Hegemorony, and other stories

COMMODIFIED FUTURES.

DIGITAL GODS.

MURDEROUS REAL ESTATE.

​

In this thought-provoking second volume of science fiction tales:

​

• Life imitates art. Dan Solberg is on a routine haul to Mars.  The last thing he needs is for his ship’s Artificial Intelligence to become obsessed with the movie: 2001: A Space Odyssey.

• The cost of certainty. In a world where corporations sell favorable futures to the highest bidder, Agent Makhno investigates an impossible assassination.  He soon discovers that the only thing more dangerous than buying the future is trying to fathom the past.

• A place to die for. The housing shortage has reached a breaking point.  When the only way to get on the property ladder is to kick everyone else off it, the competition turns cutthroat.  Literally.

• The Ultimate Filter. To hide the ruin of a post-apocalyptic world, a dictator replaces his citizens' senses with a digital lie.  It offers a perfect paradise free from suffering—but can life be sustained when the world you perceive is no longer the world you live in?

• Guilty of battery. Louise Kressner is in trouble with the law.  Her crime?  Abusing her smart home’s sentient AI.  In a future where appliances have rights, a bad temper can cost you your freedom.

​

From the terrifying logic of machine-gods to the absurdity of drug-fuelled salesmen, these eleven stories explore the wisdom and folly of human behaviour. If you enjoy the cerebral twists of Black Mirror, the dystopian satire of Philip K. Dick, or high-concept sci-fi with a dark edge, this collection is for you.