Matt Bell's novel Appleseed has no shortage of urgent themes, and on this episode we talk about whether democracy is suited to the task of rapidly confronting climate change, the perilously seductive allure of techno-optimism, and how fiction can help us imagine a future less estranged from the nonhuman world. Should we take geoengineering seriously? How should those in high-emissions countries think about our own complicity, even as we take action against the governments and corporations who bear greater responsibility? What if Johnny Appleseed were a faun? All this and more explored in the episode.

Learn more about the book here

Lincoln Michel on the "speculative epic"

A case against geoengineering

A case for taking it seriously

Subscribe on Patreon at the Lorax Tier or above to join our March 29 book club discussion of Barn 8 by Deb Olin Unferth.

Or sign up for the free weekly newsletter to get the latest episodes straight to your inbox.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.