Jake Chambers
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
What did you think about "The Man Who Had No Eyes" in City of Saints and Madmen in the the mass market paperback edition NOT being encyphered (because the change of format had shifted things and would have required recoding the piece)? Do you think the book lost something with that decision, or do you think most readers wouldn't have bothered to solve the code in the first place?
Jeff VanderMeer
Well, it's not the purest version of the book as a result. At last count, about 175 people had asked for the key over the years, and then another 100 downloaded it from the Ambergris.org website. So I can't tell how many took the time to decipher it, but most told me it was an interesting and unique experience. I'm truly grateful there are readers out there like that.
More Answered Questions
Heather
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
I really love your stories. The Southern Reach Trilogy and Ambergris Trilogy are amazing. Can't wait for Acceptance! Just out of curiosity is there any hope for more from the fascinating life of Dr. Lambshead? The first two anthologies are so much fun, and I love that you bring so many talented authors ( and artists) together not only into a solid collection but a cohesive new world. Thank you.
AD
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Do you find that Area X creeps into your daily encounters (especially with nature)? I can't help but be infiltrated by the weirdness, the slimed insidiousness, the near omnipresence of Area X. Anytime I see a rabbit bound into the ivied brush, I shudder. Do you shudder from your own creation?
Jessica
asked
Jeff VanderMeer:
Your projects tend to be a little out-of-the-box: huge anthologies that could kill people if they fell asleep reading them, books that are hard to summarize, and a writing book that was basically an art project as well. Do you ever get stuck and think, "Oh god, what am I doing? Did I bite off more than I can chew? Who is going to buy this?"
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