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New Book Spotlight

Human Voices, Alien Conversations

A mini-interview with James Machell

Tell us about your new book?

Human Voices, Alien Conversations collects interviews, conducted over the past two years or so with SF authors, editors, and artists. I’ve often thought that a book’s backstory is as interesting as the book itself and this is my attempt to highlight the interweaving significance of both. Ken Liu, for example, delves into the philosophy, rather than the plot, that forms his Dandelion Dynasty series. I was similarly eager to hear about how identity and personal circumstances affects the work of interviewees. Because they vary widely in age, the youngest in their 20s and oldest in their 80s, the collection shows how the ever-changing landscape of publishing is as integral to content of books as the ideas that fuel them.

Interviewees include Ken Liu, Bogi Takács, Paolo Bacigalupi, John Picacio, John Clute, Samuel R. Delany, Samantha Mills, Jeff Noon, Steven Youll, P. Djèlí Clark, Chris Moore, Ai Jiang, Cheryl Morgan, Neil Clarke, Pat Cadigan, & Matthew Holness.

What aspect of the book was the most fun to write?

When I was kid, although I wouldn’t read A Song of Ice and Fire until much later, I really admired the cover art. The paintings were subsequently replaced by generic photographs, and this was my opportunity to find out what the artist (Steven Youll) thought. I was also curious about Matthew Holness’s transition from TV to books and the drug culture that inspired Jeff Noon’s Vurt. Having finished Human Voices, Alien Conversations, I find my mind wondering less frequently.

If there is one emotion or theme that you would hope that the reader connects with, what would that be? 

There are several emotions I’d love for readers to connect with – appreciation – excitement – satisfaction, but if I’m picking one, it would have to be unease. The world has changed significantly since the first interview was conducted with Samuel R. Delany in 2023. Artificial intelligence has brought a moral war into the publishing landscape with editors and readers now responsible for keeping voices human. If work on the book had commenced in 2026, there would have been a greater emphasis on real life wars, and the role of SF in addressing uncertainty.