Having thoroughly enjoyed Lavanya Lakshminarayan’s
Analog/Virtual: And Other Simulations of Your Future, I’ve decided that all far-future dystopias should be structured as a series of linked short stories. That’s not to say George Orwell missed a trick by neglecting the perspectives of Julia, Mr. Charrington, or O’Brien;
1984 famously generates its power from how little Winston knows about his world. For those of us who want to understand the mechanics of a society, though, especially one that actively persecutes a good chunk of its citizens, there’s something to broadening the scope, including the voices of the oppressed, the privileged, and those who slot somewhere in between. That’s precisely what Lakshminarayan does with her debut collection, presenting 20 stories told from the viewpoint of the residents of Apex City, where access to technology divides the haves (“Virtuals”) and the have-nots (“Analogs”).
(Simon & Schuster/Saga 978-1-9821-4806-5, $27.00, 416pp, formats: hardcover, ebook, March 2, 2021)
Science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy.
There’s a great deal going on in
Machinehood, from Divya’s sophisticated critique of a post-privacy gig economy to her evident expertise in AI systems, ‘‘weak AI’’ digital assistants, nanotech, and prosthetic body modifications. Individually, none of the tech extrapolations are particularly new, and Divya on occasion lapses into clichéd dialogue (‘‘this is so much bigger than us’’), but the economy she describes is sharply imagined and convincingly detailed, and she artfully balances the cybertech thriller chapters involving Welga and the more character-oriented narrative of Nithya and her family, eventually weaving them together in a conclusion both suspenseful and ingenious, if a bit idealistic given the problems and complexities s
Retirement can become rather dull for many senior citizens: there s not a lot to do, and it tends to become repetitive and boring. But not to Marina Badianova, a 58-year-old from St. Petersburg, who s very active in creating her own cosplays with the help of a few talented photographers. By now, she has done dozens of cosplays in the themes of steampunk, history, folklore, and fairy tales, and she even revealed that some of her outfits haven t even been tested yet!
It all started when she had to pick out clothes for her daughter’s photo session. She really enjoyed the process, and she began to dress up for such occasions. The stylish lady once went home in her boho-style clothes, and a young photographer came up to her to ask for a photo of her. She was excited and also terrified, as she didn t know what she was doing. So she decided to get some experience. She went to one of the photo sessions, and enjoyed success. From that point onwards, she dove deep into the hobby.
About a year ago I started imagining ways to showcase this little town that I love and its residents. With so much gloom and doom in the world, I wanted