The lovely folks over at Shepherd have kindly asked me to select my top 5 books on a topic associated with one of my books. So naturally I chose MUNKi and our continuing struggles with technology, and the name of my book list is whimsically entitled, The best books on why we should rise up against our robot overlords. In case you’ve not heard of it (and it is new), Shepherd is a book… Source ..read more

I’ve just written a little article for Pen to Print’s Write On! magazine on the pitfalls faced by sci-fi writers, but also writers in general. We tend to think that writing the future is unproblematic, because the future is a blank canvas, where anything can happen. We don’t have to worry about historical inaccuracy or being tripped up by current events. But things aren’t so simple. Source ..read more

I’ve been working hard recently to promote my books to libraries in the UK and Ireland. This has been quite a learning curve, involving wholesalers and retailers, bibliographic databases and quality MARCs, and other things I won’t bore you with. However, I’m pleased to announce that MUNKi, and other titles in the Merrywhile series, will soon be available for loan in some 50+ library branches… Source ..read more

I’ve done another little book list/interview type thing over at Shepherd.com on “The best books on understanding the crazy world of contemporary art”. It’s based on the research I did for my novella Pale Kings, which is a little satirical story that pushes the logic behind “conceptual” art to illustrate just how utterly weird the art world can be. So if you’ve ever wondered how people make… Source ..read more

The lovely people over at Creative Pool have interviewed me as part of their member spotlight feature, which was great fun to take part in. Check it out here. I go into my dark and troubled history, discuss my process, my influences, and so on. Gareth Southwell is a philosopher, writer and illustrator from the UK. He is the author of the near-future sci-fi novel MUNKi… Source ..read more

I have now started my own publishing imprint, called WoodPig Press. All my fiction books, and some of my non-fiction, are now available directly through my shop. This includes paperbacks, ebooks and audiobooks, delivered straight to you from me. This means that less – I mean, er, FEWER of my royalties will now go to funding millionaires to build phallic space rockets, and I will be able to… Source ..read more

Perhaps the most plausible thing about Samantha Schweblin’s disquieting novel is the cavalier way in which people invite privacy-invading technology into their lives. The setting is not especially futuristic: kentuki are the new must-have gadget sweeping the world; you become the “keeper” of a little furry pet-sized robot, which might take the form of a rabbit, mole, dragon, crow… Source ..read more

What is the point of capitalism? If asked, Scottish economic philosopher Adam Smith would have said that its primary goal is the generation of wealth, and that the riches of those who succeed “trickle down” to the rest of society, who benefit indirectly as the rich spend their wealth. While not disagreeing, economist F. A. Hayek would have instead emphasised freedom – that economic deregulation… Source ..read more

Science fiction authors have been warning us for decades of the dangers technology poses. Recently, advances in artificial intelligence and robotics seem to suggest that they have been right all along. Computers are now driving cars and piloting automated weapons systems. They are beating grandmasters at chess and Go, recognising faces and writing articles. They are even in our homes and on our… Source ..read more