Science writer Annalee Newitz has their eye on the future, but not necessarily our future. Their fantastic new book The Terraformers is a vision of things to come on a far-off planet, thousands of years from now. There are some sci-fi twists, like sentient trains that fall in love with talking cats, but at its heart, the book is a fascinating reflection of human history, our tendency to repeat mistakes, and the difficulty we seem to have in treating each other (and our environment) with compassion.
Itâs also a super queer book. âItâs a world where thereâs a lot more room for identities to be shaped by things other than gender,â Newitz says. Theyâll be passing through Seattle this week for a talk at Third Place Books on Friday, February 3 and a book signing at Fuel Coffee in Wallingford on Sunday, February 5.Â
We caught up with Newitz for a phone interview to talk about the origins of their new book, how it reflects the current transformation of certain American cities, and the opinions of worms and cats.
Continue reading »