Christopher Brown talking legal thrillers, dystopia, and science fiction

Christopher Brown (previously) is the guest on this week's Agony Column podcast with Rick Kleffel (MP3) (previously), discussing his outstanding legal thriller/sf climate change dystopia Rule of Capture.

It's a longform interview, and Brown digs into the oddity of both the law and legal fiction, the way that sf has so few lawyers, the weird precision of legal jargon, and the surprising (and haunting) number of books on administering martial law available at his local UT Austin law library.

Brown is a fascinating figure, and his thoughts on how sf works and what it says about our current dystopian world make for a terrific interview.

Rule of Capture is a unique legal thriller. Brown is rigorous in his world-building. Theres no shiny extrapolated technology to magically blast in. Instead, the author applies his excellent powers of extrapolation to the law, finding Reagans far more threatening than lasers. The world is bristling with danger. Its an open-carry paradise, with all the horror we currently hide from ourselves striding in the unpleasantly bright sunlight.Donnys an interesting and compelling character, surrounded by the sort of sleaze we get to read about on a daily basis. Hes likable but inclined to deceive himself when it comes to what sort of help he can provide. He sympathizes with his rebellious clients, but blinkers himself into the belief that the law is here to protect them, even when it is clear the law will not protect even him.

Brown knows how to score point after point for the reader, though.