What makes people accept an authoritarian government? Not just tolerate it. Not just survive it. But actually become comfortable enough inside the system that they stop questioning it?

That’s one of the BIG ideas Richard Swan and I get into in my newest YouTube interview, and this conversation went places. 👀

We sat down to talk about The Infinite State, the first book in his new sci-fi series, the Decurion Saga, and somehow ended up nerding out about:

• ⚔️ Why ordinary people become complicit in authoritarian systems

• 🏛️ What it would actually take to build a democracy from scratch

• 📢 How propaganda eventually stops feeling like propaganda

• 👮 Policing, political enforcement, and state power

• 🧠 The psychological cost of violence

• 🌌 And how Richard built a galaxy-spanning fascist empire that feels terrifyingly believable

And, of course, I had to ask about Empire of the Wolf, what Richard is writing next, and where you should start if you’ve never read one of his books.

If you like your sci-fi with massive ideas, complicated politics, morally messy characters, and A LOT to think about, you need to watch this conversation.

🎥 My full interview with Richard Swan is NOW LIVE on YouTube.

Go watch it, then come back and tell me which part of our conversation you can’t stop thinking about. 👀

Who here has already read The Infinite State?!