Drew
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Jeff, you've created several awesome settings for your novels (Veniss, Area X, Ambergris) - but then you leave them, headed off to even more inventive places. Do you ever miss them, those old haunts? Slash do you ever think about going back? I was inspired to ask because I had a dream the other night where I was back in Ambergris during the festival... and it was a pleasant, if dangerous, pseudo-memory.
Jeff VanderMeer
Hey, Drew. I'm so immersed in the world of the Southern Reach and Area X that it's hard to answer the question, perhaps. I'm loving writing about the real world, even if it's a somewhat altered version. There's a refreshing freedom in that. But although it's possible that there might be a short story or two lurking around the edges of the Southern Reach novels, this series is done with the third book. Which means I'll be moving on to a couple of new novels, including Borne, which is kind of like Godzilla versus Mothra with a Chekov play going on in the foreground. Um, but more synthesized than that sounds!
As for Ambergris--I do want to write fiction set about 20 years after the last novel, in the morass of politics and factions that the city has become by then. But it's probably going to take the form of a graphic novel because I want to slip in and out of a lot of different points of view, and don't think a novel is the best format for that.
As for Ambergris--I do want to write fiction set about 20 years after the last novel, in the morass of politics and factions that the city has become by then. But it's probably going to take the form of a graphic novel because I want to slip in and out of a lot of different points of view, and don't think a novel is the best format for that.
More Answered Questions
Luis Gallardo
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Hi. While I myself like to read your work in English, I find that I'm mostly unable to recommend it to all the people I would like to since most of my friends read only in Spanish. Given that the Southern Reach trilogy has been translated, are there any plans to translate the Ambergris books into Spanish in the near future?
Suyi Davies Okungbowa
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Jeff, I noticed a lot of plant biology recurrent in Southern Reach, presented in a lot of sweetly disturbing ways. Was it a product of really extensive research (and if it was, what rigors did you go through to attain such knowledge?) or do you have some sort of background in plant biology?
James
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Do you think you will return to this world you've created once the Southern Reach trilogy is over? Are there more stories you'd like to tell, perhaps as short stories or extra notes? Although I enjoy unanswered questions and ambiguity it would interesting to read more about this world.
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