Futureland: Nine Stories of an Imminent World

Rating:
Summary: Horrible writer, not bad story
Review: The story would be alot better if this guy new how to describe ANYTHING. Short exerpts from his description of a character, "tall black man," another exerpt, "white man," and another, "naked blond woman." (...), I would've been happy to read the phrase nubian goddess as a description, but nope, couldn't even get that descript.

I may not be rascist, but I think the writer probably is. I'm still slowly drudging through this book because I'm having trouble getting past the horrible writing.

I'm also upset because the binding in my book fell apart.

Rating:
Summary: Near Great Science Fiction
Review: This is an engrossing, compelling book, full of great inssights, and painted against a credible, dark, and wonderfully ominous future landscape. In reading other reviews, I am surprised by the level of criticism, even though much of it is on point. Yes, the race element is at times a little heavy handed, in the last story in especially. Yes, there are places where the story line could be tightened, or is a little predictable--but not often, and not much. But these problems are minor compared to the thrill of exploring a fascinating future world, populated by fresh, fascinating, characters. This is WOW science fiction, like we rarely get. Perhaps the criticisms are a functin of how much Mosley achieved. He's a stone's throw from having created a truely GREAT Science Fiction book, in the Asimov, Heinlien, Clark pantheon. And ok, it is NOT at that level. But at times it comes really close. If you like SciFi, read it. You'll be glad you did.

Rating:
Summary: Oh how dark the future
Review: Walter Mosley has turned his incredible talents to the writing of science fiction and has done a very good job. This is a book of nine shortstories that are linked to a future society as a common thread. Some of the various characters show up in more than one story, but not as the main character in more than one. Mosley paints a bleak picture of the future as a revolving cycle of employment/ unemployment. Nobody ownes anything anymore, it is all leased from a corporation. Shirking your work is now a punishable crime and the constitution no longer applies to individuals.

Futureland can be classified in two ways, 1: it reminds the reader of cyberpunk novels, but without all of the cool gadgets and anti heros beating the system. 2: it is written in the same vein that "Brave New World" explores. Mosley focuses in one the lives of various people in the short story and explains the world through their eyes. It is not very pretty and the book does not end in a pretty way. This is very well written and is enjoyable. Recommended.