Stephen Oram

"Vital Signals: Virtual Futures Near-Future Fictions" stands as a captivating anthology, offering readers a kaleidoscopic journey through speculative narratives that explore Virtual Persons, Post-Brain, Disease, and Conflict. With 31 short stories curated under these thematic sections, the anthology provides a diverse and thought-provoking exploration of near-future scenarios.
In the Virtual Persons section, "Memory, Inc." and "The Smile" emerge as captivating tales that showcase imaginative storytelling. These stories not only entertain but also provoke contemplation on the potential evolution of virtual entities. The Conflict section continues the anthology's strong momentum, featuring narratives such as "Trial by Combat," which offers a refreshing take on Augmented Reality, and "The End of War," skillfully navigating the dynamics of interactions with Artificial Intelligence. "The Changing Man" adds a poignant layer by addressing gender fluidity within the context of societal shifts.
Transitioning to the Post-Brain section, "Secrets of the Sea" by Jennifer Marie Brissett stands out as a touching story that artfully weaves supernatural recollections with an emotional father-son narrative amidst ecological collapse. Brissett's storytelling prowess shines through, creating a memorable reading experience. In the Disease section, "The Needs of the Few" by Jennifer Rohn tackles the consequences of antibiotic overuse, providing a thought-provoking exploration of a critical real-world issue.
The diversity of voices in the anthology, encompassing scientists, tech enthusiasts, and writers, adds depth to the speculative narratives. The collaborative effort allows readers to engage with a variety of perspectives on emerging technologies, societal shifts, and the potential consequences of our present actions. The thematic structure facilitates a seamless transition between different facets of speculative fiction, providing a cohesive yet varied reading experience.

"Vital Signals: Virtual Futures Near-Future Fictions" navigates through thought-provoking speculative futures with finesse. The anthology successfully balances imaginative storytelling with moments of profound reflection. While individual stories may not resonate universally with all readers, the collection effectively fulfills its purpose by providing a mix of decent narratives with standout moments. For those intrigued by the possibilities that lie ahead, this anthology proves to be a worthwhile and engaging exploration, offering a glimpse into the myriad facets of the near-future.… (mais)

This is a collection of short SF stories by a number of writers, with the stories grouped by themes. I disliked most of the stories in the Virtual Persons theme and found them very similar to each other. In the Post-Brain section "Anomaly in the Rythm" by Viraj Joshi was entertaining with an interesting twist. Under the theme of Disease, "The Needs of the Few" by Jennifer Rohn was my favorite. In the Conflict section, "Safe From Harm" by Tim Maughan was the best in the section and the book as a whole.… (mais)

Vital Signals: Virtual Futures Near-Future Fictions is the latest volume of stories organized by Virtual Futures, a conference/salon/”group of renegade philosophers (per their website) that has been working out of the University of Warwick since 1994. Their goal is to use science fiction “as a tool for criticizing, interrogating, and navigating possible tomorrows.” This particular collection of stories features pieces that range from slight vignettes to in-depth new worlds written by established sci-fi writers, science journalists, scientists, civil servants, and more. These diverse thinkers were selected to, “provide tentative situations that may be manufactured by the activities of the present…” and “to quantify an ambiguous reality so that we stand a chance of shaping an uncertain future.” (from Ward, O’Hara, and Oram’s introduction).



Things do not look great – most of these writers are projecting some very negative consequences in the very near future aided on by income inequality, social media’s domination of information, and a damaged ecosystem. Divided into four sections, Virtual Persons, Post-Brain, Disease, and Conflict, they cover a lot of ground. It’s not hard to tell which stories were written by professional writers, but even the roughest prose is both brief and brings forward interesting points. I flagged a little in the middle, but was buoyed by both the occasional very clever idea, and the handful of truly strange and gonzo takes (I’m looking at you, Antoine Saint-Honore with your ‘CHOLESTOROL5.9 BigFLY’). I also hope that Brendan C. Byrne wrote more in the very possible but very disorienting world of ‘An Excerpt from the Post-Truth and Irreconcilable Differences Commission’, because it gave me great hope and great pause.



I feel like this book would go best with a discussion group or conference – looking at each story and tracking how our technology is getting us there, and how can we incentivize change to avoid it. As a collection of stories, it falls a little short, but as a series of thought experiments, it is engrossing. I am inspired to go back to the previous volume and find some more.… (mais)