Synopsis:
A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting.
In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.
Review:
I listened to Digital Extremities on audiobook, and before I delve into the short stories themselves, I must commend the narrators Joe James and Aven Shore for bringing them alive.
This collection takes the typical cyberpunk world we all expect in our futures, from body modification to brain enhancement, and flips the paradigm of what we expect of such a world on its head. There are odd flashes of silky-smooth equipment and fast-paced action, delving into the murky world of the corporate, and the shine of the new. But Bassett wants to focus on the human amid the machine, the soul at the centre of the hybrid he envisages for us. And to that end, amid the cyberpunk aesthetic, we get stories that contain bitterness and joy, family and friendship, the hunt for the truth or the lost soul among the rise of technology.
That is not to say these tales are not gripping; they are. What can be more important than understanding our humanity as technology threatens to overwhelm us? But they are not filled with the cybernetic dazzle you might expect – and they are better for this. Bassett has the ability to make the mundane shine, and packs depth into his stories to make you think. One of my favourites is Brand New Eyes ‒ it just hits home. To say more would spoil the narrative ‒ a simple story for those of us with grown children.
If you’ve come for the flash cars and modded weaponry, you’ll be disappointed at first. But hang on in, and you’ll feel more human for it.
Leave a Reply