Stephen Baxter & Paul McAuley
The talk started with the two authors introducing themselves and reading some short extracts from their newest novels.
Paul McAuley 's book is set not very far into the future, in London, after the info-war. The city is now policed by a hi-tech surveillance system of CCTV cameras. The book's protagonist is a police detective who uncovers a conspiracy.
Stephen Baxter delivered quite a heavy book. It's called Origin, and it's part of the Malfont series.
Some people see Science Fiction as being escapist. I don't see Science Fiction as escapist at all, because it deals with questions that we shy away from.
Mr Baxter did not read the first chapter of the book, but rather a couple of segments he had chosen from a later part. As a result he had to pause in his reading to explain that a was the term used in the book to refer to Neanderthals who the characters had recruited as servants.
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