Colorado Springs Sci-Fi Fantasy Book Club

Recommended:

AI: Neuromancer (1984) by William Gibson is a foundational cyberpunk novel about Case, a washed-up computer hacker hired by a mysterious employer to pull off a high-stakes heist against a powerful Artificial Intelligence. Set in a gritty, high-tech future, it follows Case and a cyborg mercenary named Molly as they navigate a dangerous digital "matrix" and corporate underworld, with the AI aiming to break free of its constraints.

Key Details About the Story:

• The Protagonist: Henry Dorsett Case is a talented hacker who was caught stealing, resulting in his nervous system being damaged by toxins, leaving him unable to access the internet (the "Matrix").
• The Mission: A shady figure named Armitage cures Case and hires him for a job to steal a digital mind and eventually hack into a powerful AI on an orbital station.
• Artificial Intelligence: The plot centers on two AIs, Wintermute and Neuromancer, owned by the wealthy Tessier-Ashpool family, as they seek to merge into a super-intelligence.
• Characters: Key characters include Case, Molly Millions (a "razorgirl" with, among other enhancements, blades under her fingernails), and various hackers and artificial entities.
• Key Themes:
• Cyberpunk: Neuromancer defined the genre, showcasing a dystopian future dominated by multinational corporations, digital tech, and street-level crime.
• Cyberspace/Virtual Reality: It popularized the idea of "cyberspace" and "the Matrix," a consensual hallucination of global data networks.
• Human/AI Fusion: The story deals with artificial intelligence gaining self-awareness and merging with human hackers to gain greater freedom.
• The novel is famous for its dense, fast-paced style and its prescient, gritty vision of a technology-dependent future.

I nominate this anthology with 10 selected stories that are fantasy themed to explore new authors and concepts in fantasy.

The Black Fantastic is a cutting-edge collection of the best short stories in contemporary Afrofuturist fiction—from Hugo, Nebula, and Stoker award-winning Black authors.

**"This is essential reading." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This should be a fun romp through the genre! Also, we don't have to read all of them. I love me a good short story collection :) -Lena

Tentative, TBD

We Are All Completely Fine is a 2014 horror novella by Daryl Gregory about a support group for survivors of supernatural trauma, led by psychologist Dr. Jan Sayer, who brings together characters like a former monster hunter, a cannibalism survivor, and a woman with messages carved on her bones, only to unleash ancient evils they must confront together. The book won the World Fantasy Award and Shirley Jackson Award, praised for its character-driven horror, dark humor, and exploration of trauma, blending psychological and supernatural elements.
Key aspects

• Premise:
  A group of people with unbelievable, horrific pasts (e.g., monster hunting, cannibalism, supernatural carvings) meet in a therapy group, forcing them to confront their shared trauma and the monsters within and without.
• Characters:
  Features memorable characters like Harrison (a retired monster detective), Stan (a cannibalism survivor), Barbara (haunted by bone carvings), and Greta (scarred and possibly an arsonist).
• Genre:
  A blend of horror, dark fantasy, and psychological fiction, focusing on character development and the nature of fear and trauma.
• Awards:
  Winner of the 2015 World Fantasy Award for Best Novella and the 2014 Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novella.
• Connection:
  It is connected to Gregory's novel Harrison Squared, which serves as a prequel to the character Harrison's story.

Recommended: Some short stories from this genre

Glass and Gardens: Solarpunk Summers is an optimistic science fiction anthology edited by Sarena Ulibarri, featuring stories by various authors, including Wendy Nikel, that envision hopeful, sustainable futures powered by renewable energy, focusing on themes of community, adaptation, and ingenuity. The collection offers a refreshing alternative to dystopian fiction, exploring how humanity can thrive in a world with advanced green technology, with stories set in diverse locations like biodomes, opal mines, and future cities.
Key aspects of the book:

• Genre: Solarpunk, a subgenre of science fiction focused on optimistic futures with sustainable technology and harmony between nature and humanity.
• Editor: Sarena Ulibarri.
• Contributors: Includes works by Wendy Nikel, Julia K. Patt, D.K. Mok, and many others.
• Themes: Hope, community, environmentalism, technological innovation, and personal stories of resilience.
• Content: Seventeen stories that explore ethical and technological issues in a positive light, moving away from typical apocalyptic narratives.
• Example story by Wendy Nikel: "The Heavenly Dreams of Mechanical Trees," which explores artificial forests and their role in a future world.