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Futureshocks
Sixteen renowned masters of speculative fiction share their individual visions of the future of humankind, in an anthology containing all-original short stories by Keven J. Anderson, Alan Dean Foster, Sean McMullen, Louise Marley, Mike Resnick, Harry Turtledove, Robert Charles Wilson, and others. Original.
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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84 people want to read
About the author
Lou Anders
39 books202 followersLOU ANDERS is the author of the novel Once Upon a Unicorn, the Thrones & Bones trilogy of fantasy adventure novels (Frostborn, Nightborn, and Skyborn), and the novel Star Wars: Pirate’s Price. He is the recipient of a Hugo Award for editing and a Chesley Award for art direction. In the tabletop roleplaying game world, Anders is the creator and publisher of the Thrones & Bones: Norrøngard campaign setting. He has also done game design for Kobold Press, River Horse, and 3D Printed Tabletop. In 2016, he was named a Thurber House Writer-in-Residence and spent a month in Columbus, Ohio, teaching, writing, and living in a haunted house. When not writing, designing, and editing, he enjoys playing roleplaying games, 3D printing, weightlifting, and watching movies. He lives with his wife, children, and two golden doodles in Birmingham, Alabama. You can visit Anders online at louanders.com or on Facebook, Instagram, and other social networks.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 22, 2019
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
Overall, an enjoyable collection of stories that offers diverse visions of the future.
★★★★★ Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul DiFilippo – One of my favorites in this collection. An exploration of the effects of anti-somnolence drugs on a near-future society. Sure, people can increase their effectiveness and accomplish more, but there is always a price to pay.
★★ Looking Through Mother’s Eyes by John Meaney – Told from the perspective of a newborn who is aware of its own birth and the effects on both parents. Nicely written, but kind of icky. I don’t enjoy stories about pregnancy.
★★★★ The Man Who Knew Too Much by Alan Dean Foster – In the future, acquiring knowledge is as simple as downloading data directly to your brain. There is a limit, however, to how much information one’s brain can process at once. In the hands of specialists, knowledge is disseminated gradually without danger to the recipient. Some people, however, are just not satisfied and crave all the world’s knowledge much as an addict craves drugs.
★★★ The Engines of Arcadia by Sean McMullen – A man builds a time machine to escape his dull, safe life only to find that millions of years later, some things never change.
★★★★ The Pearl Diver by Caitlin R. Kiernan – Recurring dreams, the consequences of deleting unread company correspondence, and transformation. A sad and lovely story.
★★★ Before the Beginning by Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove – A humorous story that shows why God’s chosen people have lasted so long.
★★★★ Man You Gotta Go by Adam Roberts – An AI is enlisted to help solve the problem of FTL travel. Human consciousness becomes obsolete. A little long and drawn out, but interesting and thought provoking.
★★ Homosexuals Damned, Film at Eleven by Alex Irvine – A bleak and sad story that portrays the downside of living in a theocracy. A geneticist who attempted to save the life of his son fears he may have caused his death. I may have liked this story better if it was longer and the characters more developed.
★★★★Contagion by Chris Roberson – Jaidev Hark is a Vector employed to carry data-encoded retroviruses in his blood. He lives in a society divided by castes; the higher the caste, the more they can afford protection from disease. Pursued by data-thieves, he reveals to his employer that they are looking for Panacea, the mythical (or is it?) cure of every human infirmity. In order to survive, he goes to work for the other side. This is a thought-provoking story that makes me wonder about the dreadful state of our health care system and if we will ever achieve affordability and equity.
★★★★Absalom’s Mother by Louise Marley – This hard-hitting and powerful story moved me to tears. In a society where children as young as 11 are drafted for service, a group of mothers hides their children and volunteers to go in their place. The characters are strong, rich, and vibrant.
★★★Job Qualifications by Kevin J. Anderson – Politicians have to work hard to be all things to all people. In the distant future, Berthold Ossequin’s clones help to make him a more suitable candidate for grand chancellor of the United Cultures of Earth.
★★★★The Teosinte War by Paul Melko – After reading Melko’s novel, The Walls of the Universe, I knew I could count on him to write a fun and thought-provoking story about the bad things that could happen when an ambitious professor uses an MWD to mess around in other universes and involves his TA, Ryan Greene. Though Ryan is kind of a jerk, he is ultimately a sympathetic character as he witnesses one disaster after another and learns that one can’t play God.
