Paul Kingsnorth vs. the Machine

Paul Kingsnorth is right about much. Still, I’ve so far only read him sporadically, mostly his articles. A few years back I was sent the sharp little tale that got many hooked on Kingsnorth, “The Basilisk”, but never went on to the novels.

Kingsnorth has been busy since that tale appeared. His sense of the problem has deepened. His pen gets keener by the year.

Wikipedia describes his work thus:

Kingsnorth's nonfiction writing tends to address macro themes like environmentalism, globalisation, and the challenges posed to humanity by civilisation-level trends. His fiction, notably the Buccmaster Trilogy, tends to be mythological and multi-layered.

Kingsnorth is wrestling with a larger frame than most writers. And he is right, I think, especially regarding what he calls “the Machine", regarding the magnitude of the enace we face. He’s also right about the deep malaise we’ve fallen into, how it has made us vulnerable--a vulnerability that presages … something. But what?

Many sense it, and are leery of the answer. I think really all of us sense it, but most don’t want to look at it.

Go read Kingsnorth’s recent piece, second in a series of three. In it he links two key pieces on the Machine (here and here):

Legends of the Fall

But yes, you may also be taken by the 2020 tale mentioned above:

The Basilisk