Travel Documents 47: Cyber World
Tales of Humanity’s Tomorrow
Paolo Bacigalupi (Author), Stephen Graham Jones (Author), Alyssa Wong (Author), Saladin Ahmed (Author), Cat Rambo (Author), Nisi Shawl (Author), E. Lily Yu (Author), Madeline Ashby (Author), Joshua Viola (Editor), Jason Heller (Editor)
Genre: far-future sf, biopunk, culture change, spec-fic
The Dust Cover Copy
Cybernetics. Neuroscience. Nanotechnology. Genetic engineering. Hacktivism. Transhumanism. The world of tomorrow is already here, and the technological changes we all face have inspired a new wave of stories to address our fears, hopes, dreams, and desires as Homo sapiens evolve—or not—into their next incarnation. Cyber World presents diverse tales of humanity’s tomorrow, as told by some of today’s most gripping science fiction visionaries.
The Scene
Worldbuilding
From the untenable inequality and the burning rebellion of The Bees of Kiribatai to the living and possessive smart infrastructure of Panic City, this collection spans all the near-future possibilities on style. Contained in a gorgeously formatted book, this anthology contains tales that run the gamut from witty and engaging to deeply disturbing. The stories are fairly short, which means that you’re in a new world every few pages. But all of them are wonderful works of craft.
The Crowd
Characterization
Each writer has their own style in characterization, from the extremely emotional first-person approach of The Rest Between Two Notes to the distant, clinical style of Panic City. But they are all beautifully crafted and powerfully presented. Bravo!
The Lingo
Writing Style
Again, I won’t go into extreme detail in this section, since there are twenty (!!!) separate stories. Let’s simply take it as a given that none of these stories will make a reader’s nose wrinkle for stylistic reasons. This collection is a LED-lit jewelbox of speculative fiction stories, and each one is a unique and fascinating gem. The images, cover and style serve as a lush and wonderful box to hold them all. Oh, and the paperback comes with a CD of cyberpunk tunes worth jacking into inside. Score!
Overall Rating
Innovative stories from all corners of the globe. Roads to futures bright, dark, and murky. Characters worth reading about, and dilemmas worth discussing. And gadgetry. Oh my gods gadgetry. What more could a punk want?
Nothing.
Grab your copy. You’re going to want this one.