★★Slip by Robert A. Metzger – Getting what you ask for doesn’t always result in a positive outcome.
★★All’s Well at World’s End by Howard V. Hendrix – Memory erasure, annihilation. It would have been more interesting if too many scientific terms hadn’t made my eyes glaze over.
★★★★Flashes by Robert J. Sawyer – Unlimited information from a technically advanced alien planet renders human knowledge and theories obsolete. This gripping and sad little story explores the dire consequences of information overload.
★★★★The Cartesian Theater by Robert Charles Wilson – A performance artist uses advanced technology to duplicate living creatures. This chilling story explores life, death, and the question of the soul’s existence.
Overall, an enjoyable collection of stories that offers diverse visions of the future.
★★★★★ Shuteye for the Timebroker by Paul DiFilippo – One of my favorites in this collection. An exploration of the effects of anti-somnolence drugs on a near-future society. Sure, people can increase their effectiveness and accomplish more, but there is always a price to pay.
★★ Looking Through Mother’s Eyes by John Meaney – Told from the perspective of a newborn who is aware of its own birth and the effects on both parents. Nicely written, but kind of icky. I don’t enjoy stories about pregnancy.
★★★★ The Man Who Knew Too Much by Alan Dean Foster – In the future, acquiring knowledge is as simple as downloading data directly to your brain. There is a limit, however, to how much information one’s brain can process at once. In the hands of specialists, knowledge is disseminated gradually without danger to the recipient. Some people, however, are just not satisfied and crave all the world’s knowledge much as an addict craves drugs.
★★★ The Engines of Arcadia by Sean McMullen – A man builds a time machine to escape his dull, safe life only to find that millions of years later, some things never change.
★★★★ The Pearl Diver by Caitlin R. Kiernan – Recurring dreams, the consequences of deleting unread company correspondence, and transformation. A sad and lovely story.
★★★ Before the Beginning by Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove – A humorous story that shows why God’s chosen people have lasted so long.
★★★★ Man You Gotta Go by Adam Roberts – An AI is enlisted to help solve the problem of FTL travel. Human consciousness becomes obsolete. A little long and drawn out, but interesting and thought provoking.
★★ Homosexuals Damned, Film at Eleven by Alex Irvine – A bleak and sad story that portrays the downside of living in a theocracy. A geneticist who attempted to save the life of his son fears he may have caused his death. I may have liked this story better if it was longer and the characters more developed.
★★★★Contagion by Chris Roberson – Jaidev Hark is a Vector employed to carry data-encoded retroviruses in his blood. He lives in a society divided by castes; the higher the caste, the more they can afford protection from disease. Pursued by data-thieves, he reveals to his employer that they are looking for Panacea, the mythical (or is it?) cure of every human infirmity. In order to survive, he goes to work for the other side. This is a thought-provoking story that makes me wonder about the dreadful state of our health care system and if we will ever achieve affordability and equity.
★★★★Absalom’s Mother by Louise Marley – This hard-hitting and powerful story moved me to tears. In a society where children as young as 11 are drafted for service, a group of mothers hides their children and volunteers to go in their place. The characters are strong, rich, and vibrant.
★★★Job Qualifications by Kevin J. Anderson – Politicians have to work hard to be all things to all people. In the distant future, Berthold Ossequin’s clones help to make him a more suitable candidate for grand chancellor of the United Cultures of Earth.
★★★★The Teosinte War by Paul Melko – After reading Melko’s novel, The Walls of the Universe, I knew I could count on him to write a fun and thought-provoking story about the bad things that could happen when an ambitious professor uses an MWD to mess around in other universes and involves his TA, Ryan Greene. Though Ryan is kind of a jerk, he is ultimately a sympathetic character as he witnesses one disaster after another and learns that one can’t play God.
★★Slip by Robert A. Metzger – Getting what you ask for doesn’t always result in a positive outcome.
★★All’s Well at World’s End by Howard V. Hendrix – Memory erasure, annihilation. It would have been more interesting if too many scientific terms hadn’t made my eyes glaze over.
★★★★Flashes by Robert J. Sawyer – Unlimited information from a technically advanced alien planet renders human knowledge and theories obsolete. This gripping and sad little story explores the dire consequences of information overload.
★★★★The Cartesian Theater by Robert Charles Wilson – A performance artist uses advanced technology to duplicate living creatures. This chilling story explores life, death, and the question of the soul’s existence.
