Most people agree that political divisions have gotten worse in recent years. Orson Scott Card’s new novel Empire looks at whether and how those divisions might lead to an American civil war in the near future. It’s a thriller novel, a la Tom Clancy, but it’s also a cautionary tale. We talk with Card about the novel, about storytelling, about the political scene, and what Americans should be doing.

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Music is “Splitters” by Mobius Dick.