In this episode of Futureverse, Molly Wood and Ramanan Raghavendran sit down with acclaimed author Jeff VanderMeer to discuss, among many things, his latest novel, Absolution, the unexpected fourth installment of the Southern Reach series.

The conversation explores the tangled web of human-environment relationships and how novels can serve as testing grounds for exploring ecological and psychological ideas. VanderMeer also talks about why he challenges the very terminology of “climate fiction” — he’s quite convincing!

The full transcript is available by clicking above. This episode is also available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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Highlights

(01:10) The Mysteries of Area X

(03:02) Writing Absolution: A Journey

(09:14) Interrogating Solutions in Climate Fiction

(14:13) Hyperobjects and Their Impact

(20:06) The Role of Non-Human Perspectives

(24:38) Frustrations with Bureaucracy

(33:12) Future Works and Adaptations

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