Metatropolis - ISBNLookup.com

VOYA - Teri S. Lesesne

This short story collection was originally written for audio format. Scalzi and four other authors, Jay Lake, Tobias Buckell, Elizabeth Bear, and Karl Schroeder, collaborated on the stories; so, the world-building was done collectively. Then, each author built upon that shared work to create a short story for the collection. These authors, all award winners in the field of science fiction, develop unique perspectives on this world of the future. Ecological crises, invasive technologies, and terrorism are elements of the various stories that explore how, in a world gone so wrong, anyone can hope to survive. "Short" story is a relative term here as the stories are quite lengthy (five stories and almost 300 pages) in order to continue to build this brave new world with its infrastructures and inhabitants. There are meticulous details that provide insight into the corporate structures, or lack thereof in some communities, and the technologies that permit worlds to co-exist in parallel dimensions, or within the world of a game, or sometimes within a world only entered with assistance from beings not-quite human. This is not a collection for readers who do not know the genre. The real audience for this book is teens who are already fans are well-read in the adult section of science fiction as well as the YA offerings of the field. Reviewer: Teri S. Lesesne

Publishers Weekly

Editor Scalzi (Zoe's Tale) and four well-known writers thoughtfully postulate the evolution of cities, transcending postapocalyptic clichés to envision genuinely new communities and relationships. Self-sustaining walled cities struggle with their responsibilities to dying suburbs in Scalzi's "Utere Nihil Non Extra Quiritationem Suis"; goods are exchanged through multiple microtransactions in Tobias S. Buckell's "Stochasti-City" and a reputation economy in Elizabeth Bear's "The Red in the Sky Is Our Blood." A lone man attempts to overthrow an early enclave in Jay Lake's "In the Forests of the Night," while Karl Schroeder's "To Hie from Far Celenia" brilliantly combines steampunk, urban sociology and network theory as entire subcultures go "off the grid." Each story shines on its own; as a group they reinforce one another, building a multifaceted view of a realistic and hopeful urban future. (Aug.)