Author Interview: Vladmir Baker on Intermission
Meet Vladmir Baker
Vladmir Baker is not your typical sci-fi debut. A former academic anthropologist turned novelist, Baker brings a razor-sharp wit and a deep understanding of cultural nuance to his first book, Intermission. Set on the planet Peponi a paradise turned bureaucratic purgatory. The human tendency to overcomplicate everything.
Why does Baker matter to our readers? Because he writes science fiction that doesn’t just entertain it interrogates. His work fits seamlessly into our Galaxy’s Collection, where speculative fiction meets emotional and ethical depth.
Star Trek with Snark
Peering into the cosmos is best done with sarcasm and intellectual edge. Intermission is for readers who love their sci-fi with a side of existential dread and their fantasy grounded in uncomfortable truths. Think Douglas Adams meets Ursula K. Le Guin—if they were stuck in a committee meeting about interspecies reparations.
This novel pairs perfectly with our “Diplomacy & Dissonance” bundle, where every story explores the tension between idealism and reality.
THE INTERVIEW
What sparked the idea for Intermission? It started with a question I couldn’t shake: What happens when humans colonize a planet and then realize they were wrong? Not in a dramatic, war-torn way, but in a slow, bureaucratic, guilt-ridden way. I wanted to explore the aftermath, the awkwardness, the endless meetings. That’s where Peponi was born.
You transitioned from anthropology to fiction. What prompted that shift? I spent years studying cultural systems and post-colonial theory. But I found myself craving a medium where I could be both analytical and absurd. Fiction gave me that freedom. I didn’t leave academia, I just repurposed it. Now I get to ask the same questions, but with aliens and punchlines.
Why satire? Why not a more traditional sci-fi approach? Because satire disarms people. It lets you say the uncomfortable thing with a wink. I wanted readers to laugh and then realize they were laughing at something painfully familiar. Bureaucracy, guilt, performative ethics… it’s all there, just with better lighting and worse coffee.
The book is dialogue-driven, almost like a courtroom drama. Was that intentional? Very much so. I wanted the narrative to feel like a debate club gone rogue. Every character has a point, and no one’s entirely right. It’s messy, it’s talky, and it’s deeply human—even when the characters aren’t.
What was the hardest part of writing Intermission? Letting go of the need to explain everything. As an academic, I was trained to footnote my footnotes. But fiction thrives on ambiguity. I had to learn to trust the reader—to let them sit in the discomfort without a lecture.
Favorite line from the book? "Welcome to Peponi: where the tea is lukewarm, the guilt is piping hot, and the meetings never end." It sums up the tone perfectly.
How do you write? Any rituals or quirks? I write in bursts, usually late at night, with jazz playing and a mug of something questionable. I storyboard conversations before I write scenes. Dialogue is my compass. If the characters aren’t arguing, I’m lost.
What do you hope readers take away from Intermission? That science fiction should entertain, sure, but it should also provoke. If you’re not squirming a little, I’m not doing my job.
What’s next for you? A novella set in the same universe, but from the indigenous species’ perspective. It’s quieter, more poetic, and probably even more uncomfortable. I want to keep peeling back the layers—one awkward conversation at a time.
PULL-QUOTES
Early Reader Praise:
“The sharpest, most self-aware satire this side of Douglas Adams.” —Verified Google Review
“A cosmic farce with a conscience—brilliant, biting, a bit infuriating.” —Beta Reader, Utopia Press