We’re jumping into the near future this week as we bring you an eye-feast of dystopian madness. We have breathers and cities of industry and giant robot warriors and scavengers and lethal post-apocalyptic warrior babes.
Su Jian is concept designer from China and his work is visceral and raw. Information on Su is scarce so we do what we usually do when we find ourselves in a situation like this–we let the art do the talking!
We’ve compiled a small taste of his talent for you below. Enjoy!
I’ll be honest, I think I’m slightly more interested in post-apocalyptic worlds these days because of my Armistice story “The Carrion Hunter.” Make no mistake, Interspecies is essentially a collection of dystopian tales with a twist and aliens thrown into the mix in a very big way. But that is not why I suddenly feel so drawn to a wasted world of dust and nothingness.
Until recently we thought only New Zealand and Australia survived with the rest of the world a decaying swamp of gasses and erosive chemicals and nothing else. Lo and behold, out of nowhere a tale about someone roaming the wastes of North America across what used to be Texas. And not only surviving but coexisting with possible other survivors. That is a whole new world of awesome to explore, especially if you consider the mutated creatures that prowl the desolate plains and valleys.
So, yes, the art above–some of it–reminds me of my character and his world. Think old biohazard suit, ancient rifle, and a backpack, exploring a mysterious waste of a world afflicted by red storms and underground chemical lakes that play habitat to giant beasts. And let’s throw in a mysterious domed city, too…
I mean, why not?

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Woelf Dietrich
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