May 20, 2016
To me any short story collection will contain a few duds, mostly few middle of the road stories and a few above average stories. The hope is always that the duds don't outweigh the others in the book. This collection fits that description perfectly. Having a few I really didn't like, a few I thought very interesting and most just good reads. Recommended
September 22, 2009
The book fulfills part of its mission. The introductory essay is called "The Business of Lying," and Anders quotes U.K. LeGuin who writes, "Science fiction is not predictive; it is descriptive....Prediction is the business of phophets, clairvoyants, and futurologists. It is not the business of novelists. A novelist's business is lying."
The collection definitely succeeds in being descriptive. Each writer's prose gives me a clear picture of the world of each story. I was disappointed that most of this clarity came by way of exposition and in more than one case, shameless infodumping--2-3 pages worth.
But that's not its worst failing.
The central question, emblazoned at the top of the cover, is "What Terror Does Tomorrow Hold?" My question was "Terror for whom?" To be sure, I wouldn't want to live in some of the tomorrows presented in this anthology. But when I ask myself what terror tomorrow holds for ME, with respect to this anthology, I'd answer: very little, provided I don't make the mistakes or manage to avoid the situations in which a lot of the characters of these stories find themselves.
That is, with one exception. "Absalom's Mother" by Louise Marley stands out head and shoulders above the rest of the stories! It's the only story where I cared about the characters. I was afraid for them and afraid of their world. Their emotions connected me to that world in a way that I wasn't to any of the other worlds presented. If the rest of the stories in the anthology did that, I might truly be afraid of tomorrow.
The collection definitely succeeds in being descriptive. Each writer's prose gives me a clear picture of the world of each story. I was disappointed that most of this clarity came by way of exposition and in more than one case, shameless infodumping--2-3 pages worth.
But that's not its worst failing.
The central question, emblazoned at the top of the cover, is "What Terror Does Tomorrow Hold?" My question was "Terror for whom?" To be sure, I wouldn't want to live in some of the tomorrows presented in this anthology. But when I ask myself what terror tomorrow holds for ME, with respect to this anthology, I'd answer: very little, provided I don't make the mistakes or manage to avoid the situations in which a lot of the characters of these stories find themselves.
That is, with one exception. "Absalom's Mother" by Louise Marley stands out head and shoulders above the rest of the stories! It's the only story where I cared about the characters. I was afraid for them and afraid of their world. Their emotions connected me to that world in a way that I wasn't to any of the other worlds presented. If the rest of the stories in the anthology did that, I might truly be afraid of tomorrow.
March 28, 2021
This probably the best collection of short stories I've read in a while - maybe so far this year. There were only a couple that I did not get or did not like. The theme of the book was "What Terror Does Tomorrow Hold?"
Absalom's mother Louise Marley - Like Hunger Games
All's well at world's end Howard V. Hendrix - end of the world we did to ourselves
Before the beginning Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove - God does not care about us
Contagion Chris Roberson - it's Johnny Mnemonic
Flashes Robert J. Sawyer - best story, what REALLY happens at first contact
Homosexuals damned, film at eleven Alex Irvine - scary genetic engineering
Job qualifications Kevin J. Anderson - very scary politicians and clones
Looking through mother's eyes John Meaney - meh but there's aliens
Man, you gotta go Adam Roberts - answer to Fermi paradox?, I don't think so
Shuteye for the timebroker Paul Di Filippo - if we all get together we can fix it
Slip Robert A. Metzger - meh
The Cartesian theater Robert Charles Wilson - hmmm, I don't get it
The engines of Arcadia Sean McMullen - time travel is never a good idea
The man who knew too much Alan Dean Foster - learning as an addiction
The pearl diver Caitlín R. Kiernan - I don't get it, fantasy?
The Teosinte War Paul Melko - meddling with the past is never a good idea
Absalom's mother Louise Marley - Like Hunger Games
All's well at world's end Howard V. Hendrix - end of the world we did to ourselves
Before the beginning Mike Resnick & Harry Turtledove - God does not care about us
Contagion Chris Roberson - it's Johnny Mnemonic
Flashes Robert J. Sawyer - best story, what REALLY happens at first contact
Homosexuals damned, film at eleven Alex Irvine - scary genetic engineering
Job qualifications Kevin J. Anderson - very scary politicians and clones
Looking through mother's eyes John Meaney - meh but there's aliens
Man, you gotta go Adam Roberts - answer to Fermi paradox?, I don't think so
Shuteye for the timebroker Paul Di Filippo - if we all get together we can fix it
Slip Robert A. Metzger - meh
The Cartesian theater Robert Charles Wilson - hmmm, I don't get it
The engines of Arcadia Sean McMullen - time travel is never a good idea
The man who knew too much Alan Dean Foster - learning as an addiction
The pearl diver Caitlín R. Kiernan - I don't get it, fantasy?
