In the Forest of the Night by Archie Maclean-Bristol is shortlisted for the 2024 Author of Tomorrow, 16-21 Category. 

In the Forest of the Night: The Galactic Expeditionary Force has landed on the forest world of Selver, to track down a ship that crashed twenty years before. On his journey through the forest, our hero, Marlow, encounters all kinds of terrible creatures. Will he find his way to the Santiago, or will he be lost in the forest forever? And will Marlow leave the forest the same man that entered?

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An interview with Archie:

WNSF: What is your favourite book?

Archie: At the moment, I’d say Pride and Prejudice, although a very close second is Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky. I love the fact that Pride and Prejudice feels like gossiping with a friend who just happens to be from Regency England, while Children of Time is some of the best world-building and plot I’ve ever read!

WNSF: Who is your favourite author? Or who has inspired you and why?

Archie: I tend not to read many books by the same author, but at the moment I’ve been enjoying Lao She. He’s a Chinese writer who lived in London during the 1920s, and I find his style of writing absolutely wonderful - it’s very poetic and visual. I always hated when writers describe a character, but when he does it I always laugh! His works are all translated, so credit to the translators as well!

WNSF: What was your favourite subject at school?

Archie: Aside from the obvious (English), I absolutely loved Mandarin. The teachers were always lovely and made the class feel much more homely - I also find the language absolutely fascinating which always helps.

WNSF: What does ‘adventure writing’  mean to you? Why did you choose to try your hand at an adventure story?

Archie: I always like world-building and setting stories in interesting places, and so I find that having characters go on an adventure really lets you show off the world you’ve created. The challenge for writing In the Forest of the Night was condensing all that world-building into just 3000 words!

WNSF: If you could ask an author anything, what would you want to know?

Archie: Honestly, I’d love to show Shakespeare modern media and just ask him what he thinks of it. I’d love to watch a Star Wars movie directed by him - Revenge of the Sith was the closest I think we’ll ever get and it’s my favourite.

WNSF: Who would you consider to be one of your heroes and why? 

Archie: I’d have to say my grandfather. He’s done a huge amount with his life - he set up a gap year charity on the Isle of Coll, where I’m from. It’s done a huge amount for our local community, and my parents met in China because of it! He’s also done a huge amount of historical research into Coll, which is a niche that lacks a lot of historians looking into it.

WNSF: What is the most adventurous thing you would like to do, or place you would like to visit and why? 

Archie: I’d love to go somewhere properly in the middle of nowhere (ironic for someone from a tiny Hebridean island with a population of 150!) - somewhere off the beaten track (forgive the cliché). Somewhere like rural Kazakhstan, or in the middle of the American Midwest.

WNSF: Where do you find inspiration for your stories? 

Archie: I find my home incredibly inspirational, and almost every story I write is set on a small Hebridean island (although not this one). I love the rugged moorland and churning oceans - it all feels so romantic and exciting. I also get a huge amount of inspiration from other books and media - In the Forest of the Night is massively inspired by Heart of Darkness. There are plenty of references to other books in there - it’s like a literary version of Where’s Wally! As they say, there are no new ideas.

WNSF: If you could time travel, where would you go and why?

Archie: Without a shadow of a doubt I’d go to China in the late 19th century. It was a time of massive upheaval for the old empire - they were suddenly realising that they were not the most powerful nation in the world, and that other powers were much more powerful. The century that would follow would leave China almost completely unrecognisable - the imperial system that had been in place for thousands of years would be torn down, the way of life completely altered by changes in technology and trade. Being able to see all that would be absolutely amazing.

WNSF: What three words would you use to describe your story?

Archie: Melancholy, spooky, suspenseful.