Nine short stories of horrifying science fiction, of a future that simply continues the problems of today with more advanced science. Each story provides a different look at this future society, and it isn't nice. It isn't a world in which I want to live, where your birth or lack of employment condemns you to a life of nothing. Where the system is sucking out man's ingenuity and spirit for the sake of production and profit.The stories tie loosely together with a few common characters that crop up here and there. There's Akwande and his idealism and Tristan the First, Dominar of the Blue Zone, and his shared lack of compassion or humanity with Kismet. Folio Johnson is a far-seeing man — no pun intended — who has a sense of justice. Fera Jones, Pell, and Professor Jones have their ups and downs. And D'or of the China Diner who is one of the last remnants of our past is a common thread.This ARC was sent to me by NetGalley and Open Road Media for an honest review.The Stories"Whispers in the Dark" will make you cry as Chilly Bent does his best to take care of his dying mother and brilliant young nephew. It's a future where the government takes your child if he or she tests smart. It's a future where interfering old biddies still think they know better than you. And it's an ending that makes me want to know more. Lots more."The Greatest" finds Fera Jones, a woman boxer, up against Jellyroll Gregory, and she's doing well. Beating men in KO fights. But she can't lose one lest her father lose access to the Pulse. It's a story of feminine rights, of standing up for yourself, of turning it around on the rich.The flip and uncaring "Doctor Kismet" has his own island kingdom, Home, and owns most of the world, both business-wise and in religion. A benevolent tyrant as long as he wins, it's a contest of good versus evil, of idealism versus reality with a reference to Popo from "Whispers in the Dark". It's a dream Akwande has of relieving death and suffering in Africa. One he struggles to achieve only to realize that truth, that reality."Angel's Island" is a futuristic prison that sounds like a nightmare. One that only gets worse. I gotta say that I'm in favor of capital punishment, but I am not in favor of lying. Nor am I in favor of what is done in this prison. The whys of it. It's just nasty. And I gotta wonder about the justice of such a system. Their ideas of poor behavior."The Electric Eye" is both terrifying and exciting. I love the idea of Folio Johnson's eye, although how he got it is not my idea of a good time. And that's not the terrifying part. That comes at the end when Folio learns the horrid truth behind those assassinations."Voices" finds us dipping back into Fera Jones' life, as we meet back up with her Pulse-addicted father, Professor Leon Jones, and the treatment he's undergoing to save his life."I think we're all the same color, just more of some colors and not so many of others."It's another terrifying story of future possibilities. One that entices you in, gives you hope that future medical care truly can save you. And then it makes you want to run in fear, hoping, hoping to be saved from something more invasive, more threatening. I couldn't actually tell what happened at the end, as Mosley leaves it rather vague."Little Brother" explores the future's judicial system, and it hasn't changed from being a system that caters to the rich. What has changed is its automatic "capability" and a deeper lesson in why allowing man to set up a judicial system is a bad idea. It's another ending in which Mosley leaves us wondering. "En Masse" is a nightmare 1984 as it looks at the mechanics and requirements of employment in the future. Anything can be an infraction and anything can get you fired. Being fired sends you down to Common Ground and the horrifying possibility of never working again.Oh, lol, "En Masse" takes "in the cloud" to a whole new meaning. A system that wants to return man to being an innovative, thinking person with spirit. It's another depressing ending as we don't know the results of one half of the mission, and Neil…well, Neil isn't in much shape for anything."The Nig in Me" is all that's keeping Harold alive. It is gawd-awful depressing, but made me laugh about those "Caucasians" who discovered something about their genetic heritage. Yep, it's a brave new world after the virus from "En Masse" got changed around. Only, it's not brave or new. It's the same ol', same ol'.The Cover and TitleA slim band of red frames in the cover at top and bottom in the yellow-green lights of the towering highrises against a misty gray night. The author's name and the title are in white using a digital font, a reflection of this Futureland of fear.
