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Utopia, LOL?
On one hand I'm sort of tired of answering his questions because it's all really obvious stuff but also it's really fun! It's always super neat to watch their eyes light up as I tell them about the world and that's probably why I got picked for the position in the first place. "Let's have ice cream!" I demand.
10 pages, ebook
First published June 5, 2017
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May 16, 2020
🥇 Nebula Award nominee for best short story and stuff! Available for free in both audio and written format here and stuff!
Imagine being cryogenized for our Lord Shrimp knows how many centuries, only to be brought back to room temperature and welcomed by an extravagantly chirpy and painfully enthusiastic, slightly wacky cheerleader-type chick with the patience and attention span of a rabid barnacle on crack.
My thoughts exactly.
Well I guess Charlie Wilcox must have been pretty bad in a past life and deserved to be punished, because that’s exactly what happens to him in this story: He wakes up to the lovely sound of Kit’s (our cheerleader-type chick) obnoxiously cheerful voice. Kit is a Tour Guide To The Future, you see, and her job is to introducede-cryogenized humans unfrozen popsicles to their new surroundings. Namely, a virtual society ruled by a “Friendly AI” named Allocator, in which people exist solely as “uploaded consciousnesses” in, um, you know, virtual realities and stuff. So Kit takes Slightly Bewildered Charlie (SBC™) on several virtual adventures to show him the ropes and then Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler Stuff (S⁴) happens. The kind of S⁴ that makes poor Kit go all, “Uggggghh. Glitter_barf.pic” and “Siiiiiiigh” and “Oh My Stupid Sparkly Elf Goddess.” And, consequently, the kind of S⁴ that makes me go all, hahahahahahahaha and stuff.
This short story comes fully equipped with text-like conversations, emojis, Middle Earth Stuff, Bird Simulators, Let’s-Be-Tiles-Today VRs (because having people walk on you is super exciting and stuff), a slightly hilarious narrative, and a pretty shrimping cool, intriguing ending.
This is Kit’s dreadfully joyous, severely ecstatic cheerleading ascendant, just so you know.
Imagine being cryogenized for our Lord Shrimp knows how many centuries, only to be brought back to room temperature and welcomed by an extravagantly chirpy and painfully enthusiastic, slightly wacky cheerleader-type chick with the patience and attention span of a rabid barnacle on crack.
My thoughts exactly.
Well I guess Charlie Wilcox must have been pretty bad in a past life and deserved to be punished, because that’s exactly what happens to him in this story: He wakes up to the lovely sound of Kit’s (our cheerleader-type chick) obnoxiously cheerful voice. Kit is a Tour Guide To The Future, you see, and her job is to introduce
This short story comes fully equipped with text-like conversations, emojis, Middle Earth Stuff, Bird Simulators, Let’s-Be-Tiles-Today VRs (because having people walk on you is super exciting and stuff), a slightly hilarious narrative, and a pretty shrimping cool, intriguing ending.
This is Kit’s dreadfully joyous, severely ecstatic cheerleading ascendant, just so you know.
May 11, 2018
All the stars! "Utopia, LOL?" is a 2018 Nebula award nominee in the short story category, and just possibly my favorite of the whole batch. Read it when you're in the mood for some off-beat humor! It also has some surprising depth to it. It's free online here at Strange Horizons. Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:
Charlie Wilcox, after uncounted centuries of cryogenic frozenness, is decanted in a distant future. He’s cheerfully helped to adjust by an extremely ditzy person named Kit/dinaround, who is the assistant of the AI known as the Allocator, which watches over and guides humanity. Through a temporary upload station, Kit shows Charlie the ropes of their virtual society, which humans (who now number in the trillions) experience solely as digital entities, “uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains.” It’s an immense, and immensely complex, Matrix type of world.
After Kit takes Charlie on a quick trip to the “Bird Simulator” world, which leaves Charlie totally freaked out, Allocator intervenes and sends Charlie to a simulated world that he’ll find more congenial: Middle Earth. Kit is appalled; Charlie is delighted. But even a perfect elvish conclave, “green and vibrant, untouched by the tides of strife or decay” and “inhabited by beautiful and mysterious immortals” (“Siiiiiiigh” says Kit) might get old after a while. And Allocator has plans …
“Utopia, LOL?” is an absolutely delightful story. Kit is a truly hilarious narrator whose commentary and digital side conversations with Allocator make for one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. There’s a heartwarming and poignant conclusion to the tale, giving it an unexpected depth. It reads even better the second time around. Don’t miss this one!
P.S. If you're confused by the ending (which is totally understandable), here's my take on it. Spoilers ahoy!
Charlie Wilcox, after uncounted centuries of cryogenic frozenness, is decanted in a distant future. He’s cheerfully helped to adjust by an extremely ditzy person named Kit/dinaround, who is the assistant of the AI known as the Allocator, which watches over and guides humanity. Through a temporary upload station, Kit shows Charlie the ropes of their virtual society, which humans (who now number in the trillions) experience solely as digital entities, “uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains.” It’s an immense, and immensely complex, Matrix type of world.
After Kit takes Charlie on a quick trip to the “Bird Simulator” world, which leaves Charlie totally freaked out, Allocator intervenes and sends Charlie to a simulated world that he’ll find more congenial: Middle Earth. Kit is appalled; Charlie is delighted. But even a perfect elvish conclave, “green and vibrant, untouched by the tides of strife or decay” and “inhabited by beautiful and mysterious immortals” (“Siiiiiiigh” says Kit) might get old after a while. And Allocator has plans …
“Utopia, LOL?” is an absolutely delightful story. Kit is a truly hilarious narrator whose commentary and digital side conversations with Allocator make for one of the funniest things I’ve read in a long time. There’s a heartwarming and poignant conclusion to the tale, giving it an unexpected depth. It reads even better the second time around. Don’t miss this one!
P.S. If you're confused by the ending (which is totally understandable), here's my take on it. Spoilers ahoy!
May 15, 2018
This is the review for Utopia LOL?, a 2018 Nebula nominee for Best Short Story!
A futuristic world, a man from another time, crazy stimulations, space travels, all-knowing AI, uh... Middle Earth, emojis, and an overexcited guide: This is one crazy ride, my friend.
Charlie wakes up years from now from his cryo-sleep, which he chose because of his cancer. The medical technology couldn't help him then, but in this future... the story is quite different. Seriously, it is way too different. To B.o.B and other Flat Earther's delight, the earth is no longer round and the sun is enclosed in a metal stuff.
We see the story through the eyes of Kit, an eager guide (for cryo people) who sounds like a hilarious teenager. The A.I. simply known as The Allocator runs the show, and Charlie and Kit get ready to take the tour through various stimulations the new world has to offer. But what's the end game?
Find out----> http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
I really liked the story. It's unique and funny at times, with a rather interesting finale. I equally enjoyed and got vexed by the narrative, and because of the lighter tone of the whole affair, the final revelation gets a bit downplayed.
Nevertheless, It's one helluva story. It reminded me of one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes!
Recommended.
A futuristic world, a man from another time, crazy stimulations, space travels, all-knowing AI, uh... Middle Earth, emojis, and an overexcited guide: This is one crazy ride, my friend.
Charlie wakes up years from now from his cryo-sleep, which he chose because of his cancer. The medical technology couldn't help him then, but in this future... the story is quite different. Seriously, it is way too different. To B.o.B and other Flat Earther's delight, the earth is no longer round and the sun is enclosed in a metal stuff.
We see the story through the eyes of Kit, an eager guide (for cryo people) who sounds like a hilarious teenager. The A.I. simply known as The Allocator runs the show, and Charlie and Kit get ready to take the tour through various stimulations the new world has to offer. But what's the end game?
Find out----> http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
I really liked the story. It's unique and funny at times, with a rather interesting finale. I equally enjoyed and got vexed by the narrative, and because of the lighter tone of the whole affair, the final revelation gets a bit downplayed.
Nevertheless, It's one helluva story. It reminded me of one of my favorite Black Mirror episodes!
Recommended.
January 1, 2019
WELCOME TO DECEMBER PROJECT!
boilerplate mission statement intro:
links to all stories read in previous years' calendars can be found at the end of these reviews, in case you are a person who likes to read stories for free:
2016: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2017: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
scroll down for links to this year’s stories which i will update as we go, and if you have any suggestions, send 'em my way! the only rules are: it must be available free online (links greatly appreciated), and it must be here on gr as its own thing so i can review it. thank you in advance!
DECEMBER 2
it's the future! people are even more impatient than they are now, but they can also be birds or floor tiles if they so wish! that's just how it goes when you are uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains. normally, i wouldn't have a lot of interest in this kind of thing, but i liked the way it was handled - it starts off as a mad humor-romp, and ends with some stone-cold tragic solemnity. and THAT'S how you win my heart.
the mystery interlude was just icing on my cake, and i did, indeed, LOL at it.
that's all you get for this one - tick, tock december and all that.
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
read it for yourself here:
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
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DECEMBER 30
DECEMBER 31
come to my blog!
boilerplate mission statement intro:
for the past two years, i’ve set december’s project aside to do my own version of a short story advent calendar. it’s not a true advent calendar since i choose all the stories myself, but what it lacks in the ‘element of surprise’ department it more than makes up for in hassle, as i try to cram even MORE reading into a life already overcrammed with impossible personal goals (live up to your potential! find meaningful work! learn to knit!) merry merry wheee!
since i am already well behind in my *regular* reviewing, when it comes to these stories, whatever i poop out as far as reflections or impressions are going to be superficial and perfunctory at best. please do not weep for the great big hole my absented, much-vaunted critical insights are gonna leave in these daily review-spaces (and your hearts); i’ll try to drop shiny insights elsewhere in other reviews, and here, i will at least drop links to where you can read the stories yourselves for free, which - let’s be honest - is gonna serve you better anyway.
HAPPY READING, BOOKNERDS!
links to all stories read in previous years' calendars can be found at the end of these reviews, in case you are a person who likes to read stories for free:
2016: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
2017: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
scroll down for links to this year’s stories which i will update as we go, and if you have any suggestions, send 'em my way! the only rules are: it must be available free online (links greatly appreciated), and it must be here on gr as its own thing so i can review it. thank you in advance!
DECEMBER 2
#CharlieSamarkand: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
#CharlieSamarkand: aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
#CharlieSamarkand: aaaaaaaaaaaaohgodwhat'shappening
#Kit: Charlie!
#CharlieSamarkand: what? what is happening what
#Kit: You're a bird!
#CharlieSamarkand: I NOTICED THANK YOU
#CharlieSamarkand: WHY ARE WE BIRDS
it's the future! people are even more impatient than they are now, but they can also be birds or floor tiles if they so wish! that's just how it goes when you are uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains. normally, i wouldn't have a lot of interest in this kind of thing, but i liked the way it was handled - it starts off as a mad humor-romp, and ends with some stone-cold tragic solemnity. and THAT'S how you win my heart.
the mystery interlude was just icing on my cake, and i did, indeed, LOL at it.
that's all you get for this one - tick, tock december and all that.
HAPPY HANUKKAH!
read it for yourself here:
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
*******************************************
DECEMBER 1
DECEMBER 2
DECEMBER 3
DECEMBER 4
DECEMBER 5
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DECEMBER 30
DECEMBER 31
come to my blog!
March 13, 2018
My feelings are all over the place about this tiny short story (only 40 minutes in audio) as it had some stuff I really loved but also had a bunch of stuff I was not a fan of at all. I think it was one of those stories that I loved the idea of but never quite gelled with the execution. I feel like the idea behind this story could be turned into an absolutely awesome novel by a better writer than Jamie Wahls!
As it was this still ended up being a decent short story. Charlie is woken from cryogenic sleep in a distant future to learn that humanity is much different and that what remains of it is ruled by an AI. He got a weird guide for his journey through this new post-human world.
I really liked the idea of the AI ruled Utopia and feel like Wahls did a great job with that aspect of the story. I also enjoyed the post-human future. The issues I had were with the characters, the writing style, and with a few of Wahls observations. The characters were not particularly likeable which meant that while this was an interesting and intriguing story it was never a story that managed to engage me on an emotional level. Some of Wahls observations were just a bit annoying. He quipped that all fantasy is little more than Lord of the Rings fan fiction. I'm not sure what fantasy he has been reading lately but most of the stuff I've read over the last 20 years finds its roots in medieval history, King Arthur legends, and even Greek mythology!
I listened on audio and feel like the writing in this one was too weird to translate well into that medium as it was full of internet chat text and emojis that the audio narrator had to make work in the audio medium. I sure hope this does not catch on in mainstream fiction!
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: This was narrated by Anaea Lay for the Strange Horizons podcast. She did an excellent job with a tough story and seemed a passable enough narrator. The only issue I had with the audio was production related. It sounded like she recorded the story from the inside of a tin can! I guess I cannot complain too much though as this story was completely free and can be found in audio or text version on the Strange Horizons website.
As it was this still ended up being a decent short story. Charlie is woken from cryogenic sleep in a distant future to learn that humanity is much different and that what remains of it is ruled by an AI. He got a weird guide for his journey through this new post-human world.
I really liked the idea of the AI ruled Utopia and feel like Wahls did a great job with that aspect of the story. I also enjoyed the post-human future. The issues I had were with the characters, the writing style, and with a few of Wahls observations. The characters were not particularly likeable which meant that while this was an interesting and intriguing story it was never a story that managed to engage me on an emotional level. Some of Wahls observations were just a bit annoying. He quipped that all fantasy is little more than Lord of the Rings fan fiction. I'm not sure what fantasy he has been reading lately but most of the stuff I've read over the last 20 years finds its roots in medieval history, King Arthur legends, and even Greek mythology!
I listened on audio and feel like the writing in this one was too weird to translate well into that medium as it was full of internet chat text and emojis that the audio narrator had to make work in the audio medium. I sure hope this does not catch on in mainstream fiction!
Rating: 3.5 stars.
Audio Note: This was narrated by Anaea Lay for the Strange Horizons podcast. She did an excellent job with a tough story and seemed a passable enough narrator. The only issue I had with the audio was production related. It sounded like she recorded the story from the inside of a tin can! I guess I cannot complain too much though as this story was completely free and can be found in audio or text version on the Strange Horizons website.
April 21, 2018
Lovely short story and lots of fun. Strong worldbuilding for such a short one, highly imaginative, lots of funny moments; the only downside are the cardboard characters. Nonetheless, totally worth reading.
It can be read here: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
(Nebula nominee for Best Short Story)
It can be read here: http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
(Nebula nominee for Best Short Story)
December 1, 2019
Review for Utopia, LOL? (Thanks to Corinne!)
AMAZING STORY. Though if I was Kit, my question would have been, did the others make it, before doing the wipe. Cuz I kinda want to know myself. 5 stars, all the way!
AMAZING STORY. Though if I was Kit, my question would have been, did the others make it, before doing the wipe. Cuz I kinda want to know myself. 5 stars, all the way!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2019
After a long long time in cryosleep Charlie finds himself in a completely changed world.
There he meets our narrator and his Tour Guide To The Future, the cheerful Kit/dinaround. Emphasis on the "/". Naturally.
Things have changed quite a bit. And "Post-Singularity humanity now exists entirely as uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains, living in trillions of universes presided over by our Friendly AI, Allocator."
I think that's pretty clear.
Anyways, now our trio of protagonists is complete and after the inconvenience of Charlie's terminal health status is taken care of, there's a decision to make. Where in all the trillions of universes do you want to spend your time? Well, Charlie goes for Middle Earth. Naturally.
But that's only the beginning of the end. After a lot of laugh-out-loud humor (the author actually was pretty accurate with this stupid-ass title) the second half adds some much needed depth to the story. And the conclusion gives the reader enough food for thought.
In the end this was not only great fun, but also something more.
4.5 stars
You can read it here. For free! Naturally!
2017 Nebula Award nominee for Best Short Story.
Now that I'm done with reading all the nominees for Best Short Story, is this my favorite then?
Well, for sheer fun and entertainment I would say so, yes.
But Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim gave me all the feels. And I'm giving it the slight edge over this one. It's really a close call, though.
___________________
Best Novel
• Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (Tor)
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss (Saga)
• Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory (Knopf; riverrun)
• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (Orbit US)
• Jade City by Fonda Lee (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Autonomous by Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK 2018)
Best Novella
• River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
• Passing Strange by Ellen Klages (Tor.com Publishing)
• And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 3-4/17)
• Barry’s Deal by Lawrence M. Schoen (NobleFusion Press)
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
Best Novelette
• Dirty Old Town by Richard Bowes (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 5-6/17)
• Weaponized Math by Jonathan P. Brazee (The Expanding Universe, Vol. 3)
• Wind Will Rove by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s 9-10/17)
• A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld 1/17)
• A Human Stain by Kelly Robson (Tor.com 1/4/17)
• Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. Szpara (Uncanny 5-6/17)
Best Short Story
• Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex 8/17)
• Utopia, LOL? by Jamie Wahls (Strange Horizons 6/5/17)
• Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• The Last Novelist (or A Dead Lizard in the Yard) by Matthew Kressel (Tor.com 3/15/17)
• Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 5/11/17)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Exo by Fonda Lee (Scholastic Press)
• Weave a Circle Round by Kari Maaren (Tor)
• The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
• Want by Cindy Pon (Simon Pulse)
There he meets our narrator and his Tour Guide To The Future, the cheerful Kit/dinaround. Emphasis on the "/". Naturally.
Things have changed quite a bit. And "Post-Singularity humanity now exists entirely as uploaded consciousnesses in distributed Matryoshka brains, living in trillions of universes presided over by our Friendly AI, Allocator."
I think that's pretty clear.
Anyways, now our trio of protagonists is complete and after the inconvenience of Charlie's terminal health status is taken care of, there's a decision to make. Where in all the trillions of universes do you want to spend your time? Well, Charlie goes for Middle Earth. Naturally.
But that's only the beginning of the end. After a lot of laugh-out-loud humor (the author actually was pretty accurate with this stupid-ass title) the second half adds some much needed depth to the story. And the conclusion gives the reader enough food for thought.
In the end this was not only great fun, but also something more.
4.5 stars
You can read it here. For free! Naturally!
2017 Nebula Award nominee for Best Short Story.
Now that I'm done with reading all the nominees for Best Short Story, is this my favorite then?
Well, for sheer fun and entertainment I would say so, yes.
But Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim gave me all the feels. And I'm giving it the slight edge over this one. It's really a close call, though.
___________________
2017 Nebula Award Nominees
Best Novel
• Amberlough by Lara Elena Donnelly (Tor)
• The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss (Saga)
• Spoonbenders by Daryl Gregory (Knopf; riverrun)
• The Stone Sky by N.K. Jemisin (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty (Orbit US)
• Jade City by Fonda Lee (Orbit US; Orbit UK)
• Autonomous by Annalee Newitz (Tor; Orbit UK 2018)
Best Novella
• River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey (Tor.com Publishing)
• Passing Strange by Ellen Klages (Tor.com Publishing)
• And Then There Were (N-One) by Sarah Pinsker (Uncanny 3-4/17)
• Barry’s Deal by Lawrence M. Schoen (NobleFusion Press)
• All Systems Red by Martha Wells (Tor.com Publishing)
• The Black Tides of Heaven by JY Yang (Tor.com Publishing)
Best Novelette
• Dirty Old Town by Richard Bowes (Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction 5-6/17)
• Weaponized Math by Jonathan P. Brazee (The Expanding Universe, Vol. 3)
• Wind Will Rove by Sarah Pinsker (Asimov’s 9-10/17)
• A Series of Steaks by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Clarkesworld 1/17)
• A Human Stain by Kelly Robson (Tor.com 1/4/17)
• Small Changes Over Long Periods of Time by K.M. Szpara (Uncanny 5-6/17)
Best Short Story
• Fandom for Robots by Vina Jie-Min Prasad (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• Welcome to your Authentic Indian Experience™ by Rebecca Roanhorse (Apex 8/17)
• Utopia, LOL? by Jamie Wahls (Strange Horizons 6/5/17)
• Clearly Lettered in a Mostly Steady Hand by Fran Wilde (Uncanny 9-10/17)
• The Last Novelist (or A Dead Lizard in the Yard) by Matthew Kressel (Tor.com 3/15/17)
• Carnival Nine by Caroline M. Yoachim (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 5/11/17)
Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy
• Exo by Fonda Lee (Scholastic Press)
• Weave a Circle Round by Kari Maaren (Tor)
• The Art of Starving by Sam J. Miller (HarperTeen)
• Want by Cindy Pon (Simon Pulse)
March 11, 2018
Fun post singularity short story. Charlie wakes up from cryogenic sleep and finds himself in an unrecognizable world. With help of a guide he must find out what he wants to do in this bright utopian future.
December 16, 2022
Gleeful. You can find it here.
May 14, 2018
5 stars ++
This was one of the funniest, most entertaining and best short SF stories I've ever listened to. I'm going to read the ebook and probably listen to the podcast once again, because it's that good.
***Full RTC***
This was one of the funniest, most entertaining and best short SF stories I've ever listened to. I'm going to read the ebook and probably listen to the podcast once again, because it's that good.
***Full RTC***
May 11, 2018
This piece is very short, but really cute. A glimpse into the future through the eyes of Kit: Ditzy, but really well meaning and Charlie, who has been recently unfrozen from cyro. The human race is being watched over by an AI named Allocator who has a plan... Just go read it already. I can't say much else without spoiling it and I don't want to do that. It's clever and cute and free over at Strange Horizons.
March 10, 2018
http://strangehorizons.com/fiction/ut...
Nebula nominee for 2018, Best Short Story
Corpsicle revival, updated. His Tour Guide To The Future is pretty scattered, and very entertaining:
“I quietly hum to myself while checking my messages, watching friends’ lives, placing bets on the upcoming matches of TurnIntoASnake and SeductionBowl, and simulating what my life would be like if I had a longer attention span.
It would be very different.”
Charlie the revivee picks a LoTR sim to live in:
"How was the elf-sex?"
He looks at me sidelong like for some reason he's annoyed.
"It was great," he concedes.
"But we didn't do anything. I wanted to fight orcs and save Middle-Earth, but they just sat around being perfect."
This one gets a Humor Alert, so who knows how you will react. For me, 5 stars, and the best of the Nebula short-story nominees. For sure you should try it.
Nebula nominee for 2018, Best Short Story
Corpsicle revival, updated. His Tour Guide To The Future is pretty scattered, and very entertaining:
“I quietly hum to myself while checking my messages, watching friends’ lives, placing bets on the upcoming matches of TurnIntoASnake and SeductionBowl, and simulating what my life would be like if I had a longer attention span.
It would be very different.”
Charlie the revivee picks a LoTR sim to live in:
"How was the elf-sex?"
He looks at me sidelong like for some reason he's annoyed.
"It was great," he concedes.
"But we didn't do anything. I wanted to fight orcs and save Middle-Earth, but they just sat around being perfect."
This one gets a Humor Alert, so who knows how you will react. For me, 5 stars, and the best of the Nebula short-story nominees. For sure you should try it.
March 23, 2022
Utopia, LOL?: Sau nhiều thế kỷ ngủ đông, Charlie Wilcox tỉnh dậy ở một tương lai xa xôi, nơi nhân loại đã trở thành các thực thể kỹ thuật số nhờ tải ý thức lên không gian ảo. Dưới sự dẫn dắt của một hướng dẫn viên nhí nhắng, Charlie sẽ phải quyết định xem mình muốn sống thế nào?
Không nhớ cơ duyên nào đã khiến mình va vào truyện ngắn này. Bối cảnh "thiên hạ chui hết ráo lên thực tế ảo sống, để mọi thứ cho AI quản lý" cũng không tệ, tệ là mình không vibe được với truyện. Khó mà chấm điểm cao cho những câu đùa không làm bạn cười, đúng không?
Truyện này có nhiều điểm làm mình nhớ đến một thằng truyện ngắn hậu sinh là "A Guide For Working Breeds". Cả hai đều có lối hài hước nặng về pop culture (nếu bạn chưa đoán ra từ cái tiêu đề "Utopia, LOL?"), một cặp nhân vật AI nhí nhắng và già đời điềm đạm. Tiếc là mình không ấn tượng mấy trước mạch truyện lộn xộn và dàn nhân vật nhạt nhòa của "Utopia, LOL?", cùng mấy đoạn hội thoại theo phong cách tin nhắn, emoji, Trung Địa Simulator, Giả lập Chim Cò, VRĐóng Làm gạch.
Đoạn duy nhất mà mình thấy nhộn là lúc cu hướng dẫn viên nhiệt tình rủ Charlie chơi cosplay viên gạch lát đường:
Không nhớ cơ duyên nào đã khiến mình va vào truyện ngắn này. Bối cảnh "thiên hạ chui hết ráo lên thực tế ảo sống, để mọi thứ cho AI quản lý" cũng không tệ, tệ là mình không vibe được với truyện. Khó mà chấm điểm cao cho những câu đùa không làm bạn cười, đúng không?
Truyện này có nhiều điểm làm mình nhớ đến một thằng truyện ngắn hậu sinh là "A Guide For Working Breeds". Cả hai đều có lối hài hước nặng về pop culture (nếu bạn chưa đoán ra từ cái tiêu đề "Utopia, LOL?"), một cặp nhân vật AI nhí nhắng và già đời điềm đạm. Tiếc là mình không ấn tượng mấy trước mạch truyện lộn xộn và dàn nhân vật nhạt nhòa của "Utopia, LOL?", cùng mấy đoạn hội thoại theo phong cách tin nhắn, emoji, Trung Địa Simulator, Giả lập Chim Cò, VR
Đoạn duy nhất mà mình thấy nhộn là lúc cu hướng dẫn viên nhiệt tình rủ Charlie chơi cosplay viên gạch lát đường:
"Mọi người sẽ giẫm lên anh!"
Thế vẫn chưa lột tả hết độ hay ho của nó. Cái cảm giác góc cạnh trong khi cơ thể là một khối tĩnh lặng với những đường rìa rắn chắc, không mảy may rung động như nhịp đập thùm-thụp trong lồng ngực một chú chim, không có mông ngực mây mẩy hay túi độc đung đưa. Mọi thứ, kể cả tâm trí ta, đều cứng như đá, rắn rỏi và vĩnh cữu.
May 24, 2018
This short story was nominated for Nebula Award in 2018, but hasn't won it.
The story starts with a man, recently restored from cryo-sleep in post-singularity future. His guide to the future, from POV the story is told is a product of the era with attention span shorter than that of a guppy and enthusiasm of a puppy :)
Easy and fun read, in my view better that this year Nebula winner
The story starts with a man, recently restored from cryo-sleep in post-singularity future. His guide to the future, from POV the story is told is a product of the era with attention span shorter than that of a guppy and enthusiasm of a puppy :)
Easy and fun read, in my view better that this year Nebula winner
September 17, 2019
The problem with this style of writing is that feels dated five minutes after it's published (and this is two years old). But it's an interesting story. I'm sure I'll remember it, and I'm glad I read it.
December 8, 2018
Meh. I honestly don't get what was so spectacular about this story. I mean *I get it*, but it's nothing new, just more inundated with text-speak and newer memes and stuff. Aight.
January 2, 2020
This. Was. Amazing. I generally don't care for the simple, slang-filled spoken word as the main writing, but this is done in such a way that I both "LOL'd" and then felt a genuine sadness. This is honestly one of my favorite short stories I've read in quite some time. Memory, humanity, joy, boredom, mundane, insanity...packed a lot into 5000-ish words.
September 6, 2023
داستان شوخ و جالبیه.
ترجمهاش رو میشه رو "فضای استعاره" خوند.
داستان کوتاه «فروتن و چشم جهانبین» را در فضای استعاره بخوانید.»»» آرمانشهر، هرهر؟
ترجمهاش رو میشه رو "فضای استعاره" خوند.
داستان کوتاه «فروتن و چشم جهانبین» را در فضای استعاره بخوانید.»»» آرمانشهر، هرهر؟
freebies
May 22, 2018Read or listen to this short story for free on Strange Horizons.
February 25, 2020
There's an awful lot packed into this tiny 5,000 words. So much that I read it twice. There's some interesting ideas, a wonderfully odd character, and references to the Lord of the Rings that I can't NOT laugh at (oof, that english). Memory, future, space, technology, A.I. This story has a lot, but what it has most of is, and this is going to be hella cheesy, is hope. Hope for a future that mankind can still enjoy even if it is presented to them by a hyper aware and intelligent A.I.
- Matthew
- Matthew
November 23, 2020
I read this as an allegory about immersion into cyberspace and staying there forever, especially as I wrote this review in 2020. The guide immersed in her vs the recently thawed old man His now-ancient voice vs her Buzzfeed and Twitch influenced English-- proving the linguistic intricacies of English to have frozen all these years. Despite my one nitpicking, this is one of the best sci-fi short stories I've ever read. I'd rate it 4.5/5 stars if I could.
December 27, 2018
This story didn't really connect for me. The POV character of "Kit" was a little too jumpy and kept breaking the narration for me to truly get immersed in this story. Some of the concepts of this were very cool, like the "U"s and the VRs/simulators and what not, but at the end of the day it was a story that didn't jive with me. The prose itself was pretty tight, if not a little unclear in places.
April 21, 2018
A human is revived in a post-singularity age when most people spend their time in computer-generated simulations. He’s welcomed by an energetic and enthusiastic Tour Guide to the Future, the story’s narrator. They slowly come to trust each other, and then there’s a twist (no spoilers). As a result, a fun, almost frivolous story takes on a sudden, satisfying solidity.
March 30, 2018
light funny sci-fi about the choose-your-world future of the uploaded human race, and its latest customer.
August 15, 2018
Existential blues make me sad.
September 26, 2020
I love the idea for this, but the fact the main character is purposefully flighty and annoying does not change the fact the main character is flighty and annoying.
December 11, 2020
I don't wanna spoil anything about this short story but as someone with ADHD, I absolutely vibed with Kit!
The "world-building" is pretty cool and I liked the kinda emotional ending.
The "world-building" is pretty cool and I liked the kinda emotional ending.
October 31, 2021
This tiny story is weird, and that's what makes it great.
December 24, 2021
This was just... not for me. The "humor" in the book just rubs me the wrong way...
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