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Dark Future
Route 666
"Anarchic and arcane sf - the cutting edge of cybergoth fiction."
North America in the nightmare near-future is a sand-blasted battlefield between tribalistic gangcults and a new breed of legalised killer - the Sanctioned Operative.
Introducing the genius of Dr. Zarathustra, and the sinister Elder Seth, who can be met again later in the series.
Then there's Kid Zero - loneliest of lone wolves - driven by vengeance to take on the global power of the multi-national mega-corporations.
And Jessamyn 'Jazzbeaux' Bonney - fishnet-and-leather-clad hellcat - destined to become a cyborg pawn of demons in the struggle for the fate of the earth.
North America in the nightmare near-future is a sand-blasted battlefield between tribalistic gangcults and a new breed of legalised killer - the Sanctioned Operative.
Introducing the genius of Dr. Zarathustra, and the sinister Elder Seth, who can be met again later in the series.
Then there's Kid Zero - loneliest of lone wolves - driven by vengeance to take on the global power of the multi-national mega-corporations.
And Jessamyn 'Jazzbeaux' Bonney - fishnet-and-leather-clad hellcat - destined to become a cyborg pawn of demons in the struggle for the fate of the earth.
256 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 1990
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February 18, 2024When Games Workshop was attempting to add some novels to expand on the lore of their franchises in the late 80's their first foray into Warhammer Fantasy Battle and Warhammer 40,000 only published novels of short stories to see if there was any interest in such novels. Dark Future a now rather defunct intellectual property was given the same treatment. Personally, I'm not a very big fan of the short story anthology and so, this would have been a bad idea to garner interest from someone like myself. However, I think there are loads of people that like the sci-fi/fantasy short story approach, meanwhile, I just think it's never enough of a story for such usually epic settings. Dark Future, while being post apocalyptic, suffers from a similar trait.
The Dark Future setting is starkly different from the products that Games Workshop has mainly been built around. It's core game is a sort of Mad Max styled road warrior game. If anyone remembers an old game called Thunder Road from Milton Bradley this seems very similar. However, I think Thunder Road ripped off the Road Warrior in its car design a lot more. Dark Future's vehicles seem more rooted in a sort of high tech James Bond style with the secret embedded weapons while still being sports cars. Some cars are very post apocalyptic and Mad Max inspired in a modified dune buggy fashion. So, as with loads of other things Games Workshop does, it's a blend of lots of different things that have already existed. Another interesting aspect of the setting is that it takes place in the U.S. and focuses on life after the collapse. It also has a bit of a Judge Dredd flair in the cops vs. criminals aspect as well and probably some of the vehicle ideas, but loads of creators at Games Workshop were inspired by the "2000 AD" comic books.
Unfortunately, the setting didn't get developed much more beyond the big box game. There was a single supplement created and it was not a major contribution to the game. After that the whole projectw as dropped and left to die, only to be resurrected in the form of a weird video game in the 2000's era. I have not played that video game, but it didn't look like much more than a racing game. Anyway, let's dive into the stories.
Route 666 by Jack Yeovil
This is the first short story and it shares the same name as the book title, which is used again later as a full length book title Route 666, why they would do such a thing is baffling to me. Anyway, this story was not too bad, however, I felt like there was way too much being introduced to us and it feels like less of a short story than it should be. There are entirely too many characters and various factions brought into this story. It should have been more focused on the main people involved.
The first group we are introduced to is this group of resettlers called the Josephites trying to make their way to Utah led by a guy named Elder Seth. Elder Seth and his group made me think of The Stand quite a bit. They made me think of the guy building the paradise out in the desert, but it was a hellish place and knowing that reference made everything predictable on my end.
Amidst this world we are also introduced to a faction in the gang called the Psychopomps led by a crazy woman named Jessamyn. We first meet this gang while they are fighting with another gang called the Daughters of the American Revolution, so you can see some of the historical reference/comedic concepts that arise in this setting.
The other group are the cops lead by Sergeant Quincannon and another important figure is clearly Leona Tyree. They first come across some dead bodies left behind by the Josephites and are then told become a police escort for the group. The challenge now was to catch up with them.
All of these parties end up meeting up again in a small town, where Elder Seth runs into his previous assaulter in the Psychopomps. Apparently Jessamyn stole some magic glasses from him and he's taking them back. Here we learn that Elder Seth wields some strange powers and now the cops are a bit more scared. But once he gets his glasses back, Seth and his group start to move on and the story just ends... That's when we find out this was just an elaborate introduction and we'll see the story continue in the forthcoming novel Demon Download. I really hope all of the stories aren't like this in terms of an elaborate introduction to something else where I could just read a full novel.
In the end, the story wasn't too bad. It just wound up being pretty cliche as far as anything else goes. Lots of references and styles that already existed and didn't feel all that unique.... maybe as the novels grow the setting it will get better.
The Dark Future setting is starkly different from the products that Games Workshop has mainly been built around. It's core game is a sort of Mad Max styled road warrior game. If anyone remembers an old game called Thunder Road from Milton Bradley this seems very similar. However, I think Thunder Road ripped off the Road Warrior in its car design a lot more. Dark Future's vehicles seem more rooted in a sort of high tech James Bond style with the secret embedded weapons while still being sports cars. Some cars are very post apocalyptic and Mad Max inspired in a modified dune buggy fashion. So, as with loads of other things Games Workshop does, it's a blend of lots of different things that have already existed. Another interesting aspect of the setting is that it takes place in the U.S. and focuses on life after the collapse. It also has a bit of a Judge Dredd flair in the cops vs. criminals aspect as well and probably some of the vehicle ideas, but loads of creators at Games Workshop were inspired by the "2000 AD" comic books.
Unfortunately, the setting didn't get developed much more beyond the big box game. There was a single supplement created and it was not a major contribution to the game. After that the whole projectw as dropped and left to die, only to be resurrected in the form of a weird video game in the 2000's era. I have not played that video game, but it didn't look like much more than a racing game. Anyway, let's dive into the stories.
Route 666 by Jack Yeovil
This is the first short story and it shares the same name as the book title, which is used again later as a full length book title Route 666, why they would do such a thing is baffling to me. Anyway, this story was not too bad, however, I felt like there was way too much being introduced to us and it feels like less of a short story than it should be. There are entirely too many characters and various factions brought into this story. It should have been more focused on the main people involved.
The first group we are introduced to is this group of resettlers called the Josephites trying to make their way to Utah led by a guy named Elder Seth. Elder Seth and his group made me think of The Stand quite a bit. They made me think of the guy building the paradise out in the desert, but it was a hellish place and knowing that reference made everything predictable on my end.
Amidst this world we are also introduced to a faction in the gang called the Psychopomps led by a crazy woman named Jessamyn. We first meet this gang while they are fighting with another gang called the Daughters of the American Revolution, so you can see some of the historical reference/comedic concepts that arise in this setting.
The other group are the cops lead by Sergeant Quincannon and another important figure is clearly Leona Tyree. They first come across some dead bodies left behind by the Josephites and are then told become a police escort for the group. The challenge now was to catch up with them.
All of these parties end up meeting up again in a small town, where Elder Seth runs into his previous assaulter in the Psychopomps. Apparently Jessamyn stole some magic glasses from him and he's taking them back. Here we learn that Elder Seth wields some strange powers and now the cops are a bit more scared. But once he gets his glasses back, Seth and his group start to move on and the story just ends... That's when we find out this was just an elaborate introduction and we'll see the story continue in the forthcoming novel Demon Download. I really hope all of the stories aren't like this in terms of an elaborate introduction to something else where I could just read a full novel.
In the end, the story wasn't too bad. It just wound up being pretty cliche as far as anything else goes. Lots of references and styles that already existed and didn't feel all that unique.... maybe as the novels grow the setting it will get better.
January 9, 2017
'Dark Future' was Games Workshop's car combat board game set in a post-apocalyptic (then) near future of 1995 (think Mad Max with James Bond style gadgets with a heavy cyberpunk influence and you are not far wrong). A nuclear war has devastated much of the United States of America and society is falling apart. Criminal gangs (the Renegades) wreak havoc and are hunted by Bounty Hunters (Standard Operatives)
Back in the late 1980's I was absolutely captivated by this game and setting despite never having had the opportunity to play it or being able to afford to buy it. Indeed my only exposure to the setting was in the fluff and additional rules printed in Games Workshop's 'White Dwarf' magazine. Those ten or so articles really struck a chord with me and it's something I remember quite fondly nearly 30 years later! The game was discontinued not long afterwards and I think it must have only been supported for three or four years.
Although novels in Games Workshop's more established Warhammer and 40K settings have been around for a few decades and have an audience outside of the gaming industry back in 1990 this wasn't the case, just a couple of Warhammer Fantasy anthologies had been published before this book hit the shelves. (In retrospect the creation of the tie-in novels seem quite linear - people liked the fluff pieces in the rules and magazines, this lead to longer works (the short stories that appeared in the anthologies leading to Games Workshop risking full length novels). Nine further novels were written in this setting after this anthology which have far outlasted the actual history of the board game (at the time of writing a PC game in the setting is being developed).
