"I wanted to see a waterfall firsthand, not online"
So, provinces in Chinada are now banning hiking, with one daring man already fined $28,872 (HST included). This, sadly, was exactly what I depicted in my near-future sci-fi novel, All the Humans are Sleeping.
Here's an excerpt from Chapter 3.05:
“You don’t like living in the city, do you, sir?”
Brent shrugged. “It’s a little too cramped and sterile.”
The purple robot nodded as if it understood.
“I just wanted to…” continued Brent, turning back to face the windshield, watching automated farms pass by. “I needed to get out of the city. That’s why I took this job. I wanted to see a waterfall firsthand, not online.” Just as his father had done — back before camping was made illegal.
Ironically, now, the only way to get a permit for such an excursion was to be certified in AI construction deployment. Brent looked past Domestico at the two bunk beds stacked against the rear of the motorhome. He’d never used them. Instead, they served as storage shelves for all his gear. Amazon had long ago stopped selling tents, but he’d inherited his father’s thirty-year-old Coleman. When Dad died, Brent had found a closet full of camping supplies in his condominium. Considering how small his dad’s place was, sacrificing any space for sleeping bags and tackle boxes — which he was forbidden to use — made no sense. Brent wished Dad was still alive, so he could ask him why he’d held onto his 2025 Gerber Bear Grylls Compact Compass and a Swiss Army knife from 1992. But he was sure glad his father had — it was costly enough to obtain a dozen matchbooks on the black market.
Honestly, I wrote All the Humans are Sleeping to prevent the future, not predict it.
As Ken McCarthy (founder of Brasscheck TV) said about my novel: "A remarkable book... the dystopian world he's summoned up is chillingly plausible. Forewarned is forearmed.”
You can read more testimonials, get a free sample of the first 24 chapters (or 2.75 hours in audiobook format) at: AllTheHumansAreSleeping.com
John C.A. Manley
