Bret Easton Ellis discusses his first novel in thirteen years: THE SHARDS

One of the world's most influential contemporary authors, Bret Easton Ellis, joins Andrew Sumner at Forbidden Planet TV to talk about the creation of THE SHARDS - his first novel in over a decade - and discuss the power of music, the radioactive backlash to AMERICAN PSYCHO, the reception to WHITE (his recent collection of essays), the concept of writing for himself, his recent movie industry work, the creation of his movie SMILEY FACE KILLERS and Roger Avary's adaptation of THE RULES OF ATTRACTION.
You can order Bret's signed Forbidden Planet edition of THE SHARDS right HERE:
forbiddenplanet.com/375930-th...
You can order many of Bret's classic novels right HERE:
forbiddenplanet.com/catalog/?...
You can find THE SHARDS music playlist right here on Spotify:
open.spotify.com/playlist/2pE...
A sensational new novel from the bestselling author of Less Than Zero and American Psycho, that tracks a group of privileged Los Angeles high school friends as a serial killer strikes across the city. His first novel in 13 years, THE SHARDS is Bret Easton Ellis at his inimitable best.
LA, 1981. Buckley College in heat. 17-year-old Bret is a senior at the exclusive Buckley prep school when a new student arrives with a mysterious past. Robert Mallory is bright, handsome, charismatic, and shielding a secret from Bret and his friends, even as he becomes a part of their tightly knit circle.
Bret’s obsession with Mallory is equalled only by his increasingly unsettling preoccupation with The Trawler, a serial killer on the loose who seems to be drawing ever closer to Bret and his friends, taunting them with grotesque threats and horrific, sharply local acts of violence.
Can he trust his friends, or his own mind, to make sense of the danger they appear to be in? Thwarted by the world and by his own innate desires, buffeted by unhealthy fixations, Bret spirals into paranoia and isolation as the relationship between The Trawler and Robert Mallory hurtles inexorably toward a collision.
Gripping, sly, suspenseful, deeply haunting and often darkly funny, THE SHARDS is a mesmerising fusing of fact and fiction that brilliantly explores the emotional fabric of Bret’s life at 17 sex and jealousy, obsession and murderous rage.
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[@Sharvalgon]

I'm always pleasantly delighted by Bret's interviews; he's adamant that he's gone through many periods of crippling depression, panic attacks that have left him immobilised, periods of heavy drug and alcohol abuse, and massive, unending neurosis about his relationship with his father - and yet he's always enthusiastic, cheerful and engaging in person.

[@kadeshow]

Just finished "the Shards" and it is exceptional. I'm a little sad that it's over because I had gotten used to the characters and the narration... it felt like such a big part of my life for the last week or so. I think I lost myself in it. This book leaves you wanting more.

[@kitspics526]

Same

[@rockstarphantom8112]

Same. I'm just starting over and re-reading Less Than Zero. The parallels between the two are so cool and really goes to show how much thought went into The Shards. Or how much of Bret went into Clay.

[@Dead4911]

I've read all of his fiction novels, watched most of his movies, (adaptations and the originals) and I have to say that The Shards, though I'm only one hundred and seventy pages in, is extremely interesting and well done, and so far is one of his best, really strange to see a sort of return to form, similar to Less Than Zero in style, but also a progression of the style and skill from where he left off with Imperial Bedrooms. I hope Bret Easton Ellis understands that he will continued to be appreciated for many generations, unlike many writers who fade out of the public consciousness, and whose later works are only consumed by their own age demographic, longing for the past. Ellis will continue to have new fans, and his work will continue to be reinterpreted by people like me, who weren't even born when Lunar Park was published. Bret Easton Ellis inspired me to begin writing, and I will always value that more than anything.

[@wesleyecay8101]

Horribly underrated comment here. This person is a BRIGHT teenager. I have hope for our future.

[@kitspics526]

Finished this novel two days ago and the characters won’t leave me alone. Mark of a great book.

[@erlstone]

BEE is not only talented but extremely frank, straight and insightful... love all his work and I'm off to get "The Shards" now... good pod, thank you.