The Teosinte War Paul Melko - meddling with the past is never a good idea
October 21, 2019
The last story is the best, Robert Charles Wilson's The Cartesian Theater. However, that does not mean you should skip to the last story of this collection! The other tale I particularly liked was Paul Di Filippo's Shuteye for the Timebroker. I may look into the other writings by these respective authors.
The other fifteen stories were take-or-leave, in my opinion.
The other fifteen stories were take-or-leave, in my opinion.
July 16, 2018
A good scifi anthology , I didn't like all of them but that's a given in an anthology book. Most of them were good and kept me reading through the night.
It's an older book but I'd recommend it :) !
It's an older book but I'd recommend it :) !
December 19, 2025
An original anthology of stories with the theme of futures that are shocking.
Fair competence, mostly; only one plot flaw that seriously jerked my chain: hung bodies don't sway back and forth; shortly after death they lose momentum and hang still
Fair competence, mostly; only one plot flaw that seriously jerked my chain: hung bodies don't sway back and forth; shortly after death they lose momentum and hang still
August 8, 2017
Empirisjki dokaz postojanja ili nepostojanje duše, uz malo moraliziranja. Možda i nije za sve 4 zvjezdice.
June 11, 2024
Not for me, some stories were fun but overall it didnt grab me.
December 29, 2014
1. Shuteye For the Timebroker - Paul Di Filippo *** Sleeping is made optional leading to a 24/7 society needing timebrokers. Best part is, no rush hour.
2. Looking Through Mother's Eyes - John Meaney *** An unborn child experiences the last days of her mother's life.
3. The Man Who Knew Too Much - Alan Dean Foster **** The pursuit of knowledge becomes a criminalized addiction as direct brain download learning technology allows massive amounts of information to be acquired instantly.
4. The Engines of Arcadia - Sean McMullen ** A quarter million years later, the world is in an infinite state of a Renaissance festival.
5. The Pearl Diver - Caitlin R. Kiernan **** A woman in an oppressive future has bad dreams about being drawn in to a portrait of a pearl diver. My favorite line from the story: "The child cries out and pulls her hand back; her fingers are stained with paint and smell faintly of low tide and turpentine."
6. Before the Beginning - Mike Resnick and Harry Turtledove *** Interesting.
7. Man You Gotta Go - Adam Roberts ***** Fascinating and depressing. FTL travel becomes the blessing and curse of humanity and a robot dies.
8. Homosexuals Damned Film At Eleven - Alex Irvine **
9. Contagion - Chris Roberson *** Panacea?
10. Absalom's Mother - Louise Marley ** Moms don't like it when you try to get their kids in to the army.
11. Job Qualifications - Kevin J. Anderson *** Getting clones to do the dirty work for you.
12. The Teosinte War - Paul Melko **** Multiverse scientist gets the Native Americans to give the Europeans small pox.
13. Slip - Robert A. Metzger *** World that has 16 second future alerts.
14. All's Well At World's End - Howard V. Hendrix ** very good until the end.
15. Flashes - Robert J. Sawyer **** Encyclopedia Galactica gets flashed from a planet 36 light years away - to the dismay of teachers and research professors who were proven wrong.
16. The Cartesian Theater - Robert Charles Wilson *** giving computers souls.
2. Looking Through Mother's Eyes - John Meaney *** An unborn child experiences the last days of her mother's life.
3. The Man Who Knew Too Much - Alan Dean Foster **** The pursuit of knowledge becomes a criminalized addiction as direct brain download learning technology allows massive amounts of information to be acquired instantly.
4. The Engines of Arcadia - Sean McMullen ** A quarter million years later, the world is in an infinite state of a Renaissance festival.
5. The Pearl Diver - Caitlin R. Kiernan **** A woman in an oppressive future has bad dreams about being drawn in to a portrait of a pearl diver. My favorite line from the story: "The child cries out and pulls her hand back; her fingers are stained with paint and smell faintly of low tide and turpentine."
