Plumage from Pegasus

Book excerpt: “Nothing is sacred to Di Filippo, as shown in this hilarious collection of parodies and other satirical writings that affectionately send up the SF genre.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) No one has a finger on the pulse of the future quite like Paul Di Filippo, and here he sets his sights on humanity’s path in the wake of social media, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality—all with tongue firmly in cheek. In an age of poetry slams and publicity stunts, an author struggles to upgrade his stale live appearances in “Pimp My Read.” Let “Kozmic Kickstarter” put you on the ground floor of such futuristic projects as a chorus of doppelgängers, a live-role-playing simulation of the entire canon of ancient Star Wars movies, and more! In “The Very Last Miserabilist in Paradise,” a science fiction writer—used to delivering bad news about the future—searches for meaning in an era of unprecedented sanity, in which war and inequality, hatred and prejudice have vanished. Take “A Walk on the Mild Side” with a new production company that seeks to soothe an overstimulated populace with cozy new translations of old classics, such as Game of Thrones which features nothing but direwolf puppies being bathed by the Stark family. Head into the future with your sense of humor intact thanks to the thirty stories in this remarkable collection from a master of satirical science fiction.