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Communications Breakdown

SF Stories about the Future of Connection

Part of Twelve Tomorrows

Edited by Jonathan Strahan

Paperback

$22.95 US

The MIT Press

6.06"W x 9"H x 0.6"D | 10 oz | 26 per carton

On sale Oct 31, 2023 | 224 Pages | 9780262546461

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Fantasy & Sci-Fi Prose > Sci-Fi > More Sci-Fi...

An exciting science fiction collection that looks at what future communication might look like and how our shifting relationships with technology could change this most human of capabilities.

In Communications Breakdown, award-winning editor Jonathan Strahan asks some of the world’s best science fiction writers to consider how the very idea of communication might change in the future. Rich terrain for speculation, this anthology brims with human stories about the future face of our age-old need to connect. As cyberpunk pioneer William Gibson said, “The future is already here—it’s just not evenly distributed.” So what happens when inequalities keep the future from everyone’s front door? Who is in control? These stories show humanity’s ability to construct the best possible worlds while also battling our potential to inflict unlimited harm.

Communications Breakdown features contributions from Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Famer Cory Doctorow, the winner of the Times of India AutHer Award Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Hugo Award winner Ian McDonald, as well as an interview with digital privacy activist Chris Gilliard by author and journalist Tim Maughan. Breaking down how we think about communication, Communications Breakdown calls readers to look at how vulnerable our modes of communication—and indeed, we ourselves—are.

Contributors
Elizabeth Bear, S.B. Divya, Cory Doctorow, Chris Gilliard, Lavanya Lakshminarayan, Ken Macleod, Tim Maughan, Ian McDonald, Anil Menon, Premee Mohamed, and Shiv Ramdas. Artwork by Ashley Mackenzie

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INTRODUCTION vii
Jonathan Strahan
1 HERE INSTEAD OF THERE 1
Elizabeth Bear
2 MORAL HAZARD 23
Cory Doctorow
3 SIGH NO MORE 41
Ian McDonald
4 LESS THAN 61
Lavanya Lakshminarayan
5 WHAT ABOUT PRIVACY? 81
Chris Gilliard interviewed by Tim Maughan
6 THE EXCOMMUNICATES 91
Ken MacLeod
7 NOISE CANCELLATION 105
S.B. Divya
8 MY CITY IS NOT A PROBLEM 123
Tim Maughan
9 CUTTLEFISH 133
Anil Menon
10 COMPANY MAN 155
Shiv Ramdas
11 AT EVERY DOOR A GHOST 181
Premee Mohamed
ARTWORK: ASHLEY MACKENZIE 201
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 203
CONTRIBUTORS 205

Included in Publishers Weekly's Fall 2023 Adult Announcements: SF, Fantasy & Horror list

"With stories ranging from zany and intense. . . . there’s plenty to chew on here."
—Publishers Weekly

"Stellar stuff."
—Irish Times

“Engrossing tales.”
—Physics World

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