New Books Network — Interview with Caskey Russell on "The Door on the Sea" (Solaris, 2025)

Podcast: New Books Network (Fantasy)
Host: AE Lanier
Guest: Caskey Russell
Episode Date: October 15, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host AE Lanier interviews Caskey Russell, writer, professor, musician, and enrolled member of the Tlingit nation, about his debut fantasy novel The Door on the Sea (Solaris, 2025). The conversation explores Russell’s creative process, Indigenous storytelling roots, world-building choices, the novel’s themes of survival, tradition, and sustainability, and the dynamic characters at the novel’s heart. Drawing inspiration from both Tlingit oral tradition and classic fantasy quests like The Lord of the Rings, Russell crafts a story centered on Ulan, the youngest of the once mighty Flicker Clan, who leads a motley crew on a canoe-borne quest to secure a weapon that might save his people from a supernatural, shapeshifting invasion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin Story and Family Inspiration

• Russell started the novel in 2013 during a family sabbatical in New Zealand.
  • His sons' homesickness and love for The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings inspired him to write a story rooted in Tlingit traditions as a nightly read-aloud.
  • "I decided one day at work, I'm going to write like a Hobbit-esque, Lord of the Rings-esque narrative and read it to my boys every night. But I'm gonna base it on Tlingit oral tradition." — Kaskey Russell [03:22]
• The family collaborated on the characters and story, with both sons appearing (as Chettle and Caridin) and even producing a map still used in the novel’s development.
• After sitting shelved, Russell returned to the manuscript during the pandemic, finished it, and moved through editing and publication.

2. Character Development and Dynamics

• Central Crew:

  • Ulan (or Ehlon)—a bookish, non-warrior youth (the protagonist).
  • Chettle—the war-wolf, inspired by Russell’s son’s love of wolves and stuffed animals.
  • Caridin—a middle-aged warrior (based on Russell’s younger son’s request).
  • Kwa—a female warrior, inspired by Tlingit history and Russell’s great-grandmother.
  • Eat—a young warrior, friend to Ulan.
  • Raven—the archetypal trickster, drawn from Tlingit oral tradition and injected with humor and contrariness for familial appeal.
  • "The more almost childish and trickster-ish I made Raven, the more the boys would laugh at night when I was reading it to them. So that's why Raven is such... a jackass. And he's kind of a contrarian in the novel." — Kaskey Russell [07:24]

• Mentorship:

  • Old ixt—a Gandalf-like wise figure, channeling the Tlingit “traditional doctor” archetype, advises and spiritually guides Ulan.

3. Cultural Foundations and World-Building

• The world is inspired by but distinct from Tlingit societies.

  • Russell intentionally avoids representing 19th-century Tlingit culture with strict accuracy to maintain creative freedom and reduce anxiety over authenticity.
  • Elements like the longhouses, the elders’ council, and the “C bond” of pacifism are consciously invented for narrative needs (e.g., Ulan’s vow not to harm).

• Political Structures:

  • The Ani Islands Elders Council governs; each of 20 main Ani Islands has an elder responsible for all living things.
  • Disbelief and bureaucratic delay characterize their response to the looming Kush threat, grounding the fantasy in familiar political realism.

4. The Antagonists—The Kush

• Inspired by the Tlingit “Kushtaka” (land-otter men), a shapeshifting mythological figure, here reimagined as destructive, environment-threatening invaders.
  • "They've heard that they can shapeshift into your dead relatives. They've heard that they are destructive to the environment. And Raven in particular is worried about salmon. If they destroy the environment, they destroy his favorite thing in life, the salmon." — Kaskey Russell [13:39]
• The Kush possess formidable weapons and advance through both military and environmental devastation, providing thematic tension around tradition, nature, and survival.

5. The Quest, Survival, & Canoe Culture

• The quest structure draws on classic fantasy but is “grounded,” focusing meticulously on survival logistics and interpersonal dynamics during the journey.

  • "We have a group of people trying to accomplish a goal... it was really fun to get back into that nitty gritty quest narrative that's very heavy on logistics and interpersonal things." — AE Lanier [04:56]

• The Canoe, ‘Waka’:

  • Named after the Māori word, in honor of Russell’s time in New Zealand.
  • Built after a historical canoe-maker from Russell’s grandmother’s village.
  • Engineered for speed and versatility—faster than enemy ships.
  • The family-designed map and practical knowledge of sailing, supply use, and survival details feature heavily, borrowing from Russell’s lived outdoor experience.

