, 2022 Chris Well

“Feminist fairytale fantasy space opera. No puppets. No cheese. There is curry, however, and soup, and ubiquitous coffee.”

The Thorne books are a humorous science fiction duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—think The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

K. Eason started telling tales in her early childhood. After earning two degrees in English literature, she decided to stop writing about everyone else’s stories and get back to writing her own. Now she teaches first-year college students about the zombie apocalypse, Aristotelian ethics, and Beowulf (not all at once). She lives in Southern California with her husband and two black cats, and she powers everything with coffee.

See below for the two books in the series, and also for quotes from interviews with the author.

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Thorne Multiverse Chronicles

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse (Thorne Chronicles #1)

First in a duology that reimagines fairy tale tropes within a space opera—The Princess Bride meets Princess Leia.

Rory Thorne is a princess with thirteen fairy blessings, the most important of which is to see through flattery and platitudes. As the eldest daughter, she always imagined she’d inherit her father’s throne and govern the interplanetary Thorne Consortium.

Then her father is assassinated, her mother gives birth to a son, and Rory is betrothed to the prince of a distant world.

When Rory arrives in her new home, she uncovers a treacherous plot to unseat her newly betrothed and usurp his throne. An unscrupulous minister has conspired to name himself Regent to the minor (and somewhat foolish) prince. With only her wits and a small team of allies, Rory must outmaneuver the Regent and rescue the prince.

How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse is a feminist reimagining of familiar fairytale tropes and a story of resistance and self-determination—how small acts of rebellion can lead a princess to not just save herself, but change the course of history.

Buy How Rory Thorne Destroyed the Multiverse from Amazon

How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge (Thorne Chronicles #2)

Rory Thorne must use the fairy blessings gifted to her to change the multiverse in the second book in this space opera duology.

After avoiding an arranged marriage, thwarting a coup, and inadvertently kick-starting a revolution, Rory Thorne has renounced her title and embraced an unglamorous life as a privateer on the edge of human space.

Her new life is interrupted when Rory and her crew—former royal bodyguards, Thorsdottir and Zhang, and co-conspirator Jaed—encounter an abandoned ship registered under a false name, seemingly fallen victim to attack. As they investigate, they find evidence of vicious technology and arithmancy, alien and far beyond known capabilities.

The only answer to all the destruction is the mysterious, and unexpected, cargo: a rose plant. One that reveals themself to be sentient--and designed as a massive biological weapon. Rose seeks to escape their intended fate, but before Rory and her friends can get Rose off the derelict ship, the alien attackers return.

Rory and her friends must act fast—and wisely—to save themselves, and Rose, and maybe the multiverse, too, from a war humanity cannot win.

Buy How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge from Amazon

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Interviews with K. Eason

Q: Where did you get the idea for How Rory Thorne Destroyed The Multiverse and how did the story evolve as you wrote it?

“It began in traffic on the 405 in L.A. It was hot, the cars were crawling along. In an effort to distract my husband and save his blood pressure (who, brave man, was driving) I said, “You know what we need? A feminist fairy tale in space. Where the fairies are aliens. And one of them is punk.” …and so, Rory was born. Originally, I wasn’t thinking of a novel; I’d gotten as far as imagining Rory’s birth and the naming scene with the fairies. It was only when I reached the end of the first chapter that I realized it was a chapter, and I had a book on my hands.”

Q: So is How Rory Thorne Destroyed The Multiverse a feminist fairy tale fantasy space opera? Or are there other genres at work in it as well? Because “feminist fairy tale fantasy space opera mystery puppet show with cheese” has a nice ring to it.

“That’s a fair description: feminist fairytale fantasy space opera. No puppets. No cheese. There is curry, however, and soup, and ubiquitous coffee.”—Exclusive Interview: How Rory Thorne Destroyed The Multiverse Author K. Eason (Paul Semel)

Q: I loved that this book combined both sci-fi and fantasy elements! What inspired the multiverse setting?

“I was thinking about mathematical mystics (some half-remembered stories about Pythagoras, maybe from Ovid? I don’t even know) and how math is a language for science but also language in its own right and then, bang, well what if all that alternate science, all those failed paradigms, had worked? Alchemy. Phlogiston theory. All run on a system of math-magic. Also, truth: something like Rory’s world has been percolating ever since I was very small and saw Star Wars (A New Hope, but then it was just Star Wars). I always thought magic and tech just went together. Or should.”—K. Eason | Exclusive Interview: HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE (Fresh Fiction For Today’s Reader)

Q: For those who haven’t read Rory Thorne, what are they missing out on?

“I pitched this as ‘Princess Leia meets Princess Bride,’ which yes, but it’s really about how little acts of agency (and rebellion, because sometimes those are the same) can effect big changes. Less meta, more specific: Rory, a princess blessed (and cursed) by fairies at her birth, is betrothed to a prince in a distant space station. Upon arrival, Rory runs afoul of her evil stepfather’s political machinations and has to rescue herself and the prince with her wits, her friends, and a little arithmancy.”—Q&A: K. Eason, Author of ‘How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge’ (The Nerd Daily)

Q: My favorite thing about this book is that Rory is a princess that doesn’t need saving. She goes against the tropes. Were there any stories in particular that you wanted to give an overhaul to or that you drew inspiration from when crafting this story?

“Sleeping Beauty, most obviously–but also any and all stories with princesses imprisoned or otherwise confined. I drew inspiration in part from Star Wars (technically A New Hope, but back in my day, y’all, it was the one and only Star Wars) and Princess Leia, who managed to kick ass and resist Darth Vader and insult the Wookie…and who was clearly the brains/leader of the Rebellion.”—Let’s Get Lit: K. Eason talks HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE (Pure Fandom)

Podcast: Author K. Eason talks about her new fantasy/space opera novel, HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE. Learn how she developed the prose style and POVs for her subversive storybook adventure.

K. Eason on writing HOW RORY THORNE DESTROYED THE MULTIVERSE

Podcast episode courtesy of Fictitious: The Storytelling Craft of Science Ficton & Fantasy

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