Futureshocks is as the editor Lou Anders writes in his very carefully thought out and worded introduction; an anthology of science fiction stories that envisions the dangers lying in wait for us on the road ahead or lurking just around the corner of history. This anthology provides sixteen stories which try to expose what the uncertain technological tomorrows may thrust upon humanity and how we rise or fail to the challenge.



Shuteye For the Timebroker by Paul di Filippo
The first story's titular protagonist Cedric Swann lives in an age where antisomnolescence are all the rage. In fact Western society does not choose to function without them. Swann however is a victim to his desires and through a series of gambling bets his life begins to unravel very rapidly. He loses his job, his woman, his apartment, his financial security and finally when he hits the bottom of the barrel he cannot even afford the antisomnolescence drugs. He becomes a sleeper. Forced to live in a world where if you sleep you are one third less productive than the rest of society Swann core being is destroyed. What is one meant to do when sleep is a unnecessary and evil weakness? I found this story full of black humour and a quixotism that slowly won me over. The final two pages of this story were very wittily put together and leaves you with a feeling of warmth and hope for Cedric Swann.




Looking Through Mother's Eyes by John Meaney
This tale is of a society which reproduces in a very disturbing manner. Told through both the first narrative of the unborn child and the third person narrative recounting how the society maintains it way of life we are quickly introduced to the village. The baby desires to be born and is self aware of its mother's feelings. I've read it but I can't honestly say I understood what Meaney is trying to say. I knew how the story was going to finish almost as I soon as I started reading but it still came as a shock to me.




The Man Who Knew Too Much by Alan Dean Foster
Addiction and all its side effects are postulated in this interesting piece. They say that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, the story's' main character doesn't share those sentiments. He is addicted to books. Pure and simple his motivations may be, the far reaching consequences are not. The old fashioned method of eye movement and reading page after page of text is too slow. His hunger knows no bounds and he acquires highly illegal chips which allow him to go into a semi comatose state while he information is pumped directly into his brain. So strong is his need to fill his mind with copious amounts of knowledge that he develops a headache if denied the use of the mini-chips which greatly increase his intelligence. Foster has a panache for recounting how the peddlers of these chips skulk in alleyways in the middle of the night trying to entice young students to buy their goods. Too much knowledge can fry a person's mind but those are the risks that many are willing to take. If caught by the authorities using these illegal chips offenders are institutionalized and going cold turkey is never easy. Addicts will do what needs to be done, regardless, we should never underestimate their proclivity to show a cunning that outweighs their education. The Man Who Knew Too Much would be better titled as The Man Who Knew Just Enough To Get By.




The Engines Of Arcadia by Sean McMullen
A man seeks to escape from a society which throttles his individual follies and foibles by means of a time machine. This story is nothing new and though I found it promising at first but slowly it tapered away into mediocrity.




The Pearl Diver by Caitlín R. Kiernan
This is quite a haunting tale detailing how the thirty seven year old Farasha Kim, suffering from insomnia, existing only to work in a high pressure job and mildly depressed tries to some to term with her life. She is haunted by a painting she believes she saw hanging on a museum of modern art as a child and it seems to reach out to her in her dreams. This piece which is called The Pearl Diver comes to life in her deep sleep yet she cannot fathom out why it draws her so. Thanks to a piece of unwanted email her life is irrevocably altered. Farasha Kim is a tragic figure with whom we can easily empathize but the story lacks any real motives or reasons as to why the events in her life turned out so poorly. I enjoyed reading this tale but so much is left unanswered. A disappointingly non directional tale.




Before The Beginning by Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove
Truly this is an imaginative piece worthy of praise. Consider a timepiece that allows you to view any era, any event, no matter its historical significance with absolute clarity. The history of humanity and that of planet earth is revealed to all. No need for guesswork, no need for archaeologists to sift through sedimentary layers looking for dinosaur bones, no need for religious scholars to tell us what any great religious teacher acted or how they lived their lives. When all you have to do is turn on a timepiece and choose which period in history you wish to observe even the act of committing a crime if sheer foolishness - you will be found out. Someone however has the bright idea to go back to when it all began - The Big Bang. What if we could go back just one second further? Could we see God? An intrepid bunch of cosmologists dare to find out. This was a splendidly irreverent and deprecating piece of science fiction worth reading. It is my belief that if Douglas Adams, author of Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, still walked the earth he would have greatly enjoyed reading this irreverently witty piece.




