Authored by: Bruce Sterling? First Published: 1985

Brief Overview

Abelard Lindsay starts life as a young Shaper revolutionary out to make a bold statement and willing to die for his cause. His plans however go awry, and he is exiled on another colony where he befriends an old and decaying cybernetic Mechanist and so begins the tale of his life climbing from sun-dog to socialite spanning a backdrop of varied colonies, social settings, political schemes and complete upheaval...

Brief Review

A very interesting read, pitting the youthful and genetically modified Shapers, designed and trained to control all their human responses to make them expert diplomats, and the old cybernetic Mechanists trying to hold the power they once new in their republic. It elegantly induces the reader to keep reading simply to learn more of the universe and the complex rules laid down by each society as the protagonist visits them, show casing the ideas of social interaction, politics, motives and what cause these to change and develop, whilst still maintaining a personal link as the protagonist navigates between the various areas. A varied pace according to the locations and the times spanned, but no areas that seem overly slow or too fast, and none that feel as though they should be removed.

Related Works

There are several short stories written within this universe. Included at the end of the Schismatrix Plus anthology, are the stories Swarm?, Spider Rose?, Cicada Queen?, Sunken Gardens? and Twenty Evocations?.

Trivia

External Links