In this episode, we speak with Paul E. Hardisty, an environmental scientist, keen conservationist, and novelist known first for his 'Claymore Straker' series and, most recently, 'The Forcing' trilogy - a series of dystopian fiction with an ecological emphasis that has been called 'provocative and insightful, visceral and terrifying'.

We speak with Paul about The Hope, the final instalment of 'The Forcing' trilogy, which came out on January 29th 2026! Called a 'superbly handled tale of struggle and survival in a maimed world' by The Times, The Hope is set in the near-future, where climate collapse, famine, and war have ravaged the world. It features sixteen-year-old Boo Ashworth, a girl with the remarkable ability to perfectly recall anything she had read previously, who fights to save her loved ones and bring hope to a broken world.

You can find Paul on the Orenda Books website, Facebook, Substack, and X. You can order The Hope here.

You can read the Australian National Outlook - the report we discussed with Paul that sets out how Australia can move towards a more sustainable future - here.

Paul's non-fiction recommendations are:

• In Hot Water: Inside the Battle to Save the Great Barrier Reef, by Paul E. Hardisty
• The Golden Spruce, by John Valliant
• Natural Capitalism, by Amory Lovins, Hunter Lovins, and Paul Hawken
• Less is More: How Degrowth will Save the World, by Jason Hickel

A huge thanks to Paul for joining us on the podcast, and to his publishers at Orenda Books for reaching out and sending us proof copies of The Hope.

If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know! You can follow and rate the podcast, leave us a comment, or email us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠[email protected]