Communications Breakdown

My new favourite SFF anthology. There is not a single story in here that I didn't love, and the author line-up was superb. I also feel like this is THE story collection of our time. It deals with tough subjects like inequality, AI, surveillance and tech run amok, but in ways that are often fun, cheeky or surrounded by interesting characters. And what I love about Strahan's collections is that he gets these stories from top-quality writers. I would say some of the most underappreciated writers working today have stories in here. Writers like Premee Mohamed, Ian McDonald, and Ken MacLeod are just beautiful and powerful with their prose. If they didn't write SF, NYTimes would be gushing over them. And the ideas they come up with... Cory Doctorow's story about incorporating homelessness needs to happen now! And after Lavanya Lakshminarayan's story, I just can't look at Netflix in the same way.

I don't know that I can pick a favourite, but the first story - about what happens when the National Weather Service gets taken over by private interests - comes to the front of my mind with every new natural disaster. As I write this, there are fires in LA and misinformation and delayed notifications are causing chaos among residents, and Elizabeth Bear - for better or for worse - totally anticipated this problem, as well as what's to come. It also had great characters and pacing, so I might give her the top spot.

Company Man by Shiv Ramdas made me laugh out loud, and made me think of a certain Luigi who's not a plumber. The Excommunicates by Tim MacLeod wins for vibes (runner up, McDonald's Sigh No More). But honestly, there's value in every single story... And the interview in the middle. Chris Gilliard's take on surveillance was very eye-opening.

It's a shame so few people seem to know about this book. If you know me, feel free to borrow it from me!