Will
Will Kaufman's writing has appeared most recently in A Book of Uncommon Prayer. His web site is kaufmanwrites.com.
What does it mean to be connected all the time? What are the risks? What are we giving up? Feed takes place in a future where everyone is constantly connected, and does more to challenge and question contemporary culture than the entire current crop of dystopian series rolled into one. This book understands social media and internet privacy issues better than anything this side of Cory Doctorow. More than that, it understands teenagers and their emotional lives, and provides a deeply moving story. I'd recommend this book for science fiction fans both teen and adult, and for anyone who wonders about the ramifications of always-on social media
With the release of the third of Rajaniemi's Jean Le Flambeur novels coming up in July, now is the time to catch up with one of the most interesting and exciting contemporary science fiction series. The Quantum Thief introduces readers to Le Flambeur, a thief in a post-human, post-singularity, post-quantum computing universe, who has been broken out of prison–a prison made of an infinitely recurring prisoner's dilemma–for one more impossible job. I love this series for its complexity, and for how rewarding Rajaniemi makes the experience of discovering and coming to understand the story, the characters, and the world. This is Science Fiction of the highest order, reminiscent of Gene Wolfe. Additionally, the way the world expands in The Fractal Prince, the second book in the series, is pretty astounding, and it left me very excited for the upcoming The Causal Angel.
A decade ago this collection of stories was in the vanguard of a new wave of highly literary science fiction. If you have ever heard any ill-informed bore claim, "Science fiction always has such bad writing," or, "Literature is always so boring and unoriginal," you should drive said person to a bookstore and make them drink from Derby's well. Do it, or I'll torture another metaphor.
This is not actually a book about whales or a story of revenge, it is a book about books and a story about stories. It is also one of the most beautifully written English-language books...EVER. Just make sure you've read a complete edition, one that includes the chapter "The Sermon."
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A brief, strange, funny, tragic history of Europe in the twentieth century, organized by association and inference rather than subject or chronology. A unique history, written with a poet's sensibility.
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My favorite single-author collection of poetry, and one I re-read frequently. Wright explores daily life, world politics, and American culture with truly virtuosic verse. His alliteration is certainly more nuanced than mine.
This book re-booted science fiction in the eighties, introducing new themes and technologies to readers, and creating stylistic conventions that still influence the genre. Also, it's totally rad.
Four hundred years later, we're still reading and writing in the shadow of Cervantes' masterpiece. Immensely funny, and endlessly insightful about how we create and experience stories.
A wild maze of a book that embodies its subject. An object that could never be translated into e-book format. This story within a story withing a story is a must-read for anyone who loves the book as an object, and wants to experience how its physicality can be used to deepen the impact of a story.
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"The medium is the message." A piercing analysis of how media works. You'll never see a movie the same way after reading this book.
Make no mistake; you, too, are a posthuman. Hayles does a wonderful job laying out how technology is changing us as humans.This book is as much about philosophy, sociology, and psychology as it is technology.