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. He wrestles with a larger frame than most writers. And he's right, I think, especially regarding what he calls “the Machine", regarding the magnitude of the menace we face. He’s also right about the malaise we’ve fallen into, how it's 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