Future Tense Fiction

Science fiction always looks toward the future, but it’s often a far-flung future that feels less like home and more like fantasy. In Future Tense Fiction, every world feels so close to reality — even the fantastic ones — that they’re utterly believable and immersive in an instant.

Now, I read dozens of sci-fi short story collections a year. Some are great, some are inconsistent. But, for the most part, they tend to feel the same. Future Tense Fiction feels different. Whereas a lot of short story collections are insightful or eclectic, intriguing or exciting, this one is straight-up cool. These are cool ideas told in smart, unexpected ways and loaded with characters who want to do good things. Even when the chips are down — and there are some genuinely sinister stories here — this collection still feels like it gazes forward with hope, which is a marvelous, rare thing these days.

Sparked by some of the sharpest names in modern sci-fi, there are some true gems here. “When Robot and Crow Saved East St. Louis,” for instance, is an absolute standout, a dystopian fairy tale that inspires wonder, humor, and optimism.

Pushing boundaries while pushing against the growing tide of doom and gloom storytelling in modern speculative fiction, Future Tense Fiction is a sterling example of where sci-fi is headed. I hope.