So are the stories actually any good? Well, they won't win any literary prizes, that's for sure. Furthermore, for readers unfamiliar with the setting I don't think they will stand out as anything other than average. As a piece of nostalgia for those who recall the setting with affectation then they definitely work. I admit I cringed in places at the misogyny in some of the stories but I revelled in the glam punkiness of the apocalyptic world. In the future all the outlaws WILL have mohicans and wear studded leather (as an aside I just love those Mad Max rip offs from the 80's were driving round the desert in a stripped down buggy wearing makeup and fishnets pumping lead was the thing to do - they don't make 'em like that anymore). Although the setting is based in America there is a very British sense of humour to the stories, I guess they also are deeply influenced by Judge Dredd and the Mega Cities - inside is heavily policed fascism, consumerism and control by media - outside is a lawless wasteland. It is surprising how often writers caustic opinions of how oppressive society will be in the future and how the media will influence have actually become true. The shit we put up with today in terms of surveillance etc. would have been unimaginable 30 years ago.
I love how this book reflects the concerns of the era - entering the 1990's - the media, nuclear war, fox hunting, AIDS, religion are all viewed through a late 80's lens of a decade of Thatcherite Reaganism. Another thing I love in science fiction looking to the near future is what they predict and what they get wrong. Cars have the internet and Skype but still print out instructions - awesome!
Route 666 by Jack Yeovil (journalist, film critic and writer Kim Newman) has a nod to Cthulhu and perhaps also to the Warhammer settings Blood God Khorne. We have an introduction to the Bounty Hunters of the setting (the Ops - Standard Operatives) and the lawless criminal gangs. What I like about the anthology is that they portray life outside of the PZ (Policed Zone's - think the cities). There is a nice Wild West theme to this one. That said, not my favourite story in the book.
Kid Zero and Snake Eyes by Brian Craig - Billy the Kid meets genetic manipulation
Ghost Town by Neil Jones - This is a fun little story that is little more than a car combat between Ops and a gang called the Sand Sharks in a deserted town. I enjoyed this, it made me want to roll dice, move car minatures and then watch 'The Salute of the Jugger' or something...
Duel Control by Myles Burnham - a very silly story with a not very well disguised attack on the vile activity known as fox hunting. Back in 1990 rich people in Britain were legally allowed to ride horses with dogs and let the dogs rip foxes apart - thankfully it is banned now. A good piss take of toffs with quite a cool ending.
Thicker Than Water by Brian Craig - more guns, gangs and mad science. Two brothers have to return a woman to a scientific facility without touching her. More than a nod to the 80's AIDS epidemic.
Maverick Son by Neil McIntosh - Very cool story where a former Op goes rogue and starts his own 'religion' that dopes up the adherents (Jim Jones? Religion is the opium of the masses?) Cue gun battles on motorbikes and lots of black leather. Loved it.
Four-Minute Warning by Myles Burnham - Another great story focussing on a bent televangelist receiving his comeuppance. I suppose in 1990 everyone knew all about Jimmy Swaggart and his 'transgressions'. A group of scammers predict audience participation on TV and run a vote as to whether an exposed televangelist should be executed. What seems like a straightforward internet money routing scam seems quite forward thinking in 1990. A clever play on the perceived morals of a worldwide TV audience.
Only in the Twilight by Brian Craig - have you read the Iliad? Are you aware of the story? Put motorbikes in it. To be honest I felt this dragged a little but I enjoyed discovering the best way to counter a Trojan Horse.
Uptown Girl by William King - Stockholm Syndrome set in the near future - very enjoyable.
This book won't do anything for people unaware of the setting but has been an interesting read over 25 years since publication.
Back in the late 1980's I was absolutely captivated by this game and setting despite never having had the opportunity to play it or being able to afford to buy it. Indeed my only exposure to the setting was in the fluff and additional rules printed in Games Workshop's 'White Dwarf' magazine. Those ten or so articles really struck a chord with me and it's something I remember quite fondly nearly 30 years later! The game was discontinued not long afterwards and I think it must have only been supported for three or four years.
