James Machell’s work moves between criticism, journalism, fiction, and long-form conversation, with a particular interest in the relationship between storytelling, technology, belief, and social change. He considers “Fear of the Demiurge”, which examines the subconsious reasons for historical censorship in Art Under Fire, to be the highlight of his essay writing so far. “The Mouth of Silence” for Spectral Realms and “Body of Shapes” for Electronic Brain are other personal favourites.
See Short Works for short stories, poetry, and articles which are available online.
“Particularly disturbing”
Victoria Silverwolf, Tangent
His poetry chapbook, The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You, features narrative poetry with cyberpunk themes. Described by the editor of Radon Journal as an “essential read” for fans of the subgenre, it includes reprints from Star*Line and SpecPoVerse, plus seven original poems.
For more information, see The Kingdom of Hell is Inside You.
“James Machell’s first poetry collection explores transhumanist concerns with a light, precise touch and a genuine feel for language. This is free verse with a formal elegance, displaying the universe in a grain of sand and hell in an algorithm.”
Kyla Ward, Aurealis Award Winner
His first book, Human Voices, Alien Conversations,brings together interviews with some of the most fascinating people in contemporary SF. The collection explores worldbuilding, creativity, artistic uncertainty, publishing, cultural change, and the future of storytelling. It was listed by Locus Magazine as a new & notable book for August 2026.
For more information, see Human Voices, Alien Conversations.
“Machell’s interview style is exemplary: astute, precisely formulated and occasionally provocative. His questions generate original responses from even the most familiar interviewees, and the resulting dialogues develop a genuine sense of the excitement, variety and importance of today’s science fiction scene.”
Dr. Simon Malpas, Senior Lecturer at The University of Edinburgh
Lean more about James Machell from his 2026 interview with Vector Journal:
For inquiries regarding interviews, writing, editorial projects, speaking engagements, or collaborations, please get in touch through the contact page.
James Machell 