“If cultural imperialism is what it takes to make the world a better place, then we’ll happily arrange the world’s information to ennoble the human race.”
In “The Perfect Match” author Ken Liu serves up a story of paranoia and control, crafting a tale that takes the age-old idea of our creations rising up and ruling us and making it more plausible by predicting a not too distant future when social media and online information consumption can be used not only to track our tastes and make recommendations but also to suggest beforehand what we might like and think we need.
Liu’s is a slightly different take on “Big Brother” stories and if you enjoy the thrill of people fighting back against control as happens in films like Gattaca, Minority Report, Equilibrium and a whole host of other books and films then I have no doubt you’ll enjoy this story.
“The Perfect Match” is featured in the December 2012 issue of Lightspeed. Click on the link above and give it a quick read and then come back for a spoiler-filled discussion.
The first 5K of my 2013 running season came with the snow-delayed Mrs. Robinson’s Romp, a Trail Nerds event referencing both a series of cougar sightings in Kansas and of course that Mrs. Robinson.
After a rough start in last month’s muddy, hilly Psycho WyCo Run Toto Run 10 mile event I was dearly looking forward to a good run to boost my bruised ego and kick start my bruised body.
A really nice cover by artist Matt Tkocz is the highlight of a disappointing issue from Lightspeed, which I review for Short Fiction Friday over at SF Signal.
This is the first issue of the magazine that I’ve struggled with since I began reading it late last year. There were a couple of stories that I rated highly because they are structurally sound and well-told, but the subject matter was not something I connected with. However the majority of the stories, particularly the science fiction offerings, were either disappointing in their execution or were painful to drag myself through.
If you are interested in my struggles to be objective in the midst of my own personal pain, please join me for this week’s Short Fiction Friday review.
Last night my friend Dominique and I had the pleasure of joining with a small but enthusiastic group of fans in an intimate setting for a discussion with the self-publishing phenomenon that is Hugh Howey. You may recall that Hugh Howey’s book Wool was my favorite read of 2012 and it is a book that has a firm hold on a top spot on my favorite reads of all time list. I can hear you saying, “Yes, that’s nice. You got to meet an author. But why should I keep reading this post? What’s in it for me?”
I am so glad that you asked.
Well, in addition to my scintillating conversation, you have the chance to win your own autographed copy of the newly released trade paperback of Wool.
But wait, there’s more.
I suspect many readers are like me and have some interest in the future of the industry that supplies us our drug of choice: books. Hugh Howey has set some interesting precedents that we may be looking back on as game-changers for authors and publishers in the not too distant future. Most importantly, Hugh Howey is one helluva nice guy and it would be my pleasure to share my experience in meeting him with you.
Episode nine of The Human Division returns readers to the crew of the Clarke, in particular everyone’s favorite lieutenant, Harry Wilson, and the chief diplomat Ambassador Ode Abumwe. Only four more episodes remain and it is beginning to feel like there is a lot of story left to be told, leaving me curious as to how John Scalzi will use these remaining episodes to tie previous events together while bringing us the climactic reveal.
For the second time the crew of the Clarke is treated to visitors from Earth, this time to allow Earth’s representatives to witness a negotiation between the Colonial Union and the alien race known as the Burfinor. The purpose of the observation is to demonstrate transparency in the dealings between the CU and Earth.
Nothing ever comes simple for the crew of the Clarke and once again Harry Wilson will be called upon to perform duties outside of his purview in order to keep everything from coming apart…if he can.
