There’s only so much heartache one can bear before they have to eat a bird with a few demons. At least, that’s what I though while reading JD Byrne’s contribution to The Dancing Plague: A Collection of Utter Speculation. His story, “The Consequences of Sin” is one of the more humorous inclusions in the book, although it comes with a heavy admonishment of certain power structures.
Byrne, a prolific sci-fi, fantasy author explains the premise. “Bobzolach is a demon and he’s good at his job. He set an entire town to dancing without ever playing a note, so why has he been dragged before a tribunal of fellow demons to answer for his actions? Because sometimes being great isn’t the same thing as being smart.”
Books/short stories/poems/publishing projects you have out in the world now:
I have a complete fantasy trilogy, The Water Road, which is about a woman born between two societies who tries to get justice for one but winds up starting a war. It’s about the power of truth and how sometimes the best intentions can get away from a person. My first novel, Moore Hollow, is a zombie story with a twist, as a disgraced British journalist comes to West Virginia to track down rumors of a family secret. My current trilogy, the Unari Empire trilogy, is a steampunkish story of people dealing with the fracturing of the world’s only superpower. The first two volumes – Gods of the Empire and Widows of the Empire – are available now.
I’ve also written a good number of short stories, some collected in The Last Ereph and Other Stories and others available various places online (links at jdbyrne.net)
What made you decide to write a story for The Dancing Plague: A collection of Utter speculation?
I came across the “dancing madness” phenomena years ago and noted it as something I’d like to explore in a story someday. It didn’t really have a place in any of the books I’d been working on, so when I saw the call for submissions for this collection I thought that would be a great chance to return to it. As a lover and maker of music, the idea of being driven mad by it (or its absence!) is particularly compelling to me.
How did you formulate your theory? How much did you rely on research?
The idea that dancing plagues like that which occurred in Strasbourg in 1518 were the result of demons has been around for a while, but it seems like a plausible setup for what is essentially a horror or fantasy story. The tribunal element comes from the classic Fritz Lang film M, where the organized crime element in Berlin capture an accused serial killer and put him on trial because the increased police presence is cutting down on their business. I liked the angle that there’s this balance out there between the demons and the clergy, each needing the other to do their jobs, that Bob could mess up.
As for research, I only did a little bit, but one thing that jumped out at me was that while there’s a modern sense that some people involved in these plagues actually danced themselves to death, there’s no contemporaneous sources that actually say that. I did weave that uncertainty into the story a bit. The other thing I wanted to work in was that Strasbourg, for all its notoriety, wasn’t the first of these plagues. Bob wasn’t quite as original as he thought.
Do you think your speculation could be a feasible explanation for the plague or were you just telling a good story?
Just telling a good story. I’m not a believer in demons or gods, but I’ve found that they’re interesting characters to explore in fiction. The real explanation is probably something fairly mundane (as is often the case for weird things).
What are you reading right now?
I just finished The Satanic Verses, which had always been on my too-long “to read” list, but jumped to the top with the attack on Salman Rushdie. It was hard to come to grips with, but brilliant in a lot of aspects. I’m ready for something a little more fun, so I’m going to finish the last two books of the Johannes Cabal: Necromancer series.
What other projects are you working on? Where can we look for you next?
I’m in the editing process with the last book of my current trilogy, Heroes of the Empire. I plan for it to be out early in 2023. There are a couple of shorter works in that world I want to finish up, too. I’m also working on a sequel to Moore Hollow which brings that main character back to my home state of West Virginia to stay and investigate weird happenings.
To keep up with JD Byrne and his many projects, check his website jdbyrne.net
and follow him on social media
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LC W. Allingham 
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