[@robertabc8441]

Amazing Interview!

[@alliestarkey9088]

Why is Bret the coolest person on the planet? Completely obsessed with everything he's done. Just finished the masterpiece that is The Shards. I'm about to reread it and write an essay about it for my English class. People need to know this man and what he can create.

[@danbrown7673]

Great interview as always Andrew, really enjoyed that. Thank you 👍

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Sumner says "Thank you very much, Dan - that is very kind of you.My pleasure, I'm glad you enjoyed! Bret was a great guest 🚀"

[@FeedingWolves]

Amazing listen!! i would love to see a film directed by him!

[@FeedingWolves]

p.s. he should totally write through the lens of a woman!!

[@rozzykronfeld-wilbanks8759]

I love Bret’s new book The Shards. And the music references I relate to! My brother Rich was friends with Bret when they went to Bennington college in the 80’s.

[@adamcaul]

I want to see more movies based on his books!

[@arturobandini4078]

He is up there with Cormac McCarthy as one of the great contemporary American novelists.

[@DJJoshMcClintock]

Another fantastic book by Bret Easton Ellis!!! Much love and respect to him!!

[@thegoldenthread-greatstori6795]

Great interviewer and interviewee

[@2headedboii]

Voice of his generation, one of the greatest workers of Prose. Unblemished, unapologetic darkness and emotion woven throughout his characters that just make them some of the realest fictional characters ever to be written even though they're often satire. That's genius

[@akbar41]

I'm halfway through "The Shards." Was hoping that maybe your interview would make everything about the story obvious. Thankfully, it didn't. The interview provided insight to the author of the book I'm engaged in. Thanks! Bret Easton Ellis is really a consequential author of our time.

[@rockstarphantom8112]

The Shards was fantastic. But I always did like Imperial Bedrooms, especially now knowing it's a shadow of his experience on the set of The Informers.

[@edenrabatsch548]

Great interview - instant subscribe...as someone who turned 17 in 1981, I have never had a novel speak to me as much as The Shards...magnificent and still want to be with the characters a week after finishing...should be a HBO mini series

[@colinstephens7673]

There is an HBO show in the works that Bret is writing!

[@edenrabatsch548]

@@colinstephens7673 That is so funny and amazing

[@iain2080]

Great questions and the observation of cities self cannibalising and forming a new history was an astute one

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Sumner says: "Thanks Iain, glad you enjoyed!"

[@joniheisenberg]

Reading it now and loving it!

[@MrPessoa79]

It's a great novel. I'm really enjoying it.

[@JFK1180]

Great interview! Thank you! Also loved Glamorama. Read it when i was a younger man. Really made an impact on my then and up to my current writing!

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Our pleasure - thank you!

[@sirmount2636]

You two look like you could be brothers! Great interview, thank you. ^_^

[@theroboz]

Just less than a third into the shards (Which is a masterpiece, so far and probably his best work after American Psycho) and this morning was thinking how cool it would be if the ebook version could link the song mentioned throughout so you could get even more immersed in that era.. so , thank you!

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Our pleasure! You can find THE SHARDS music playlist right here on Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/2pEYm35mYlL6WKAEYh7jcH?si=1e5d3af886564477

[@arturobandini4078]

There is a moment near the end of the story where it is heavily implied--and implied in a cleverly ambuguous way--that Bret (the character) was the knifeman who attacked Susan and Thom. I'm curious to know how others interpreted that scene.

[@andreaaster2874]

Can I just say, this 1968 baby in in thrall. Love this damn book.

[@new_memeplex]

Great interview, Andrew. You should interview David Mitchell, he would make another good literary guest. His Utopia Avenue novel is a fine tale of 60s psychedelic music and he is SF and comics literate.

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Sent this to Sumner and he responded with "Thanks so much for kind feedback, mate! That is a great call, we'll try to make that conversation happen in the future 🚀"

[@Matthewskitchen999]

Is Bret the pink or yellow one?

[@ForbiddenPlanetTV]

Pink 😀

[@MiqueCapel]

Yep cities self cannibalising

[@martinrutley-wk5ds]

There are few things worse than 'LA' novels.