(Drivebycuriosity) - Being a connoisseur of science fiction I am always on the quest for new voices, those who turn science into entertaining tales, the heirs of Arthur C. Clarke & Isaac Asimov. A while ago I discovered a writer with the pseudonym qntm, who´s very weird novella "There is no Antimemetics Division" fascinated me, even though I did not fully understand it (my review ). The author can write, owns plenty of imagination and seems to be well educated in mathematics, information theory, astrophysics and the like.
I just finished the collection "Valuable Humans in Transit and other Stories" (amazon ). The crisp 9 shorts and essays did not disappoint.
I have 3 favorites:
"Gorge", a slick space opera. The staff of a space ship discovers a sphere drifting in space that has very strange properties. They begin to explore it, with disconcerting results (this is a spoiler free block). The tale reminds of the best stories of Asimove & Clarke
"A Powerful Culture" belongs to the best alternate worlds & parallel universes stories I read - and I had read a lot
"The Frame-by-Frame" is a funny tale where the diverse software threads of a self-driving car are discussing with each other about a suddenly approaching challenging traffic situation, using all available information
The rest includes musings about cutting edge physicists and those who support them, digital brain enhancement, a hostage situation, a meteor disaster and more.
I indulged into qntm´s dry style. Here a taster: "The town is like fog; so spaced out that you barely notify you`ve entered it. I failed to find anything resemble a center. I couldn´t help but think it must be made entirely of suburbs".
Highly recommended for readers who are interested into cutting edge science fiction.
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