Traces

Stories set in a variety of futures from the award-winning heir of Arthur C. Clarke: Traces gives a kaleidoscopic vision of the possibilities for humankind. There are visions of histories which differ from our own, either through small changes â€" what if Germany had won WWI (â€?Mittelweltâ€) â€" or through a fundamental difference in physical laws â€" what if Archimedes had been right in his clockwork-like cosmological vision (â€?No Longer Touch the Earthâ€). There are visions of futures in which people struggle to survive in a variety of bizarre environments (â€?Downstreamâ€, â€?The Blood of Angelsâ€), or, weakened and powerless, inhabit the end of worlds (â€?Inherit the Earthâ€, â€?George and the Cometâ€). There are explorations of astonishing events of our own lifetimes, in particular the grand expansion into space (â€?Zemlyaâ€, â€?Moon Sixâ€, â€?Pilgrim 7â€). These visions give an impression of the contingency of our everyday here-and-now, surrounded as it is by an infinite array of possible pasts, presents, and futures.