Liberace
revived, a neural net guillotine, robot brain builders, designer illnesses
(like perfume!), endorphin drought, lunar Kafka—Adam Roberts is one of the most
dynamic figures in science fiction at the moment, and his 2015 collection Saint Rebor (NewCon Press), which this list of ideas is
a partial representation of, proves precisely why.
Containing
eleven stories (and one poem), three of which have never before been published,
Saint Rebor is a brisk, vibrant
collection that highlights the elasticity of Roberts’ imagination. “Gerusalemme
Liberace” is the story of that flamboyant pianist, brought back to life and parading the streets of the
ancient city. Preaching universal love
in an awkward manner, Islamic and American governments join forces to put an
end to the ‘threat’ in witty, relevant fashion.
Wikipedia defines ‘anhedonia’ as “the
inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable”. After aliens arrive in the solar system,
humanity experience the phenomenon in the story of the same name. Begging aliens for the secret to interstellar
travel, what are they willing to pay?