I usually shy away from collections of short stories but Futureland may force me to reevaluate my stance. One of the things I liked most about this novel is the way Mosley weaved the different stories together, often with varying central themes, through the use of recurring characters and ideas. The world he paints can be seen as an extension of our present situation if our most pressing issues are left to fester and boil. Mosley wraps race, class, gender, ethics, science, and technology into some of the most gripping sci-fi stories I've read. The constructs of Common Ground, where the prods (working class) go on unemployment cycles - essentially a global ghetto for the world's poorest, the different issue-based political parties/alliances (word to the Radical Congress and the FemLeague), corporate states, and struggles around access to life-changing technology for all really resonated with me as I could see how our world may end up running parallel to what Mosley creates. He deftly balances the cynical elements of Futureland with ones that are both redemptive and optimistic. I also can't forget about the characters, who are extremely relatable and memorable - from the genius prodigy communicating with "God" to the villainous mad scientist bent on global domination to the gender-norm breaking boxer and the (several) worker revolutionaries. All in all, Futureland is pure win and Mosley needs to bless us with more amazing sci-fi stylings.The only shortcoming may be that in our "post-racial" society some folks may not appreciate Mosley's intricate mix of social critique within the realm of futuristic sci-fi, but for me it works beautifully. To be honest, I enjoy when writers do more than gush about shiny robots or ramble on about cyber warfare devoid of any social implications - they've got to tether their stories to something within our current reality that can be deconstructed and analyzed. In other words, the more philosophical they get on the human condition the better, regardless of floating pc screens, hyperdrive spaceships, and multi-eyed extraterrestrials.
What do You think about Futureland (2002)?
I've read a lot of science fiction, much of it possibly by black writers. I don't know; I don't usually pay attention to the skin color of the author. Anyway, this is really the first concentrated dose of Black Science Fiction I've ever read. I feel as though I'm missing a significant part of the reading experience by being white, which is the main reason I didn't give this five stars. This is neither my fault nor Mosley's. No matter how much I empathize with a minority (in America) race, I cannot magically have grown up with the experiences of anyone belonging to one of those races. I cannot understand truly; I cannot feel it in my bones. Thus, I think four stars, for me, is my maximum level of enjoyment--again, nobody's fault.The stories are immensely enjoyable and very well written. I was especially and increasingly pleased at how the book starts as a series of unrelated characters and storylines, but then things start connecting in later stories. Mosley successfully weaves a beautiful tapestry this way--a dark, disturbing tapestry much of the time, but beautiful in its fullness and complexity.As I said, the biggest reason for the missing star is my non-blackness. The other contributing factor is my philosophical disagreement with what appears to an underlying pessimism in Mosley's view on race issues. Throughout the book, a current of despair flows unceasingly, sometimes a trickle, sometimes a raging torrent. Some stories do present and discuss very real possibilities for lasting change and reconciliation, but in the end the reader is left with a sense of hopelessness: lighter people and darker people will never get along and will always tend to separate themselves into opposing factions based upon appearances. I disagree with this, and that takes up the rest of the fifth star.Nonetheless, this is an excellent read for all fans of speculative fiction, no matter your race or color. It certainly does make one think, and isn't that the point?
—Kelly
1 • Whispers in the Dark • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 27 • The Greatest • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 60 • Doctor Kismet • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 88 • Angel's Island • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 134 • The Electric Eye • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 179 • Voices • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley 218 • Little Brother • (2001) • shortstory by Walter Mosley 244 • En Masse • (2001) • novella by Walter Mosley 344 • The Nig in Me • (2001) • novelette by Walter Mosley
—Otis Campbell
This is a collection of stories that take place in the same dystopic universe. In this world, massive corporations control most aspects of society, elites live literally above everyone else, and the underclass lives literally underground, with little or no opportunity to even see the sky and stars. Some of the stories feel less independent than others; they introduce compelling characters, but end without much resonance--they feel like they might be fragments of a novel. However, when read in sequence, the stories build upon each other. Some characters recur and you start to get intimations of a book-long plot. While the final story is quite climactic, and unites many of the book's characters, Futureland still doesn't feel like a novel, but perhaps pieces of one.Walter Mosley's writing, as always, pulls you along and you really couldn't ask for a better guide to dystopia.
—Deb Oestreicher
