285 – Paul Tremblay & Eternity at Bernie’s
Show notes
This week we’re putting the boot right into the ribs of the AI Industry, but doing it in horrific style, with Paul Tremblay and Dead But Dreaming of Electric Sheep.
It’s a story of a young gamer, tasked with piloting a man’s comatose body across the United States using AI tech. But deep inside, the man is still conscious, and what he’s experiencing is nightmarish.
Dark stuff, but surprisingly fun, maybe even funny. Paul and I talk about the humour and the human indignity of his story. He discusses the challenges of writing such a bodily novel, the horrific potential of endless virtual suffering, and we hear notes from the frontline of his legal case against ChatGPT.
Always a joy to have Paul on the show!
Enjoy.
Other books mentioned:
The Sister’s Brothers (2011), by Patrick DeWitt
“No, Artificial Intelligence is Not Conscious” (2026), by Ted Chiang – in The Atlantic
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers (2003), by Mary Roach
The Deluge (2023), by Stephen Markley
The Feeling of Life Itself: Why Consciousness Is Widespread But Can't Be Computed (2019), by Christof Koch
“I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream” (1967), by Harlan Ellison
The Loop (2020), by Jeremy Robert Johnson
A Short Stay in Hell (2009), by Stephen L. Peck
The Flayed Man (2026), by Chloe Lauter
Tillinghast (2026), by Clare Cavenagh
Trad Wife (2026), by Sarah Langan
Babylon, South Dakota (2026), by Tom Lin
The Rouse (2026), by China Mieville
Desert Radio (2026), by Pamela Durgin
Support Talking Scared on Patreon
Check out the Talking Scared Merch line – at VoidMerch
Come talk books on Threads, Bluesky, and Instagram, or email direct to [email protected]
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices