A.J. Van Belle
Author, Scientist, and Literary Agent
 |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
About
A.J. Van Belle is a Rhysling finalist, BSFA nominee, and Best of the Net-nominated author, scientist, and literary agent. Their work appears in the latest volume of Year’s Best Canadian Fantasy and Science Fiction. With a PhD in biology, they have a blast drawing on their science background to inform the world building in their fiction. As Alexandra Vivelo, A.J. has three nonfiction books coming in 2027 and 2028: From Mushrooms to the Moon on how fungi influence technology and A Dozen Dystopias and How to Dodge Them on the science behind fictional dystopias, both from Bloomsbury; and Hot Cities, from Orca Books.
Books Coming Soon
A Dozen Dystopias
and How to Dodge Them
Science gives us facts, but stories teach us what those facts mean to us as human beings. A DOZEN DYSTOPIAS AND HOW TO DODGE THEM looks at twelve of the dystopian fiction scenarios that have gripped our collective interest and dives into the real science of how those not-so-desirable futures could come about. Could we fall prey to a fungal infection as in The Last of Us? Maybe—but we could also take steps to minimize the chances of a not-so-friendly filamentous fungi takeover. Will the countries of North America collapse in the wake of a series of environmental disasters, as they did in the world of The Hunger Games? It could happen if we don’t correct course and reduce carbon emissions.
​
Can we make those corrections? We absolutely can. Every possible dystopian future carries a lesson on how to avoid its particular flavor of disaster. This book also delves into the science of how to steer clear of each of the devastating fictional possibilities. Most of them require collective action at the national and international level, so none of us will make the necessary changes happen alone. But, fortunately, large-scale collective action starts at the individual level, and it starts with knowledge. A DOZEN DYSTOPIAS AND HOW TO DODGE THEM links the real science behind some of our favorite works of science fiction and addresses how the choices we make will determine whether we end up in a more dystopian setting than we already see.
From Mushrooms to the Moon
We’re at a crossroads as to the direction of our technology (among other things) and we have a few questions ahead of us. Will we work with the Earth or against it as we continue the march of technological innovation? How can we learn from the natural world? Or will we ignore the treasure trove of information around us?
MUSHROOMS ON THE MOON is a voicey look at the technology insights we can gain from fungi. As we look toward an uncertain future and seek equitable solutions, mushrooms have much to teach us, because fungi, the miniscule masters of forest decay, can serve as a living blueprint for an array of technologies that could lead to a more just, sustainable future.
The science of imitating living things and building new tech modeled on Nature’s nifty solutions is called biomimicry, and we’re poised on the edge of taking advantage of all the biological genius fungi have to offer. MUSHROOMS ON THE MOON takes readers on a journey from our own neighborhoods, to agricultural fields, to struggling natural ecosystems, and even into outer space with the newest and near-future sustainable tech that incorporates and is inspired by the magic-like marvels of mushrooms.
