Robin Sloan’s Novel ‘Moonbound’ Expands Time, Space, and Technology

KQED's Forum

KQED

News, Politics, News Commentary

4.2 • 726 Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“The year is 13777. There are dragons on the moon.” That’s how Robin Sloan, author of the best-seller “Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Book Store” describes his new novel, “Moonbound.” It’s the first in an ambitious and adventurous trilogy that’s set far in the future, after AI and biotech have transformed life on Earth as we’ve known it. We’ll talk to Sloan about the power of science fiction and his far flung imaginings on sentience, collective history, humanity’s future and the remarkable potentials of yeast. Guests: Robin Sloan, author, "Moonbound"; Sloan's other books include "Sourdough" and "Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Support for KikiWED podcasts comes from Landmark College, holding their annual summer institute for educators from June 24 through 26th.
0:09.1	More information at landmark.edu slash LCSI.
0:13.7	Support for Forum comes from Broadway SF, presenting Parade, the musical revival based on a true story.
0:21.3	From three-time Tony-winning composer Jason Robert Brown comes the story of Leo and Lucille Frank,
0:27.6	a newlywed Jewish couple struggling to make a life in Georgia.
0:31.6	When Leo is accused of an unspeakable crime, it propels them into an unimaginable test of faith, humanity, justice, and
0:40.1	devotion. The riveting and gloriously hopeful parade plays the Orphium Theater for three weeks
0:46.3	only, May 20th through June 8th. Tickets on sale now at Broadwaysf.com.
0:53.4	From KQED. It's on sale now at Broadwaysf.com.
0:56.0	From KQED. From KQED.
1:09.2	From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Alexis Madrigal.
1:11.2	On the one hand, Robin Sloan's new novel, Moonbound, is a ripping adventure story about a boy named Ariel as he charts the unknown places surrounding the cloistered life he'd lived with his brother.
1:22.6	On the other hand, moonbound is a radical sci-fi exploration of artificial intelligence, the limits of biological
1:30.8	possibility and the nature of consciousness. We find ourselves in a world built from the narrative
1:36.1	and technological parts of our experience, but utterly reconstructed. Wizards are biotech
1:42.3	engineers. Our future is the character's past. Our narrator is a fungus.
1:47.7	We'll talk with Sloan about it all right after this news.
1:58.4	Welcome to Forum. I'm Alexis Madrigal.
2:01.7	Robin Sloan is the best-selling author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour bookstore, as well as the follow-up sourdough.
2:09.0	But he's also one of the most Bay Area characters I know.
2:12.7	He can tinker with the latest AI model and mostly explain the math,
2:16.8	and he produces the cult olive oil,
	...

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