Hannah Kaner’s debut novel Godkiller (Harper Voyager, 2023) takes place in Middren, a country where gods have been banned as the result of a brutal civil war. The novel follows Kissen–a woman whose family were killed by zealots of a fire god and who now makes a living killing gods herself.

In this interview, Kaner describes her interest in examining the aftermath of war and violence and the value of angry, ordinary female protagonists. She discusses the variety of gods in her novel and the way that characters’ shifting relationships with the natural world and divinity shape the politics and magic of Middren. We also chat about the role of food in fantasy novels, writing quest stories, and the ways that younger point of view characters shape stories written for adults.

Godkiller is a thoughtful, empathetic book and it was a joy to discuss it with the author.

A. E. Lanier is a short fiction writer and educator living in Central Texas. More about her work can be found at aelanier.com.

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