Man You Gotta Go by Adam Roberts
A thought provoking tale examining the question of faster than light (FTL) travel. An artificial intelligence is created with the aim of solving the annoying problem of breaking the FTL barrier. Scientists have been unable to come up with anything new and meaningful in many years and allow the AI's they create to help solve the problem. This narrative of this tale is quite detached but the solution postulated in breaking through the speed of light barrier is what dreams are made of. We come to view the human race through the eyes and sensors of the AI Greensilk in a manner that is reminiscent of that of a nanny taking care of a group of pre adolescents. Slowly the AI realises that in granting humankind the gift it so rapaciously coveted that it signed both it and humanity's death warrant. This is a short story executed with a precision and a coherent focus that leaves you feeling as if we have been forewarned of a possible future..




Homosexuals Damned, Film At Eleven by Alex Irvine
An old man sits and watches the television screen while he is being monitored by a thought police state that forbids him through the use of insidious technological equipment in his apartment to reminisce about his certain aspects of his past. He lives in a state run by religious zealots and this theocracy is forcing him to watch the public denunciation of his only living son before he is publicly executed. This was a chilling tale to read. It bears more than a passing similarity top George Orwell's message that Big Brother is watching you. Dire and laced with ominous predictions for a state rum amok this is a cautionary tale of a man being forced to pay for his past. A very dark short story to read which will give you no comfort unless you are one of those sorry cases that believes in religious fundamentalism.




Contagion by Chris Roberson
A wonderful tale of a society barely able to exist in a world where the greatest dangers to your life are measured on the microscopic level. Couriers' carry viruses in their bloodstream for which they are richly rewarded. They are unmistakable to look at and dispassionately tolerated and respected by a society that more than understands the role they play. However, some individual or group is targeting these couriers and in this short story a deadly game of cat and mouse threatens to expose more than just the bloodstream of one unfortunate courier. Roberson injects this story with enough menace to set your adrenal glands into motion and you heart to beat just a little faster. Tense and thoughtful this story packs enough believability of what could be if mankind fails to prepare itself properly in its battle against microbes, bacteria and viruses.




Absolom's Mother by Louise Marley
Thirteen women decide to make a stand against government agencies which seek to procure the use of their children for warfare. This is most definitely an anti war piece detailing what it is women feel and how they react to an industrial war machine which cares little for the individual. Touching, dramatic and very powerful it is yet another warning as to why we should always be alert to those who wish to use the next generation in a never ending battle.




Job Qualifications by Kevin J. Anderson
A somewhat disjointed piece involving a presidential candidate who seeks to become the next world leader. We are given the details of many different clones of the president who have all been allowed to live totally different lives but the reason as to why isn't revealed until the last two pages. An amusing yet unfulfilling story.




The Teosinte War by Paul Melko
What if we could create a machine and use it to alter how a civilization develops? A thought provoking tale involving the how the use of corn selectively introduced into Meso-America circa 7,500 B.C. may influence how an altered society travels down a particular timeline. It is amazing how the smallest and most well intentioned act of altruism can spell disaster. A tale explaining why we humans should never play god. Dark and thought provoking, this leaves you feeling as if no matter how we try manipulate a society into becoming something greater than history books reminds us of being, we should just accept what has been and count ourselves very lucky.




Slip by Robert A. Metzger
A humdrum affair about how a virtual reality has let loose a psychopath in its world and how the story's protagonist seeks to bring him to justice.




All's Well At World's End by Howard V. Hendrix
This ominously titled story more than lives up to its name. A silo soldier in the heart of America seems to have a military future that is going to plan. That is until he develops claviphobia and his life begins to unravel. Manipulated by the United States military research department and war machine after a terrible accident renders him the perfect guinea pig. A darkly broody story of patriotism gouged for all its worth. When a man's descent into a nightmarish future: a super soldier who eventually turns on those who dumped him on the trash heap of retirement and life is told with such a sense of damning foreboding this story demands your full attention and respect. This is a possible future we hope we never come close to creating. With a central character marvelously portrayed as a vengeful anti-hero full of righteous anger and menace we helplessly read as he seeks to redress a global imbalance in nature. A fantastic short story.




Flashes by Robert J. Sawyer
A dark drama about the munificence alien beings bestow on humankind. When is too much of a good thing a bad thing? Sometimes being in the dark and unknowingly blissfully ignorant of the universe can be such a good thing. After reading this I nodded in agreement that we may never want a superior alien intelligence to let us in on the secrets and mysteries of the cosmos. We simply aren't ready.




The Cartesian Theater by Robert Charles Wilson
What this story boils down to is whether or not a clone possesses a soul. I found it pedantic and flimsy if somewhat original.

Authors	Awards	Blogs
Fanzines	Index	Magazines
Publishers	Retailers	Reviews