Excerpt
Introduction
In choosing stories for this volume, I did feel inclined to avoid the sorts of stories that made big pronouncements in the narration about the way things are. Instead, there were plenty of great stories to choose from that evoke real human relationships, tangible characters facing soul-shattering dilemmas, imbued with emotional realism; stories which placed us in the heart of uncannily familiar worlds. We have stories that offer dreamlike glimpses of pristine worlds that will destroy us before we destroy them; we have stories of work-based friendships, mistrust and isolation; of alienation and othering; we have stories of slavery given an acceptable face through beautiful voice and the ever-present need to keep fighting injustice; we have stories of bodily choice being made a crime; we have stories of rebellions we thought we'd already had but need to have again; we have another end to childhood. And we have the murder of story itself… involving an AI.
Be entranced by skillful storytelling and beautiful language; be immersed in fascinating landscapes; be inspired to seek out more work by these wonderful storytellers.