Futures Imperfect Uncharted Territory / Remake / Bellwether Author:William O'Connor, Connie Willis UNCHARTED TERRITORY — Wry and witty science fiction. Carson and Findriddy, the famous planetary surveyors mapping out the planetoid Boohte, have their hands full with base member C.J., ambitious scout Ev (C.J.'s latest conquest), and Bult -- the indigenous guide whose chief interest is in levying fines for destruction of the planet's surface. — RE... more »MAKE
Remake is Connie Willis's tribute to the old films Hollywood used to make. Set about twenty years in the future, Hollywood no longer produces new films, instead focusing on remakes "starring" the digitized images of long dead actors. Between making their remakes, denizens of Hollywood engage in sex, drugs and endless litigation. One of the result of the litigation is that films whose stars are in litigation can not be viewed.
Into this future Hollywood comes Alis, a naive dancer who wants to dance in the movies, especially with Fred Astaire. At a party, Alis meets Tom, a cynical student who shares her love for old movies. Although Tom spends the majority of the book trying to convince Alis that her desire is impossible since Hollywood no longer makes liveaction (forget that Astaire is long dead), he seems to want to help Alis achieve her goal. Much of Alis and Tom's relationships and dialogue seem like they could have been taken directly from one of the old movies they love, frequently a screwball comedy.
BELLWETHER
Pop culture, chaos theory and matters of the heart collide in this unique novella from the Hugo and Nebula winning author of Doomsday Book.
Sandra Foster studies fads and their meanings for the HiTek corporation. Bennet O'Reilly works with monkey group behavior and chaos theory for the same company. When the two are thrust together due to a misdelivered package and a run of seemingly bad luck, they find a joint project in a flock of sheep. But a series of setbacks and disappointments arise before they are able to find answers to their questions.« less