6. Before the Beginning - Mike Resnick and Harry Turtledove *** Interesting.
7. Man You Gotta Go - Adam Roberts ***** Fascinating and depressing. FTL travel becomes the blessing and curse of humanity and a robot dies.
8. Homosexuals Damned Film At Eleven - Alex Irvine **
9. Contagion - Chris Roberson *** Panacea?
10. Absalom's Mother - Louise Marley ** Moms don't like it when you try to get their kids in to the army.
11. Job Qualifications - Kevin J. Anderson *** Getting clones to do the dirty work for you.
12. The Teosinte War - Paul Melko **** Multiverse scientist gets the Native Americans to give the Europeans small pox.
13. Slip - Robert A. Metzger *** World that has 16 second future alerts.
14. All's Well At World's End - Howard V. Hendrix ** very good until the end.
15. Flashes - Robert J. Sawyer **** Encyclopedia Galactica gets flashed from a planet 36 light years away - to the dismay of teachers and research professors who were proven wrong.
16. The Cartesian Theater - Robert Charles Wilson *** giving computers souls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2015
Caveat: I read one story (R.C. Wilson's) some time ago; this review is about the rest of the anthology.
Spoilers follow:
This is an even collection in terms of quality, with a unifying theme of a troublesome future, but not limited to Promethean themes, and the seriousness of the treatment ranges. In Paul di Filippo's 'Shuteye for the Timebroker', dealing with the acquired ability to avoid sleep as a scarce commodity, the tone is light. John Meaney's 'Looking through Mother's Eyes' avoids excess sentiment. In it the fully cognizant narrator is a near-born (and eventually new-born) in a species where the adults die to create their young, and whose pairs of consciousness (parent and child) overlap toward the change-over. Mike Resnick and Harry Turtledove jointly write 'Before the Beginning', which reads (to me) like a Jewish joke extended to story length and adorned with an SF frame.
Adam Roberts vividly realizes an optimistic AI in the midst of shrinking FTL vehicles with transferred post-human consciousness. Louise Morley's 'Absolom's Mother' reminds me of Gordon Dickson's Lost Dorsai: both successfully counter the falsehood that being anti-war means not having the courage to sacrifice oneself for the community.
Paul Melko's 'The Teosinte War', is a Promethean warning about changing timelines (or, more exactly spinning off an alt-universe from a branch line of our past). Robert Metzger's 'Slip' has a cyberpunk feel (even if it isn't so by some definitions); it also has a Matrix-like feel in that it is peeling back the non-reality to expose the reality, while conflict occurs in both the non-reality and beyond it.
Other stories not mentioned are also quite enjoyable.
Spoilers follow:
This is an even collection in terms of quality, with a unifying theme of a troublesome future, but not limited to Promethean themes, and the seriousness of the treatment ranges. In Paul di Filippo's 'Shuteye for the Timebroker', dealing with the acquired ability to avoid sleep as a scarce commodity, the tone is light. John Meaney's 'Looking through Mother's Eyes' avoids excess sentiment. In it the fully cognizant narrator is a near-born (and eventually new-born) in a species where the adults die to create their young, and whose pairs of consciousness (parent and child) overlap toward the change-over. Mike Resnick and Harry Turtledove jointly write 'Before the Beginning', which reads (to me) like a Jewish joke extended to story length and adorned with an SF frame.
Adam Roberts vividly realizes an optimistic AI in the midst of shrinking FTL vehicles with transferred post-human consciousness. Louise Morley's 'Absolom's Mother' reminds me of Gordon Dickson's Lost Dorsai: both successfully counter the falsehood that being anti-war means not having the courage to sacrifice oneself for the community.
Paul Melko's 'The Teosinte War', is a Promethean warning about changing timelines (or, more exactly spinning off an alt-universe from a branch line of our past). Robert Metzger's 'Slip' has a cyberpunk feel (even if it isn't so by some definitions); it also has a Matrix-like feel in that it is peeling back the non-reality to expose the reality, while conflict occurs in both the non-reality and beyond it.
Other stories not mentioned are also quite enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 18, 2011
I really liked this book and the different angles different authors took on what we may expect in the future. I enjoyed the creativity each other showed in their examples of what we may consider the "big topics" in our country. This book makes you think about where we can be headed and if we need to step in the way of it now.
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August 23, 2008isbn,original
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews