false 359376 2 <I>A Good Old-fashioned Future</i> is a paperback collection of seven short stories by former cyberpunk guru turned sociocultural prognosticator Bruce Sterling. Most of the works here come with impressive pedigrees, ranging from a Hugo Award for "Bicycle Repairman" to Hugo nominations for "Maneki Neko" and "Taklamakan." Another piece, "Big Jelly," was cowritten by Sterling's fellow cyberpunk alum, Rudy Rucker.<p> These stories have a lot in common. They all take place in the near future, and most are action-oriented, involving colorful characters such as secret agents, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, Mafioso's, and revolutionaries. But they are also personal tales that tend to focus on individuals rather than ideas, which makes them hit home more often than standard SF fare. The best of the bunch is probably "Taklamakan," a high-concept piece about two freelance spies sent to a central Asian desert called Taklamakan, where the Asian Sphere is doing some sort of secret research into space flight. "Bicycle Repairman" is set in the same world, but instead of in an Asian desert it takes place in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the spies in this story aren't the good guys. It's a less successful piece than "Taklamakan" but also a good read.<p> Not all of the stories in this collection have the edgy, this-is-what-tomorrow-will-be-like quality that typifies Sterling's best work. But even when Sterling isn't at his best he's entertaining, and <I>A Good Old-Fashioned Future</I> is certainly that. <I>--Craig E. Engler</I> 2647881 1999 A Good Old-Fashioned Future total:135|5:29|4:60|3:35|2:10|1:1| 135 511 196 6 5 0 false false Mon Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon May 19 18:17:35 -0700 2008 Mon Oct 20 16:00:56 -0700 2008 1 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Jan 05 13:40:07 -0800 2008 Sat Jan 05 13:40:07 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Fri Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2000 Wed Jan 16 22:57:19 -0800 2008 Wed Jan 16 22:58:22 -0800 2008 4 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Sat Jul 28 16:05:42 -0700 2007 Sat Jul 28 16:05:52 -0700 2007 5 0 false false Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999 Sat Mar 22 06:57:26 -0700 2008 Sat Mar 22 06:58:01 -0700 2008 4 0 false false Mon Jul 27 22:46:52 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 22:47:15 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Nov 08 15:53:42 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 08 15:53:42 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Nov 04 11:22:27 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 04 11:22:27 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 03 14:50:55 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 14:50:55 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Sun Nov 01 07:33:36 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 01 07:33:36 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Fri Oct 23 09:11:11 -0700 2009 Fri Oct 23 09:11:11 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Wed Oct 21 19:28:41 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 21 19:28:41 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Wed Oct 14 09:27:46 -0700 2009 Wed Oct 14 09:27:46 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Oct 11 20:05:01 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 11 20:05:01 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Sep 22 03:24:42 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 22 03:24:42 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Sep 19 22:28:37 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 19 22:28:39 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sun Sep 13 01:42:06 -0700 2009 Sun Sep 13 01:42:06 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Tue Sep 08 11:33:54 -0700 2009 Tue Sep 08 11:33:54 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Sat Sep 05 20:40:20 -0700 2009 Sat Sep 05 20:40:20 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Sep 03 23:35:19 -0700 2009 Thu Sep 03 23:35:19 -0700 2009