John M. Ford

Well, it's an adventure story, and a Bildungsroman, of course, but there was also the intention to describe a culture that had been seen in rather narrow terms.

At one point I intended to write precursor and sequel novels, about the establishment of the Web and its next evolution, but I am very unlikely to now; they would take place in a different universe.

Creating the fictional background for a game world isn't significantly different from creating a background for fiction.

I don't think anyone wants a reader to be completely lost - certainly not to the point of giving up - but there's something to be said for a book that isn't instantly disposable, that rewards a second reading.

We're not lost. We're locationally challenged.

I'm very happy that the New York Times has spoken well of my stuff; who wouldn't be? But it's not a choice I made.

Sometimes the reader will decide something else than the author's intent; this is certainly true of attempts to empirically decipher reality.

There are people who believe in an absolutely transparent prose; with every respect for clarity of expression, I don't.

The cynical part of the answer is that I expect to see a good deal more space opera, set far enough in the future as to be disconnected from contemporary issues.