"KINGS HAVE TREMBLED BEFORE ME," HE SAYS. "THE STRONGEST OF THEIR SOLDIERS HAVE RUN IN FEAR. YET YOU STAND."

The writing of the Beast of Ten began on a November evening. There was a bathtub involved—as there often is—and I was asking myself a question: If I were to retell a story, which would it be? This was not intended to be a serious question. I had too many unwritten characters sitting outside the door already. But I asked it just to see what would happen. When I thought of the much love...