Schismatrix

The United States in the latter half of the current century. White Americans have become a national minority. Budget deficit. Checkpoints on the roads. Hordes of biotechnological nomads. Plus, on top of everything, there’s a cold war with Holland. The state is practically non-functional: emergency committees hold the reins. The state is almost dead, but politics is still alive. And in it still work sensible people like the novel’s protagonist, Oscar Valparaiso. A brilliant organizer with a successful career and a sincere desire to revive America out of the ashes of collapse. He is sure he can solve all of America’s problems. But can he solve his own problem— the problem of a person who can’t even say that he was ever born…

The picture of the future in Sterling’s novel may seem completely alien only to those who don’t see its roots already here, in the present. Just look around!

Hugo Award — Nominee, 1999 // Novel
Arthur C. Clarke Award — Winner, 2000 // Novel