Medicine, Machines, and Meaning: Justin C. Key's The Hospital at the End of the World

In this episode, I talk with Justin C. Key about his speculative novel The Hospital at the End of the World.  Justin shares how his medical training and fascination with AI, consciousness, and ethics informed the novel’s evolution from a short story into a full-length work. We dive into the tension between technological advancement and human connection, particularly in medicine, emphasizing the irreplaceable value of empathy and lived experience. Justin also discusses worldbuilding choices, balancing speculative ideas with grounded realism, and both the promise and risks of AI in healthcare and learning. Listen to hear about: How Justin’s writing journey evolved naturally from a deep love of reading into a disciplined, intuitive creative practice   How his “pantser” approach prioritizes discovery, with structure and outlines often emerging during the editing phase   How The Hospital at the End of the World began as a short story and expanded over years alongside his medical education   The way the novel explores AI in healthcare, balancing its powerful analytical potential with the risks of over-reliance and loss of human judgment   How the novel explores the irreplaceable role of human connection, arguing that empathy and presence are just as critical as data in medicine Follow Justin C. Key here and grab a copy of The Hospital at the End of the World here All the Bookwild Links:Check Out the Bookwild SubstackSubscribe to Bookwild on YouTubeGet Bookwild MerchFollow @imbookwild on InstagramCheck Out Author Social Media Packages Follow Co-hosts On Instagram:Gare Billings @gareindeedreadsSteph Lauer @books.in.badgerlandHalley Sutton @halleysutton25Brian Watson @readingwithbrianMacKenzie Green @missusa2mbaErin Ashley @bellametaphor