Globalhead

by Bruce Sterling

This second collection of short fiction by Bruce Sterling, set in such disparate environments as ancient Assyria and posthuman France, provides a stimulating and entertaining glimpse inside the "global head" of one of imaginative fiction's most exciting talents.

Contents:
- Our Neural Chernobyl (1988)
- Storming the Cosmos (1985) with Rudy Rucker
- The Compassionate, the Digital (1985)
- Jim and Irene (1991)
- The Sword of Damocles (1990)
- The Gulf Wars (1988)
- The Shores of Bohemia (1990)
- The Moral Bullet (1991) with John Kessel
- The Unthinkable (1991)
- We See Things Differently (1989)
- Hollywood Kremlin (1990)
- Are You for 86? (1992)
- Dori Bangs (1989)

Cover illustration by Bruce Jensen

Genres: Science Fiction, Cyberpunk, Fiction, Short Stories, Speculative Fiction, Fantasy, Anthologies

339 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

About the author

Bruce Sterling is an author, journalist, critic and a contributing editor of Wired magazine. Best known for his ten science fiction novels, he also writes short stories, book reviews, design criticism, opinion columns and introductions to books by authors ranging from Ernst Jünger to Jules Verne. His non-fiction works include The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier (1992), Tomorrow Now: Envisioning the Next Fifty Years (2003) and Shaping Things (2005).

Reviews

[Fatman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An eclectic mix of short stories from one of Cyberpunk's founding fathers. Personal favorites were "Storming the Cosmos" and "The Unthinkable". "We See Things Differently" is a masterpiece, and might just be the best alternative history story I've ever read. That story merits a six-star rating. Of the rest, some were humorous, others thought-provoking. Not a single bad story in the collection, which one doesn't see often.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Big-time 80's vibe in some of these stories, like reading a good Larry Hama G.I. Joe story or listening to 'Lawyers Guns and Money' on repeat. Not the collection I was expecting but even unexpected Sterling is pretty enjoyable.

[Rainb0warri0r · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non so davvero perché, ma non riesco ancora a farmi piacere Sterling come vorrei. E dire che lui è proprio il padre cofondatore del genere che più amo, il cyberpunk. Alla fantascienza visionaria e ipertecnologica di Gibson, che preferisco, si affianca quella più sociologica e geopolitica di Sterling. L'obiettivo che l'autore si pone in questi undici racconti è di dare vita ad altrettante visioni di futuro, rigorose e concrete.
Se certe visioni risultano oggi superate, e altre decisamente fuori fuoco, alcune assumono decisamente l'aspetto di vere e proprie profezie: Sterling è uno con i piedi per terra, un osservatore molto attento e molto perspicace. Se il confronto/conflitto tra le due grandi potenze, gli States e la Russia, risulta oggi archiviato (di certo non lo era venti anni fa, al tempo della pubblicazione di questa antologia), altri problemi geopolitici, come l'islamismo, risultano ancora più attuali. Anche nelle sue visioni più estreme, paradossalmente: come nel racconto Il Compassionevole, il Digitale, che ha per protagonista un islamismo tecnologicamente avanzato, perfettamente integrato con una visione cyberpunk che non è più appannaggio dell'Occidente - e se si considera che nelle più recenti rivoluzioni dell'Africa mediterranea ha giocato un ruolo fondamentale l'uso sapiente (forse molto più che in Occidente) di Internet e dei social network, non ci si stupisce più di tanto.
In altri racconti riecheggia invece l'eco della Guerra del Golfo (del resto, gli anni sono quelli), e in questi l'ardita visionarietà della fantascienza lascia il posto ad una narrazione fin troppo rigorosa. L'impressione è che, in certi casi, Sterling abbia tentato di liberarsi dei vincoli della scrittura di genere, senza però riuscire a dare una forma precisa ed un significato: insomma, scrivere dei rapporti tra i soldati di un battaglione russo stanziato in Asia centrale di certo non è cyberpunk, forse una sorta di fantascienza sociologica, ma dove voglia andare a parare non si capisce.
Non mancano momenti di riflessione etica, ad esempio sul progresso scientifico e tecnologico, dagli incubi nucleari a quelli neurali.
Alla lunga, però, la ristretta offerta tematica, in parte "scaduta", finisce col risultare ripetetiva. Qualcosa si salva dall'usura del tempo, molto altro no, e di certo è troppo poco per poter affermare, come si legge nella quarta di copertina, che questi racconti hanno cambiato il volto della fantascienza odierna.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent stories from the late 80s/early 90s that hold up well. The Cold War hangs heavy here, but Sterling tends to treat it with satirical humor, and that approach is always timeless. Two stories featuring "Leggy" Starlitz (later the protagonist of Zeitgeist) are funny and cinematic trickster tales. "The Unthinkable" does an alternate world take on late twentieth-century politics that explores a mindset as relevant today as when he wrote it. Other stand-outs include "Jim and Irene," in which two drifters who have put themselves nearly out of the world are able to reveal the many bonds that connect us to one another. And "The Gulf Wars" is starts off feeling like a story done many times before, but Sterling manages to find a fresh take on it. A very good collection worth tracking down.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ambitious book aims high but misses almost entirely.

Several stories (The compassionate the digital, the moral bullet, neural Chernobyl, we see things differently, sword of Damocles, are you for 86) that are dull to the point of being unreadable.

Sword of Damocles and the compassionate the digital play with form but are fundamentally interesting.

Storming the cosmos starts way too early in the time of the story and wasted maybe 10 pages with waffle. The last half of it could have been excellent but doesn't really reach that level.

The gulf wars, which posits soldiers from the Akkadian empire becoming transposed onto modern soldiers in the iran-iraq war, is quite interesting and very colourful.

The unthinkable is easily my favourite story and could be turned into a full Clive Barker-esque series. In this story Lovecraftian horrors are weaponised by the department of defense and necromancy etc exists alongside the air force and navy. Sadly this story was only a few pages long.

Dori Bangs is a great little character study of two people who never met and what could have been. At the end it veers into profundity and the temporary reality and cosmically miniscule impact of even the greatest art.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this today is like reading retrofuturist stuff. The things we worried about before; breakdown of Russia, Islamic tensions and abortion terrorists, still exist but don't have as much power over our collective imagination as before.

Some of these are straight up bangers. Others feel a little clunky as we have passed those moments. The best way to talk about America is through the collective fears and through foreign eyes. Sterling does a good job of channeling how he feels the others would see North America. It is illuminating.

I have continued to read Sterling over the years and I like going back to these places and see what panned out and what didn't. Going back through my bookshelf and clearing out the cyberpunk. Reminds me of what is still crunchy.

[Robert Swanson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hasn't aged well. Bruce was known for his near-future prescience. Some things he was close, some things he wasn't.

"We See Things Differently" was the best story of the collection. However, instead of an Islamic supremacy bringing down America, it was home-grown terrorists. The story is good from the not-American POV. We see so little other viewpoints in SF.

I very muched enjoyed "Are you for 86?" from its tech-history record - phreaking long-distance was formulative in my career, the description of the van's equipment and the equipment's uses brought back a lot of memories that my daughters have no clue even existed (or the old technology that made these techniques workable).

[Gribblet · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wierd group of short stories - some of them hit, and hard, and they are really great. And then some of them are the sort which every writer writes but most have the awareness to keep in a desk drawer and never show anyone until they die and if they were famous enough their heirs dig that crap out and publish it so they can buy a house on cape cod.

I suggest you read it and find out which is which for yourself.

[Andres Borbon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesante colección de relatos por Bruce Sterling, muy en su línea de las décadas de los 80 y 90. Sin embargo, a mi juicio la calidad de los cuentos es inconsistente. Pienso que Sterling se desenvuelve mejor en proyectos más largos.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly hit-or-miss collection, and very much a throwback to cold war-era political or semi-political science fiction. Definitely not Sterling's best work, but "bad Bruce Sterling" is still pretty good.

2.5 of 5 stars

[Nigel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sterling at his absolute height here, but apart from the fun sci fi stuff, there are some genuine surprises - it's a long time since I first read this, weird to see it again through older eyes. Jim And Irene is a quiet classic, sui generis, and Gulf Wars surfs a very long, horrible zeitgeist.

[Patrik Sahlstrøm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant collection of short stories by Sterling. As with of these kinds of collections there are some duds, but the quality of the good ones more than compensate for the duds

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked everything except the Lekhi Starlitz stuff.

[Lucy Batson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of Bruce Sterling's short stories, with a softer cyberpunk feel than those of in Crystal Express, but much better written. He REALLY liked writing about Russia during this period.

[Stijn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some funny, some strange and some techy stories. All in all, a good read!

[Lord Humungus · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this hardcover back in the day. The story quality didn't necessarily match the book's rarity.

[Heather Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*. Interesting collection of short stories. A bit hit or miss quality-wise but all had intriguing concepts.

[Ria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some ok stories some bad stories, some stories with interesting ideas that end to soon, a mixed bag.

Our Neural Chernobyl -2
Storming the Cosmos -4
The Compassionate, the Digital -1
Jim and Irene -3
The Sword of Damocles -0
The Gulf Wars -2
The Shores of Bohemia -3
The Moral Bullet -3
The Unthinkable -2
We See Things Differently -3
Hollywood Kremlin -4
Are You for 86? -4
Dori Bangs -2

[Kamas Kirian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories by Bruce Sterling is pretty good. Some of the stories are stronger than others. I particularly liked Storming the Cosmos, Jim and Irene, The Moral Bullet and Hollywood Kremlin. I wasn't real taken with Our Neural Chernobyl or Dori Bangs; not because of content but because of style. The Soviet Union/Russia and Islam make several appearances throughout the collection.

Our Neural Chernobyl - fictional book review about cross species medical/drug contamination future history. I didn't care for the style though the concept surrounding the events was interesting. 2 stars

Storming the Cosmos tells the story 2 scientist who discover an alien artifact at Tunguska, and how the politicians screw it all up. It was pretty entertaining, I liked it a lot. 5 stars

The Compassionate, The Digital us the transcript of a future speech/rally re: AI who transits Space-time. It is basically a transcript of Islamic propaganda. 3 stars

Jim and Irene is the story of two forlorn loners who escape to lonely lands and end up forging a connection. 5 stars

Sword of Damocles is a hilarious and disjointed tale of Damocles and Dyonysis. 4 stars

Gulf Wars tells the story of two hapless soldiers caught up in two different wars in the same area of the Persian Gulf separated by millenia. 4 Stars

The Shores of Bohemia reminded me of today's politically correct bloviaters. Amelie's little speech was certainly representative of the insufferably conceited attitude of today's politicians, though she and Rodolphe both ended up joining the ranks of those they despised. I don't think I understood the point of the story. Maybe that mob rule is inevitable among societies? That self-awareness and finding 'truth' require solitude? 3 Stars

The Moral Bullet is a story of post apocalyptic survival after the chaos of an anti-aging drug is released to the world. 5 Stars

The Unthinkable is about two old antagonists discussing the end of the cold war, in a world where the weapons are demonic rather than atomic. 4 Stars

We See Things Differently is about an Arab Muslim journalist sent to America to meet a popular Rock Musician/Political Fundraiser/Revolutionary. It's about the power of conviction...and maybe a little bit of religious-political propoganda brainwashing. 4 Stars

Hollywood Kremlin is a beautiful little story about black market smugglers in Azerbaijan during the last days of Soviet rule. 5 Stars

Are You For 86? features Leggy Starlitz again from Hollywood Kremlin. This time the smuggler from Azerbaijan is roadtripping with a couple of feminist political activists smuggling the abortion pill across country while evading a Christian activist group. Hate the politics but it's a well written story and carries the narrative well. 5 Stars

Dori Bangs is about the fictional life together of two real life people who died young. It reads like an obituary more than a story. 3 Stars

The mass market paperback was formatted well. There was one possible spelling error where they put DC where I think they meant CD.

[La Stamberga dei Lettori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non so davvero perché, ma non riesco ancora a farmi piacere Sterling come vorrei. E dire che lui è proprio il padre cofondatore del genere che più amo, il cyberpunk. Alla fantascienza visionaria e ipertecnologica di Gibson, che preferisco, si affianca quella più sociologica e geopolitica di Sterling. L'obiettivo che l'autore si pone in questi undici racconti è di dare vita ad altrettante visioni di futuro, rigorose e concrete.
Se certe visioni risultano oggi superate, e altre decisamente fuori fuoco, alcune assumono decisamente l'aspetto di vere e proprie profezie: Sterling è uno con i piedi per terra, un osservatore molto attento e molto perspicace. Se il confronto/conflitto tra le due grandi potenze, gli States e la Russia, risulta oggi archiviato (di certo non lo era quindici anni fa, al tempo della pubblicazione di questa antologia), altri problemi geopolitici, come l'islamismo, risultano ancora più attuali. Anche nelle sue visioni più estreme, paradossalmente: come nel racconto Il Compassionevole, il Digitale, che ha per protagonista un islamismo tecnologicamente avanzato, perfettamente integrato con una visione cyberpunk che non è più appannaggio dell'Occidente - e se si considera che nelle più recenti rivoluzioni dell'Africa mediterranea ha giocato un ruolo fondamentale l'uso sapiente (forse molto più che in Occidente) di Internet e dei social network, non ci si stupisce più di tanto.

Continua su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...

[Glen Engel-Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just comments on a few stories in Globalhead by Bruce Sterling, not the whole book.

"Our Neural Chernobyl" - I remember reading this in its original appearance in Fantasy and Science Fiction, and it just gets better on the second time. A mock review of a pop science book from 2056, Bruce is transliterating the background and research from his The Hacker Crackdown: Law and Disorder on the Electronic Frontier into a future where genetic hacking replaces computer hacking. But that's just the starting point, and when he reveals the disaster set off by the neural chernobyl, I can only shake my head in admiration for his imagination. There's not much story here, but when the imagination runs this wild, it doesn't matter.

"Storming the Cosmos" - A funny story, made even funnier by my recent reading of East Europe and Russia. This is another one that I read in its original publication, and believe that it is better the second time as well.

"The Compassionate, The Digital" - Great title, wonderful idea, but this one doesn't make as complete a story as "Our Neural Chernobyl." There's just not as much plot here; instead, this is a scene from an unlikely (?) scenario. Interesting, yes. A story, no.

[Devero · Rating 4 out of 5]

La nostra Chernobyl neurale (Our Neural Chernobyl)è decisamnete buono.
Il Compassionevole, il Digitale (The Compassionate, the Digital) è il primo di una serie di racconti in cui Sterling analizza l'islam di oggi e di ieri e mostra come pensa e perché si deve temerlo.
Jim e Irene (Jim and Irene) è un racconto leggibile.
La spada di Damocle (The Sword of Damocles)è un altro racconto leggibile.
Le guerre del Golfo (The Gulf Wars) è una piccola perla, che deve ricordare a tutti come vanno le cose in quell'angolo di mondo che è il golfo persico da oltre 6000 anni.
Le rive della Boemia (The Shores of Bohemia) è un buon racconto.
Il proiettile morale (The Moral Bullet) è un racconto particolarmente interessante, di quelli che fanno riflettere.
L'Impensabile (The Unthinktable) è un racconto leggibile.
Vediamo le cose in maniera diversa (We See Things Differently) è un piccolo capolavoro, che scava a fondo nelle motivazioni dell'islam e del terrorismo ad esso collegato.
Hollywood Cremlino (Hollywood Kremlin) è un racconto divertente.
Siete a favore o contro la 486? (Are You for 486?) è un altro racconto divertente e sì, io sono favorevole!

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An icon of the cyberpunk movement and a deservedly respected nonfiction writer as well, Sterling is less well known for his short story output. Globalhead, an early collection is evidence that this is an oversight. In fact, I'd rank his short stories just beneath his nonfiction, particularly The Hacker Crackdown, and above his novel length excursions in science fiction. Standout stories include the faux book review Our Neural Chernobyl, the odd coupling Jim and Irene, the historical Middle East magic of The Gulf Wars and the rock and roll infused economic SF of We See Things Differently. If you have passed on Sterling's short stories in favor of his other work, I highly recommend making a U-turn and seeking out Globalhead.

[Dan York · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember first reading this collection of short stories when it came out in 1991 in the midst of all the great cyberpunk stories that were coming out in those days. At that time I thoroughly enjoyed it and probably would have given it 4 or 5 stars had Goodreads been around. Bruce Sterling is an excellent writer and I enjoy his work... and many of these stories are very well done.

But... 20 years later a number of the stories are now quite dated with their Cold War references and other nuances that are no longer applicable. It is ironic that the social commentary that makes Sterling's writing so good in this case also winds up limiting the applicability of his work.

[Ben Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sterling's short fiction is, as far as I have seen, completely unrelated to his long-form stuff, and so much better that it reaches out of any kind of genre and becomes something that, once upon a simpler time, might be considered the animating spirit of our nation. Of course Sterling would probably hate that idea, nations, spirits, etc. It should be some kind of animating spirit, anyway.

My favorite story in this volume is "Dori Bangs" . . . I can't adequately express how I feel about it. It might be just for the punks. You should read it.

[Mike S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm surprised that this book got such great ratings, I only liked a few of the stories, one was really good, several were not good at all. To me the author reads like a very bright and promising beginning author who hasn't quite identified his strengths, and weaknesses. He's capable of really good science fiction, maybe he's trying to carve out a new niche for himself, right now that's incipient, he's got a long way to go before he comes anywhere close to what William Gibson accomplished.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Globalhead is rather uneven, with a few stores that border on tedious. However, it's worth it for the two or three pieces that are out of this world. In fact, it might be worth it just for "The Unthinkable," a magical realist's take on post-Cold War relations between the US and Russia, which might just be one of my favorite shorts of all time.

[Jday · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sterling writes great stories. My only issue with him is that these short stories don't feel like short stories. They feel like pieces taken from novels or novellas. Many of the stories from this book and his other short story collections should be novels. The characters are engaging and the plots are interesting and sometimes fantastic.

[Althea Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from this cyberpunk writer. Recurring themes/elements include Russia/Cold War, the Middle East, organized crime and drugs... a lot of it reminded me a bit of J.G. Ballard. It culminates in a truly weird what-if story about rock critic Lester Bangs and an obscure underground comic book artist meeting and getting married. Some weird stuff!

[Comedian999 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad story in the bunch (This is a collection of short stories), and with the couple about conflict between radical Islam and the West, eerily prescient... although hopefully not too prescient (Because the West falls in each of them). A solid introduction to Sterling.