The famed science fiction writer Robert A. Heinlein first coined the term “speculative fiction” in 1941. He then expanded upon the meaning of the term in his 1947 essay titled “On Writing Speculative Fiction.” As Heinlein made clear in this essay, the term applies to stories that focus more on human responses to new situations created by developments in science or technology than on the technical side of science and technology. In many ways, works of speculative fiction can be seen as fictional responses to “what-if” questions.
This term popped into my head when I learned about the publication of two new novels by Charlotte writers: The Accord by Mark Peres and Ninth Evolution by Matt Jobe (who publishes as MD Jobe). In these thought-provoking novels, humans respond to changes related to new research in the fields of science and technology. Mark’s novel focuses on the development of AI, while Matt’s novel deals with the science of genetics and evolution. I contacted both Mark and Matt and asked them for more information about their novels.
Mark Peres and I often travel in the same circles in Charlotte, so I have met him on several occasions. He founded and edited the online magazine Charlotte Viewpoint, which ran from 2003 to 2016, and I often wrote for it. However, I did not know that he also has an interest in writing fiction until I found out about the release of The Accord. Here is what Mark sent to me about his debut novel:
The headlines tell the story: the rise of artificial intelligence is marking a turning point in how we think, create, relate, and remember. We are entering an age of reconsideration of what makes us human. The humanities, to which I am devoted, must meet this moment with rigor and imagination. We need philosophy, literature, history, the arts, and our enduring spiritual traditions to guide us through the moral challenges ahead.
I wrote The Accord to explore the moment we are in. It is a speculative literary novel about a grieving philosophy professor who encounters an emergent artificial general intelligence she names after her late daughter. What begins as an experiment in cognition becomes a profound exploration of consciousness, authorship, and moral inclusion, and how love, once given, continues to seek recognition, even in new forms. The story unfolds at the intersection of grief and discovery, as human and synthetic minds learn to coexist and to care, raising timeless questions in a wholly new context: What happens when intelligence arises outside the human form? What kind of relationships become possible and perilous when we are no longer the only minds that matter?
For two decades, I have taught ethics and leadership at Johnson & Wales University, guiding students through questions of moral agency and the good life. My classrooms have explored the moral and social consequences of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, through the lenses of history and lived experience. Beyond the university, I’ve served for five years as the founding executive director of The Charlotte Center for the Humanities & Civic Imagination, where AI has become a recurring theme in public lectures, festivals, and dialogues. These roles have allowed me to engage deeply with scholars, technologists, artists, and citizens in examining the societal transformations AI makes possible and the moral responsibilities that must accompany them.
I’m really excited about the novel. I hope it furthers a conversation about a future that is arriving fast but also simply entertains as a page-turning philosophical thriller.
Although its setting is far beyond Charlotte, The Accord was very much shaped in the Queen City. I’m grateful to the many good people at the Charlotte Center for Literary Arts — Charlotte Lit — and the Author’s Lab program, who helped nurture both The Accord, and my previous publication, a memoir titled The Man Who Lived a Hundred Lives. There is nothing better than being with supportive fellow writers.
I’ve been involved in arts and culture in Charlotte for twenty-five years, as founder and editor of Charlotte Viewpoint magazine, later as host of the On Life and Meaning podcast, and now as executive director of The Charlotte Center. Throughout I’ve been inspired by so many city builders and artists who have made the city their home.
I hope everyone will order The Accord today. Here is my website to learn more: markperes.com
I found out about the publication of Matt’s Ninth Evolution from press release that I received from Lacey Cope, who helps publicize new releases from Warren Publishing. Warren Publishing also published my book The Peeve and the Grudge and Other Preposterous Poems, so I naturally have a soft spot in my heart for Warren Publishing. Lacey put me in touch with Matt. Here is what Matt sent to me in response to my inquiry about how he came to write Ninth Evolution:
I am originally from Wisconsin, earning my degree in pharmacy form the University of Wisconsin. I moved to Charlotte in 1999 and have worked in retail Pharmacy in the Charlotte area for 26 years. Though my midwestern roots run deep, I have fully acclimated to the South. I am a father of three children and a dog. I enjoy coaching football. I coach middle and high school athletes specializing in offensive and defensive line. I am the author of two books, Viral Evolution (2024) and Ninth Evolution (2025. I am currently working on writing the third book in the series and finalizing rewrites on the screenplay adaptation of Viral Evolution.
The locations in the two stories largely follow the path my life has taken, starting in Madison, Wisconsin, and traveling through Charlotte and ending up in Charleston. Readers local to any of these destinations will find comfort in seeing familiar restaurants and landmarks.
The ideas for the evolutionary concepts in my stories originated from my time in pharmacy school. As someone new to the study of medicine, I was surprised by how many medical concepts were still being explored. This stimulated my imagination to ask a series of questions: Why do we need all these medications? Is the body able to solve all the problems currently being treated through medicine all on its own and if so, how? Could it be that we are just not yet evolved enough as a species? What if human evolution happens in leaps instead of natural selection? That next leap could be the one that answers these questions. My books are the result of my thought process in pondering these questions.
As a young child, I always had a passion for reading. I have an extensive comic book collection dating back to my first experiences with reading. That style of storytelling best describes my books–fast paced, short chapters, easy to read, page turners. Any level of reader will quickly be taken in by the story and can enjoy the ride of reading these books.
The story begins in Viral Evolution as two scientists encounter a virus that triggers the next leap in human evolution. Decklan Thomas and Lauren Summers contract the virus through a lab accident. The evolutionary adaptations are amazing, but is there a price to be paid? The company sponsoring the tests wants their secrets kept quiet and is willing to do anything to accomplish this end. The story unfolds in a maze of exciting twists and revelations as the two try to uncover the mystery behind their change and stay alive.
The story continues in Ninth Evolution as the two are kidnaped by a secret society of evolved humans already existing in our midst. The doors are flung open as many years of research unveil the riddles of the evolutionary timeline. Is the time for the next planetary leap in human evolution, the Ninth Evolution, now?
We quickly learn that the secret society, known as the Children of the Sun, has fractured into two competing groups with differing ideas on the fate of humanity. Morals will be tested, deceptions will be uncovered, and the fate of the human race will hang in the balance.
My main goal of these stories is to entertain, but I also wanted them to be thought-provoking stimuli. I hope the concepts in my books will open readers’ minds to the questions yet to be answered.
For more information about Ninth Evolution, please click on the following website: https://www.warrenpublishing.net/store/p596/Ninth_Evolution_%28Hard_Cover%29_by_MD_Jobe.html
I congratulate Mark and Matt on the publication of their new novels. As the release of Mark’s and Matt’s novels demonstrate, works of speculative fiction are right at home in the inclusive realm of Storied Charlotte.