Welcome to Dystopia

sub-heading:
45 Visions of What Lies Ahead

"A thought-locust plague of what-if scenarios [...] released from the tortured imaginations of Lefty sci-fi writers."

- CounterPunch

"People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it."

- Ray Bradbury

"This is a worthy anthology. In fact, there wasn’t a duff story in the bunch."

- SF Crowsnest

"The combination of immediacy and plausibility in this story collection definitely made for some gut-punching reading."

- Kay Wosewick, Boswell Books
$22.00

Adding to cart… The item has been added
  • 406 pages
  • Paperback ISBN 9781682191262
  • E-book ISBN 9781682191279

about the book

Fighting in the streets, corruption at the highest levels, collapsing infrastructure, brutal police, a daily threat of nuclear war: few of us thought we'd find ourselves here, so far into the 21st century. What's next? Are we really going to be "great again", however that's meant? And if we are, what does that mean for those of us on the receiving end of the less-than-great?

In this diverse and vigorous mix of stories by newcomers and luminaries, writers offer their takes on what life might hold for us in the next few years. The resulting visions of war, oppression, and daily struggle are sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying (and occasionally both), but always thought-provoking.

Including stories by K. G. Anderson, Richard Bowes, Elizabeth Bourne, Scott Bradfield, J.S. Breukelaar, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Becca Caccavo, Don D’Ammassa, Stephanie Feldman, Eric James Fullilove, Ron Goulart, Eileen Gunn, Leslie Howle, Matthew Hughes, Janis Ian, Michael Kandel, Thomas Kaufsek, Paul La Farge, Yoon Ha Lee, Michael Libling, Heather Lindsley, Lisa Mason, Barry N. Malzberg, David Marusek, Mary Anne Mohanraj, James Morrow, Ruth Nestvold, Deji Bryce Olukotun, Marguerite Reed, Robert Reed, Madeleine E. Robins, Jay Russell, Geoff Ryman, James Sallis, J. M. Sidorova, Brian Francis Slattery, Harry Turtledove, Deepak Unnikrishnan, TS Vale, Leo Vladimirsky, Ray Vukcevich, Ted White, Paul Witcover, N. Lee Wood, and Jane Yolen.

"The 45 original stories in this volume achieve their objectives laudably, presenting bleak dystopic near-futures that are firmly rooted in the here and now. ....This is a bracing collection of short, sharp shocks, all of which stimulate and some of which stun." - Publishers Weekly

"This current anthology, edited by the indefatigable Gordon Van Gelder, leans toward the literary strain of SF. There are no less than 45 original stories by 46 authors . . . The variety is incredible: there are wars, disasters both natural and artificial, economic collapse, and invasion, as well as more personal stories of oppression and struggle. As you might expect, a number of stories are rooted in current-day politics. Some are humorous, ranging from ironic chuckle to actual belly laugh; some are terrifying; not a few bring tears to the eyes. All of them leave the reader with new ideas to ponder." - Analog

"In these stories, as in our own world, the global elites know how to hack any democracy from both inside and outside a country's borders. ...Welcome to Dystopia is a must-read-and may well be worth adding to your own list of books to pass on to the next generation...." - Strange Horizons

About The Author / Editor

Gordon Van Gelder is the publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He is the editor of many anthologies, among them Welcome to the Greenhouse: New Science fiction on Climate Change (OR Books). He has twice received the Hugo Award for Best Editor (short form), and has twice won the World Fantasy Award. He lives in Jersey City, N. J.

in the media

Welcome to Dystopia

sub-heading:
45 Visions of What Lies Ahead

"A thought-locust plague of what-if scenarios [...] released from the tortured imaginations of Lefty sci-fi writers."

- CounterPunch

"People ask me to predict the future, when all I want to do is prevent it."

- Ray Bradbury

"This is a worthy anthology. In fact, there wasn’t a duff story in the bunch."

- SF Crowsnest

"The combination of immediacy and plausibility in this story collection definitely made for some gut-punching reading."

- Kay Wosewick, Boswell Books
$22.00

Add to Cart

Adding to cart… The item has been added

about the book

Fighting in the streets, corruption at the highest levels, collapsing infrastructure, brutal police, a daily threat of nuclear war: few of us thought we'd find ourselves here, so far into the 21st century. What's next? Are we really going to be "great again", however that's meant? And if we are, what does that mean for those of us on the receiving end of the less-than-great?

In this diverse and vigorous mix of stories by newcomers and luminaries, writers offer their takes on what life might hold for us in the next few years. The resulting visions of war, oppression, and daily struggle are sometimes humorous, sometimes terrifying (and occasionally both), but always thought-provoking.

Including stories by K. G. Anderson, Richard Bowes, Elizabeth Bourne, Scott Bradfield, J.S. Breukelaar, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Becca Caccavo, Don D’Ammassa, Stephanie Feldman, Eric James Fullilove, Ron Goulart, Eileen Gunn, Leslie Howle, Matthew Hughes, Janis Ian, Michael Kandel, Thomas Kaufsek, Paul La Farge, Yoon Ha Lee, Michael Libling, Heather Lindsley, Lisa Mason, Barry N. Malzberg, David Marusek, Mary Anne Mohanraj, James Morrow, Ruth Nestvold, Deji Bryce Olukotun, Marguerite Reed, Robert Reed, Madeleine E. Robins, Jay Russell, Geoff Ryman, James Sallis, J. M. Sidorova, Brian Francis Slattery, Harry Turtledove, Deepak Unnikrishnan, TS Vale, Leo Vladimirsky, Ray Vukcevich, Ted White, Paul Witcover, N. Lee Wood, and Jane Yolen.

"The 45 original stories in this volume achieve their objectives laudably, presenting bleak dystopic near-futures that are firmly rooted in the here and now. ....This is a bracing collection of short, sharp shocks, all of which stimulate and some of which stun." - Publishers Weekly

"This current anthology, edited by the indefatigable Gordon Van Gelder, leans toward the literary strain of SF. There are no less than 45 original stories by 46 authors . . . The variety is incredible: there are wars, disasters both natural and artificial, economic collapse, and invasion, as well as more personal stories of oppression and struggle. As you might expect, a number of stories are rooted in current-day politics. Some are humorous, ranging from ironic chuckle to actual belly laugh; some are terrifying; not a few bring tears to the eyes. All of them leave the reader with new ideas to ponder." - Analog

"In these stories, as in our own world, the global elites know how to hack any democracy from both inside and outside a country's borders. ...Welcome to Dystopia is a must-read-and may well be worth adding to your own list of books to pass on to the next generation...." - Strange Horizons

About The Author / Editor

Gordon Van Gelder is the publisher of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. He is the editor of many anthologies, among them Welcome to the Greenhouse: New Science fiction on Climate Change (OR Books). He has twice received the Hugo Award for Best Editor (short form), and has twice won the World Fantasy Award. He lives in Jersey City, N. J.

in the media