Although novels in Games Workshop's more established Warhammer and 40K settings have been around for a few decades and have an audience outside of the gaming industry back in 1990 this wasn't the case, just a couple of Warhammer Fantasy anthologies had been published before this book hit the shelves. (In retrospect the creation of the tie-in novels seem quite linear - people liked the fluff pieces in the rules and magazines, this lead to longer works (the short stories that appeared in the anthologies leading to Games Workshop risking full length novels). Nine further novels were written in this setting after this anthology which have far outlasted the actual history of the board game (at the time of writing a PC game in the setting is being developed).
So are the stories actually any good? Well, they won't win any literary prizes, that's for sure. Furthermore, for readers unfamiliar with the setting I don't think they will stand out as anything other than average. As a piece of nostalgia for those who recall the setting with affectation then they definitely work. I admit I cringed in places at the misogyny in some of the stories but I revelled in the glam punkiness of the apocalyptic world. In the future all the outlaws WILL have mohicans and wear studded leather (as an aside I just love those Mad Max rip offs from the 80's were driving round the desert in a stripped down buggy wearing makeup and fishnets pumping lead was the thing to do - they don't make 'em like that anymore). Although the setting is based in America there is a very British sense of humour to the stories, I guess they also are deeply influenced by Judge Dredd and the Mega Cities - inside is heavily policed fascism, consumerism and control by media - outside is a lawless wasteland. It is surprising how often writers caustic opinions of how oppressive society will be in the future and how the media will influence have actually become true. The shit we put up with today in terms of surveillance etc. would have been unimaginable 30 years ago.
I love how this book reflects the concerns of the era - entering the 1990's - the media, nuclear war, fox hunting, AIDS, religion are all viewed through a late 80's lens of a decade of Thatcherite Reaganism. Another thing I love in science fiction looking to the near future is what they predict and what they get wrong. Cars have the internet and Skype but still print out instructions - awesome!
Route 666 by Jack Yeovil (journalist, film critic and writer Kim Newman) has a nod to Cthulhu and perhaps also to the Warhammer settings Blood God Khorne. We have an introduction to the Bounty Hunters of the setting (the Ops - Standard Operatives) and the lawless criminal gangs. What I like about the anthology is that they portray life outside of the PZ (Policed Zone's - think the cities). There is a nice Wild West theme to this one. That said, not my favourite story in the book.
Kid Zero and Snake Eyes by Brian Craig - Billy the Kid meets genetic manipulation
Ghost Town by Neil Jones - This is a fun little story that is little more than a car combat between Ops and a gang called the Sand Sharks in a deserted town. I enjoyed this, it made me want to roll dice, move car minatures and then watch 'The Salute of the Jugger' or something...
Duel Control by Myles Burnham - a very silly story with a not very well disguised attack on the vile activity known as fox hunting. Back in 1990 rich people in Britain were legally allowed to ride horses with dogs and let the dogs rip foxes apart - thankfully it is banned now. A good piss take of toffs with quite a cool ending.
Thicker Than Water by Brian Craig - more guns, gangs and mad science. Two brothers have to return a woman to a scientific facility without touching her. More than a nod to the 80's AIDS epidemic.
Maverick Son by Neil McIntosh - Very cool story where a former Op goes rogue and starts his own 'religion' that dopes up the adherents (Jim Jones? Religion is the opium of the masses?) Cue gun battles on motorbikes and lots of black leather. Loved it.
Four-Minute Warning by Myles Burnham - Another great story focussing on a bent televangelist receiving his comeuppance. I suppose in 1990 everyone knew all about Jimmy Swaggart and his 'transgressions'. A group of scammers predict audience participation on TV and run a vote as to whether an exposed televangelist should be executed. What seems like a straightforward internet money routing scam seems quite forward thinking in 1990. A clever play on the perceived morals of a worldwide TV audience.
Only in the Twilight by Brian Craig - have you read the Iliad? Are you aware of the story? Put motorbikes in it. To be honest I felt this dragged a little but I enjoyed discovering the best way to counter a Trojan Horse.
Uptown Girl by William King - Stockholm Syndrome set in the near future - very enjoyable.
This book won't do anything for people unaware of the setting but has been an interesting read over 25 years since publication.
August 16, 2024
Really fun and goofy short story collection with some great art.
My favourite being the Titular story 'Route 666' but they are all highly entertaining.
A few iffy bits if you're a modern reader but a lot less than I was expecting from a postapocalyptic story of the time.
My favourite being the Titular story 'Route 666' but they are all highly entertaining.
A few iffy bits if you're a modern reader but a lot less than I was expecting from a postapocalyptic story of the time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews