The Soul of the Machine in William Gibson's 'Agency'
In William Gibson's prequel to The Peripheral, Agency, Hillary Clinton is president, but that's only a detail.
28 Jan 2020
Recent
Cynicism, Recession, and the Resurgence of Cyberpunk
"Human nature might be augmented and highly channeled by technology, but human nature stays the same. And that tech might actually amplify all the worst things about us too."
Marshall Sandoval
Games
21 Oct 2014
It's Back to the Future with William Gibson's 'The Peripheral'
Sad, scary, gripping, and thought-provoking, William Gibson's The Peripheral is a book you can't afford not to read.
20 Oct 2014
Humor and Hysteria in Thomas Pynchon's 'Bleeding Edge'
Thomas Pynchon keeps his humor abundant, but he tempers it, in this look back at our very recent national past, with serious contemplation of what we do when we log on.
17 Sep 2013
The Beatification of Philip K. Dick
Fueled by his science fiction work, by his mystical aura and his growing legend, the cult of Philip K. Dick continues to expand.
29 Jan 2013
The Undiluted Promise of Comics as Vanguard for 21st Century Media
Sometimes, rarely, a work is so good (so well-conceived, so well-executed) that it simply breaks our traditional expectations of comics literature. And this breaking allows us to glimpse the true, rare promise of what the industry can achieve. Davids Lapham and Aja's Wolverine: Debt of Death is this work.
12 Sep 2011
Bought on the Fourth of July
With The Homeland Directive writer Robert Venditti offers a deep and meditative work on the nature of personhood in an era of mass marketing. Easily the equal of the illustrious works of John Reed or Jonathan Franzen, The Homeland Directive elevates both the political thriller genre and the comics medium.
11 Jul 2011
The Stories Industrial Designs Tell
The Dyson Airblade is launched in Sydney and the wild new world 21st century design writers must come to grips with.
02 Dec 2007
Olaf Stapledon: Of His Time, and Others
To sit and complain about the lack of credit Stapledon receives is to undermine the very principle for which he was writing about: mankind's yearning for community.
L.B. Jeffries
Books
15 Nov 2007
After the Silicon Rush
In the 20-plus years since cyberpunk threw down a gauntlet to science fiction and stormed the cultural gates, its vision has been praised, criticized, absorbed, and integrated into the mainstream. Does post-cyberpunk have something new to offer?
12 Nov 2007
Spook Country by William Gibson
Apparently some critics look at Gibson's work and think, "Mmm, no coherent story, big reputation -- that must mean it's lit'rature!"
Chauncey Mabe
Books
23 Oct 2007
Spook Country by William Gibson
Spook Country follows complex path of post-9/11 mentality.
Claudia Smith Brinson
Books
20 Aug 2007
William Gibson: No Maps For These Territories (2003)
William Gibson is a visionary in his own right, and painting him into the reductive sci-fi corner is akin to missing the point of his work.
Scott Thill
Reviews
09 Feb 2004
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