text: Cyber World: Tales of Humanity's Tomorrow by Paolo Bacigalupi | NOOK Book (eBook) | Barnes & Noble® B&N Top 100 NY Times Bestsellers
  by Paolo Bacigalupi, Jason Heller, Joshua ViolaPaolo Bacigalupi
  9780996403924
  FOREWORD Richard Kadrey INTRODUCTION Joshua Viola SERENADE Isabel Yap THE MIGHTY PHIN Nisi Shawl REACTIONS Mario Acevedo THE BEES OF KIRIBATI Warren Hammond THE REST BETWEEN TWO NOTES Cat Rambo THE SINGULARITY IS IN YOUR HAIR Matthew Kressel PANIC CITY Madeline Ashby THE FAITHFUL SOLDIER, PROMPTED Saladin Ahmed YOUR BONES WILL NOT BE UNKNOWN Alyssa Wong STAUNCH Paul Graham Raven OTHER PEOPLE'S THOUGHTS Chinelo Onwualu WYSIOMG Alvaro Zinos-Amaro WE WILL TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN Angie Hodapp A SONG TRANSMUTED Sarah Pinsker IT'S ONLY WORDS Keith Ferrell SMALL OFFERINGS Paolo Bacigalupi DARKOUT E. Lily Yu VISIBLE DAMAGE Stephen Graham Jones THE IBEX ON THE DAY OF EXTINCTION Minister Faust HOW NOTHING HAPPENS Darin Bradley AFTERWORD Jason Heller
  Cyber World: Tales of Humanity's Tomorrow 3 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 1 reviews.
  [I received an e-copy of this book through NetGalley.] A collection of short stories with virtual reality, AI and technology themes in general. Despite the 'cyberpunk' flair, I agree with the curators: it's not so much cyberpunk in its original meaning, as dealing with various ideas that fit our current societies more than the 'old cyberpunk' feeling. * "Serenade:" 3/5 A hacker decrypting data on an old USB sticks realises that said data is not about future useful information, but memories. * "The Mighty Phin:" 3/5 In a prison ship controlled by an AI, not everything is as it looks, and truth may be more difficult to stomach than the characters think at first. Bit of an abrupt ending, though, when I think about how it could've been more developed. * "Reactions:" 3/5 What a drone pilot pumped up on battle drugs goes through when the operation he's on is suddenly cancelled… but not what's still lingering in his organism. I found it interesting, although, like the story before it, I'd have liked some more development (especially regarding the soldier's decision to break his family). * "The Bees of Kiribati:" 5/5 Chilling because even though this doesn't exist (yet), the principles behind the murders in this story could very well be applied in other ways. It also raises the old but still accurate ethical question: would you kill a few people, even babies, if it meant being able to save many more? * "The Rest Between Two Notes:" 2/3 Promising theme (a teenager killing her mother repeatedly in virtual reality), but I found the plot too muddled in places. The resolution brought at the end wasn't too clear–I wouldn't mind in a novel, but in short stories it's another matter. * "The Singularity is In Your Hair:" 5/5 Touching and horrible. A girl suffering from a degenerative disease, who can only experience living through virtual reality, performs jobs and meets people thanks to an AI who may or may not be so benevolent. The promise of one day being fully uploaded to virtual space, and leaving the meat behind instead of facing the prospect of her impending death, keep her going. And she desperately hopes this will come true sooner than later. * "Panic City:" 5/5 In an underground city that is both a refuge and a prison, people have been living for generations following models and using technology that are gradually failing. When something threatens to break an opening into this 'homeostatic' environment, the AI controlling the city has to make a decision: is their original programming really ideal in this case? * "The Faithful Soldier, Prompted:" 4/5 A veteran from corporate wars receives prompts on his augmented reality system, even though the war is over. While such defective prompts are known to be useless, and should be discarded, these seem different… and so he follows them, desperate in his hopes that the rewards will save the woman he loves. I liked the writing here–even the prompts sounded poetic. * "Your Bones Will Not Be Unknown:" 4/5 An assassin is sent to kill a rival boss, knowing full well there are little chances of success here. But what the boss has in mind for them is not necessarily death, and could even actually be a gift. (Read full review here: http://ylogs.com/archives/review-cyber-worlds ]
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