In Jeff VanderMeer’s highly successful Southern Reach trilogy, characters were cut off from one another, and their stories unfolded against the backdrop of a devastated landscape. In his latest novel “Borne,” (Farrar, Straus and Giroux/2017) he highlights how a new cast of characters attempt to make connections with each other.
At the center of the novel is Rachel, a climate change refugee who forms a strong bond with a charming piece of biotech named Borne. But as Borne grows and develops, it is unclear if he was intended to be a weapon, and at what cost Rachel will invest her love and trust in him.
Host Frank Stasio talks with author Jeff VanderMeer and with his wife and editor Ann VanderMeer about the novel, their process, and their experiences creating and sharing science fiction and science fantasy.
