Welcome Patrick! What are some of your favorite dystopian novels, if any? Did they influence you at all in the writing of The Chaos Walking trilogy?
It's odd to think of it as dystopian, really, but David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" is one of my favorite novels ever and is, in fact, about a messy future. As for influential, there's actually a film that I saw years and years ago as barely a teenager called "This Quiet Earth" about a man who ends up alone on the planet. The imagery of the deserted cities really stayed with me (no idea if the film is any good, it's been so long) but that solitude shows up a lot in the trilogy, even if it's not directly about being the last man alive.
You tackle a lot of issues so far in your trilogy – complete loss of privacy, extreme gender roles, information control – Is this where you fear our own society is heading?
Actually, I don't think dystopian novels are really ever about the future, I think they're about the present. Many of these problems, I think, are problems right now, and the books re-contextualize them to explore them. But golly, loss of privacy, information control, that's today's headlines! Yikes. The gender roles were more a way of exploring my theory about how badly we are as a species at handling difference. If something is different, it's either better (in which case we need to destroy it) or worse (in which case we need to exploit it). That was more a plea to accept difference as merely difference. We get into so much trouble because we struggle with that.
Why do you think dystopian fiction has become so popular recently? What’s the attraction?
Lots of reasons, I think. Terrorism physically reaching America, the strain of apocalypse in many popular religions, fear of new technologies, but also I think, the way the internet has turned into a great outlet for outrage and has made it oddly harder to respectfully disagree. Someone you disagree with isn't just wrong, they're the biggest idiot ever lived. Know what I mean? In those circumstances, it's hard not to worry about things coming apart, even if the facts are that we're mostly fine. It's a shame, really, and I hate how politicians (among others) play so heavily on manufactured discontent. It's enough to dent even the brightest optimist!
In addition to writing books, you also review books for The Guardian. Were there any books which were really difficult for you to review?
Not really. I'm naive enough, maybe, to think that it really is just my opinion and that if I write a negative review, then the writer is bound to get other positives. But in all honesty, I only give really negative reviews if I think the writer has been lazy or cynical. It's such a privilege to write a book that to take it for granted really annoys me. Mostly, though, it's a chance to celebrate books and tell people they should read them. Good fun.
What is your favorite part about being an American abroad?
It's odd to think of it as dystopian, really, but David Foster Wallace's "Infinite Jest" is one of my favorite novels ever and is, in fact, about a messy future. As for influential, there's actually a film that I saw years and years ago as barely a teenager called "This Quiet Earth" about a man who ends up alone on the planet. The imagery of the deserted cities really stayed with me (no idea if the film is any good, it's been so long) but that solitude shows up a lot in the trilogy, even if it's not directly about being the last man alive.
You tackle a lot of issues so far in your trilogy – complete loss of privacy, extreme gender roles, information control – Is this where you fear our own society is heading?
Actually, I don't think dystopian novels are really ever about the future, I think they're about the present. Many of these problems, I think, are problems right now, and the books re-contextualize them to explore them. But golly, loss of privacy, information control, that's today's headlines! Yikes. The gender roles were more a way of exploring my theory about how badly we are as a species at handling difference. If something is different, it's either better (in which case we need to destroy it) or worse (in which case we need to exploit it). That was more a plea to accept difference as merely difference. We get into so much trouble because we struggle with that.
Why do you think dystopian fiction has become so popular recently? What’s the attraction?
Lots of reasons, I think. Terrorism physically reaching America, the strain of apocalypse in many popular religions, fear of new technologies, but also I think, the way the internet has turned into a great outlet for outrage and has made it oddly harder to respectfully disagree. Someone you disagree with isn't just wrong, they're the biggest idiot ever lived. Know what I mean? In those circumstances, it's hard not to worry about things coming apart, even if the facts are that we're mostly fine. It's a shame, really, and I hate how politicians (among others) play so heavily on manufactured discontent. It's enough to dent even the brightest optimist!
In addition to writing books, you also review books for The Guardian. Were there any books which were really difficult for you to review?
Not really. I'm naive enough, maybe, to think that it really is just my opinion and that if I write a negative review, then the writer is bound to get other positives. But in all honesty, I only give really negative reviews if I think the writer has been lazy or cynical. It's such a privilege to write a book that to take it for granted really annoys me. Mostly, though, it's a chance to celebrate books and tell people they should read them. Good fun.
What is your favorite part about being an American abroad?
I've lived loads of places, so it's odd that I never really think of myself as American abroad. I just think of me in my latest home. I'll tell you what my least favorite it, though: the lack of Mexican food in England! You never think you're going to miss Taco Bell until it's taken away from you...
I know what you mean - we don't have decent Mexican cuisine in Germany either. Thanks Patrick!
Read more of Patrick's thoughts at his online diary.
So thanks to Candlewick, I have copies of the first two books to give away to one lucky commenter. Here's your chance to catch up with the series before the release of book 3 MONSTERS OF MEN which promises to be explosive.
Just say something meaningful about Patrick's interview in the comments and you're entered to win. As always, I will give you one extra entry for posting a link on your blog (sidebar is fine) or on twitter.
This contest is open to residents of the US and Canada until 11:59 pm CST on March 8th.
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