@karlschroeder.bsky.social pushes this concept in incredible directions in his book Stealing Worlds www.goodreads.com/book/show/41...

Because they're intelligent, educated people who have agency and (increasingly) a lot of money. I could turn your question around and ask why you think they will be helpless?

Wow, thanks! I love this

Bought! A theme I'm working towards in my Substack, but haven't yet felt confident to take on. Also relevant to the new novel, which is about the future of the Arctic and Indigenous self-governance.

Can't do that if Tor still holds the audiobook rights. I'll have to review my contract. Rolling my own audiobook would also be A) time-consuming, or B) money-consuming. I have neither the time nor the money to do it right now.

Frankly, I chose Substack because I was unable to import my mailing list to any of the alternatives. And I've heard Substack's reputation, but Margaret Atwood and Salman Rushdie trust it.

I'm interested in Ghost but have no time to explore it right now.

I am on Facebook but don't post.

I think I'll have to narrate that one myself. Yeah, it was always intended to be the end of the series. It was all wrapped up, and I wanted to make room in my brain for new characters in new worlds. Of which, there are a lot.

Including the actual link might help. Duh.

kschroeder.substack.com/p/our-subtop...

Well, I did write a book based on the idea that intelligence's purpose is to make it possible for an entity to move into environments it isn't directly adapted to. But direct adaptation is always "cheaper" in the long run and will render intelligence unnecessary in the end, every time.