We’re tiptoeing towards the sci-fi end of things this week, with Justin C. Key and The Hospital at the End of the World.

 

This is a techn-othriller about AI run amok in the medical establishment, and the junior doctor who must navigate a shadowy conspiracy, a fatal (and horrific) disease, all whilst making time for class at the sole

human-led teaching hospital left in the country.

 

It’s a lot. And a lot of fun – when it’s not ambushing me with one of my greatest medical phobias!!!

 

Justin and I talk about the real horrors of his medical school experience, what he’s learned about human connection from his work in psychiatry,

and we have that rare thing – a genuinely nuanced conversation about the role of AI in society.

 

Enjoy!

 

Other books mentioned: 

• The World Wasn’t Ready for You (2023), by Justin C. Key
• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (2000), by Stephen King
• Insomnia (1994), by Stephen King
• Ender’s Game (1985), by Orson Scott Card
• Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming (1994), by Stephen LaBerge and Howard Rheingold
• The Curse of Hester Gardens (2026), by Tamika Thompson
• Nuclear War: A Scenario (2024), by Annie Jacobson

 

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