• Survivalism in Fantasy:

  • The novel leans into "fantasy as survivalist fiction," emphasizing the use and significance of supplies, fishing, cold endurance, watch rotation, and navigation.
  • "There's a list of supplies needed before the crew takes off. My agent... said, 'You have this list—you should show in the novel them being all these items being used.' And I think I do." — Kaskey Russell [23:15]

6. Narrative Style: Second Person and Storytelling Tradition

• The narrator often addresses the reader directly, evoking oral storytelling traditions.
  • "It gives it a storytelling feeling. And it is a storyteller. And at the end of book three, we learn who that storyteller is." — Kaskey Russell [22:00]

7. Themes: Generational Legacy, Tradition vs. Innovation

• Ulan struggles under the shadow of his legendary grandfather while also feeling like the last hope of a dying clan.

  • "Not only the clan has kind of dwindled down, but they have this larger-than-life character that young Ehlan wants to live up to but really can't live up to." — Kaskey Russell [32:16]

• Central tension between upholding and challenging tradition, embodied in the main trio:

  • Caridin and Kwa represent tradition and warrior values.
  • Ulan questions tradition, eager for change.
  • Raven straddles the middle, motivated primarily by his devotion to natural cycles (the salmon).

8. Sustainability and the Natural World

• Environmental preservation is core—old growth forests are protected by only using fallen trees, and maintaining salmon runs is vital.
  • "This notion that they're there to protect their culture, but they're also there—part of the culture is the salmon and the trees... trying to protect the natural world in this novel from an invading force that has a different viewpoint than they do regarding forests and trees." — Kaskey Russell [34:10]
• The tension between cultural survival and environmental stewardship is entangled in every element of the world-building.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Raven the Trickster:

  • "So that's why Raven is such kind of a... I can't swear on this podcast probably, but a jackass. And he's kind of a contrarian in the novel." — Kaskey Russell [07:48]

• On Grounded Quest Logistics:

  • "This novel does such a good job of being just like this very grounded, like survivalist quest in a way that I hadn't really thought about fantasy as kind of survivalist fiction in a while..." — AE Lanier [22:36]

• On Second Person Narrative:

  • "It gives it a storytelling feeling. And it is a storyteller. And at the end of book three, we learn who that storyteller is." — Kaskey Russell [22:00]

• On Legacy:

  • "...he comes across a statue of his grandfather in the friendly tribes village that he's staying at and kind of sees him and is trying to picture himself and his grandfather and is having a hard, difficult time doing that." — Kaskey Russell [32:03]

• On Writing Survival Details:

  • "There's supplies there. There's how to repair a canoe. There's some knowledge on sailing, some knowledge on fishing.... on how to shoot an arrow... And then I remember growing up... one of the biggest things the warrior tradition taught youth, Tlingit youth, was how to survive the cold." — Kaskey Russell [23:36]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [03:22] — Russell describes the novel’s origins as a family readaloud in New Zealand
• [05:37] — Creation of the quest crew, character inspirations from sons
• [07:48] — The joy (and annoyance) of writing Raven, the trickster
• [10:54] — Ulan’s vow of non-violence and its complications
• [13:39] — The mythic basis and environmental threat of the Kush
• [18:39] — Detailed description of the "Waka" canoe and its significance
• [22:00] — Choice of second person voice as a narrative and worldbuilding tool
• [23:15] — Integration of survivalist details and lived outdoor knowledge
• [26:28] — Thematic conflict between tradition and innovation
• [28:56] — Exploring the mentor figure, Old ixt, and his wisdom role
• [31:56] — Ulan’s family legacy and the diminished Flickr clan
• [33:56] — Sustainability, old-growth forest protection, and the importance of salmon

Conclusion

This episode provides an insightful, heartfelt exploration of Caskey Russell’s The Door on the Sea: a novel that honors both Indigenous oral traditions and modern fantasy, with a deeply personal origin story rooted in family collaboration and cultural reflection. With lively, grounded characters, a focus on everyday logistics and survival, and a strong strand of environmentalism and tradition, Russell’s debut stakes out new ground in the quest fantasy genre.

Closing:
"I have been speaking with Kaski Russell about his novel The Door on the Sea, out now from Solaris. Thank you so much for listening." — AE Lanier [35:16]