In this episode I’m joined by author Nathan Ogloff to talk about a deceptively powerful worldbuilding constraint: what happens when there’s no oil. (Or coffee, as it happens).
Nathan sets his story after the worst of the collapse, at the point where settlements are trying to rebuild into something like civilisation again. He pegs the global population at around 100 million, which creates a sparse world feel and a limited viewpoint, with much of the story rooted in the Pacific Northwest.
We spend time on the logistics of movement in a resource-scarce setting. Biofuel is expensive, roads are rough, and even “nearby” places can become a serious journey. That single constraint shapes trade, power, and what characters can realistically attempt.
We also touch on Shindo Dacan, a mechanically gifted protagonist working inside a warlord’s world, and Nathan’s approach to describing machines with just enough detail to feel plausible without turning the book into an engineering manual.
If you’re writing post-apocalyptic or rebuilding-era sci-fi, this is a useful reminder: logistics is plot too! Put a real price on movement and the world starts making sharper choices.
Find more on Nathan and his books here: https://nathanogloff.com/