At least it isn’t John Norman

August 10th, 2003

Bad news: we’re not living in The Matrix after all. Ross Smith has noticed the awful truth:

[…]

We’re not living in a simulation. We’re living in a collaborative SF novel.

Jules Verne started it in the 19th century. H. G. Wells took over for the first quarter of the 20th century, Michael Moorcock for the second, Robert Heinlein for the third, J. G. Ballard for the fourth, and now, of course, it’s Philip K. Dick’s turn.

In a back room somewhere, Vernor Vinge and George Orwell are currently arguing about who gets to take over in 2025.

Or, alternatively, the current author is Ken Macleod, with Paul Wolfowitz as Colonel Volkov.

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4 Responses to “At least it isn’t John Norman”

  1. Teresa Nielsen Hayden Says:
    August 10th, 2003 at 3:22 pm

    Hey, I can deal with a Ken MacLeod universe, though naturally I’d rather not suffer spectacular megadeath. I want to be in one of the demographic groups that, by grace and chance of arbitrary events outside their control, wind up being preserved for rebirth into a much better universe, further on down the line.

    Vinge transcends; MacLeod elects.

    The overall schema needs to be more complex. For instance, I know I’ve spent time in the Joanna Russ universe. And then there are those weird lovely but metaphysically very scary moments when you realize you’ve either slipped into, or noticed you were inhabiting, a Tim Powers universe.

    One could go on like this at length.

  2. John Says:
    August 10th, 2003 at 6:03 pm

    To be sure, in most universes the secret is to be in the right place at the right time. (Or, in Vinge’s case, in the right Zone.)

    Living in a Spider Robinson universe would be particularly strange. If you’re a character Spider likes enough, you never die. Or at least, you never stay dead. Trouble is, you need a tremendous tolerance for bad puns - particularly if you’re anywhere near Callahan’s bar. It might not be worth coming back from the dead…

  3. michelle Says:
    August 11th, 2003 at 7:56 pm

    I’m living in my own private Idaho :)

  4. John Says:
    August 12th, 2003 at 10:31 pm

    Unfortunately I’ve never seen that film, so I have no idea whether that’s a Good or a Bad Thing for you. :-)

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