As the climate crisis grows increasingly dire, a radical question is appearing on more politicians’ lips: What if we geoengineer our way out of the mess? The notion that we could reduce global temperatures with a sweeping technical fix and for relatively cheaply—by, say, spraying particulates into the sky to block the sunlight—is at first blush rather appealing. But then it would likely produce drastic and potentially devastating unintended consequences, too.
Enter Eliot Peper’s latest book, Veil. Peper’s work always has a ‘next five-minutes-to-five years in the future’ vibe, and the latest is no different; the speculative fiction writer has crafted a modern parable about ecological collapse, climate change, technology, and power.
“This scenario raises so many questions that will define the coming century: what does it mean to exist within an environment in which we ourselves are the primary agent of change?” Peper muses about the inspiration for Veil. “What will the future look like when technologies like nuclear weapons, CRISPR, the internet, and geoengineering can give a single human being the power to literally change the world?”
Good questions. To begin to explore the answers, we’re pleased to share an exclusive excerpt of Veil. Enjoy.
Preorder your copy of Veil right here and complement with this interview about what inspired the book, this podcast about the creative process behind it, and this thoughtful advance review.
This blog exists thanks to the generous support of loyal readers. Become a member.