For writers who need to back fateful encounters with reason, cyclical evils hold strong allure. It’s easy when you make the Big Bad come knocking every 10, 20, or 250 years: you just have to stage your heroes correctly to make plot events look preordained. Any trope — especially a common one — can be misplayed, but don’t worry: David Mitchell sets up the Slade House dominoes to fall in perfect sequence. Continue reading →