Future Boston: The History of a City 1990-2100 (Paperback)

~ David Alexander Smith (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This richly patterned shared-world anthology was created by a group of seven SF writers, including editor Smith, who came up with the concept: "many individual stories that, when read together, gave a picture of a city that was itself a character." The city is Boston from the near-future through A.D. 2100, and the vivid, complex premise posits that as it begins to sink into the sea, its denizens either desert or become scavengers poking through the rich mud for gleanings from its better days. When Aliens pick Boston as their Terran port, interstellar business booms, and Beantown is revitalized; the carefully integrated stories follow the buildup of interspecies squabbles toward a finale involving human/alien revolutionary zeal. The collaborators have worked hard to keep track of the characters and concepts, although a few do vanish in the interstices, and almost all the tales are both intriguing and deftly written. In addition to Nebula-winner Gregory Landis, rising star Alexander Jablokov ( Carve the Sky ) and critically praised first novelist Sarah Smith ( The Vanished Child ), the author roster includes Steven Popkes ( Slow Landing ) and Jon Burrowes.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The shared-world anthology has demonstrated the capacity to produce exotica, but seldom has an example of the subgenre gone as far in this direction as this one, which deals with the next 110 years in Boston's history. During this time, the city is invaded by aliens, is reclaimed by the sea, and secedes from the U.S., not necessarily in that order. All the participating authors are Bostonians; they range from seasoned hands such as editor Smith and Alexander Jablokov to newcomer Jon Burrowes. The average quality of both the short stories and the interstitial snippets that make up the book is quite respectable, and overall this is a worthwhile acquisition for collections outside as well as within New England--where it's not too much to suggest it be considered mandatory. Roland Green --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (February 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312890281
• ISBN-13: 978-0312890285
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,880,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars As Boston sinks, Future Boston rises to the challenge, January 12, 2006

By	K. M. Marasco "wordsmith" (USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Title: Future Boston
Author: Various Authors
Original Publication: Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. 1994
ISBN: 0-312-89028-1

Synopsis:

The city of Boston is sinking into the ocean more and more every year. As the problem becomes more severe, the city of Boston is shocked with a new event... aliens have landed and Boston is now the official place for the new interstellar port. Follow the lives of many different people, all intertwined in some way, as the city of Boston faces great changes including flooding, alien invasion, and revolution.


Review:

Future Boston is a collection of short stories from eight science fiction writers who have made their homes in Boston, including Alexander Jablokov, Steven Popkes, Jon Burrowes, and David Alexander Smith. The true star of the collection is the city itself, marvelously rendered by each author in explicit detail through the future the created for America's first city.

Though each writer brings their own style, they all found a way to make the story appear seamlessly crafted. Each story progresses the tale of Boston, with characters that are well developed and masterfully detailed. Characters such as Bishop 24, the half centipede, half praying mantis sent to earth to watch over the humans, are magnificently rendered and their continuity through different stories is impressive.

The stories bring with them different types of conflict all throughout the collection, and culminate in a revolution much like this country faced in the late 1700's. The authors did a good job using the Revolutionary War as a parallel to theirs, and the story of those involved is quite intriguing. The tale of the revolution, Ye Citizens of Boston, is by far the gem in this collection of quality short stories.

I have to admit that I was impressed by this book for the mere fact that eight people came together with a common vision and expertly crafted a future world out of their present home. The stories flow well throughout, arranged chronologically, and the inclusion of characters from previous or future tales was well done. I would have to recommend this to any reader of short stories, even if they are a New York Yankees fan who would at least enjoy Fenway Park becoming little more than a marsh.


Version Read: Paperback, Tom Doherty Associates, Inc. 1995
Length: 384 pages

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and diverse collection, December 27, 1999

By A Customer

This collection of stories mixes together a little of everything that makes science fiction enjoyable: a solid basis in the hard and soft sciences and a wonderfully imagined future, with a twist of pure fun. The contributors, all members of a science fiction workshop, first planned out the future history of Boston and then related it in this series of interconnected tales.

The quality of the writing, overall, is remarkably good and the future they lay out is intriguing. You don't have to be a Bostonian to enjoy these stories.

Several of the contributors are prominent for other award-winning work--Sarah Smith, Alexander Jablokov, and Geoffrey Landis, among others. Their stories here are excellent.

5.0 out of 5 stars Man, do these authors know Boston., September 7, 1999

By A Customer

It's realistic and even plausible. They definitely pulled it together. These authors know the little things about this city that make it entrance those of us who might wander far away, but who know in our hearts Boston is home. The inter-stories between the big ones are brilliant.