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A review by frasersimons
Cyber World: Tales of Humanity's Tomorrow by Paolo Bacigalupi
5.0
So I loved this. Not only do the goals of the anthology completely align with what I'm looking for in regards to new contributions to the genre, but they're just really, really GOOD contributions too. The following quotes from the book made me super excited to read it:
"Cyberpunk isn’t cool anymore because it doesn’t have to be. It’s gone beyond cool. It’s life itself, the good and bad of it."
"One of the things I like about Cyber World is that it shows cyberpunk has left its heteronormative boy’s club roots behind in the dust."
"Today we no longer fear technology. It’s no longer a question of assimilation. What remains to be seen is what we are about to become."
"As each story for Cyber World popped up in my inbox, my confusion about how I defined cyberpunk grew. And I loved that feeling. Left to define the term “Cyber World” as they saw fit (or gloriously unfit), the authors formed a vast unconscious collective that redefined cyber-something-or-other for the current millennium. A network, you might even say. I don’t say that flippantly. Cyberpunk—or should we just start saying “cyberfiction”?—must continually plug back into itself, challenge itself, consume itself, and reinvent itself if it hopes to survive and remain relevant."
YES, right?
I can't explain how awesome it is to see short fiction that had an emphasis on diversity, yes. But also clearly inclusivity. Almost all the stories make specific points in regards to how this genre can be relevant today. It totally works. There were, I think, two stories that didn't really resonate with me but I saw why they were there and what they contributed. I just couldn't get all that into them. The other stories though, it's very difficult for me to select some favorites, that's how much I liked this collection. There's pansexual relationships, queer content, feminist content. Stories where people continually change their gender as their life progresses and the nice thing about these stories is that this progress is assumed, as it should be. There's tons of representation in these stories and it's very clear after reading just how good these stories are that representation like this makes a big difference in the quality of fiction produced because of it.
From a story about what faith might look like, from a Muslim perspective no less, in the future. To an entire sentient city's thoughts. I just could not have enjoyed myself more. The authors that weave in action always do so in such a way that always makes it secondary to a more overall and purposeful exploration of a question. This is what has always pulled me towards the genre. It's what makes it so riveting and exciting. You get philosophy, action and sometimes, you also get smart commentary on relevant subject matter during all of it.
"Cyberpunk isn’t cool anymore because it doesn’t have to be. It’s gone beyond cool. It’s life itself, the good and bad of it."
"One of the things I like about Cyber World is that it shows cyberpunk has left its heteronormative boy’s club roots behind in the dust."
"Today we no longer fear technology. It’s no longer a question of assimilation. What remains to be seen is what we are about to become."
"As each story for Cyber World popped up in my inbox, my confusion about how I defined cyberpunk grew. And I loved that feeling. Left to define the term “Cyber World” as they saw fit (or gloriously unfit), the authors formed a vast unconscious collective that redefined cyber-something-or-other for the current millennium. A network, you might even say. I don’t say that flippantly. Cyberpunk—or should we just start saying “cyberfiction”?—must continually plug back into itself, challenge itself, consume itself, and reinvent itself if it hopes to survive and remain relevant."
YES, right?
I can't explain how awesome it is to see short fiction that had an emphasis on diversity, yes. But also clearly inclusivity. Almost all the stories make specific points in regards to how this genre can be relevant today. It totally works. There were, I think, two stories that didn't really resonate with me but I saw why they were there and what they contributed. I just couldn't get all that into them. The other stories though, it's very difficult for me to select some favorites, that's how much I liked this collection. There's pansexual relationships, queer content, feminist content. Stories where people continually change their gender as their life progresses and the nice thing about these stories is that this progress is assumed, as it should be. There's tons of representation in these stories and it's very clear after reading just how good these stories are that representation like this makes a big difference in the quality of fiction produced because of it.
From a story about what faith might look like, from a Muslim perspective no less, in the future. To an entire sentient city's thoughts. I just could not have enjoyed myself more. The authors that weave in action always do so in such a way that always makes it secondary to a more overall and purposeful exploration of a question. This is what has always pulled me towards the genre. It's what makes it so riveting and exciting. You get philosophy, action and sometimes, you also get smart commentary on relevant subject matter during all of it.