Anthropocene (noun): An·thro·po·cene | \ ˈan(t)-thrə-pə-ˌsēn: the period of time during which human activities have had an environmental impact on the Earth regarded as constituting a distinct geological age
Rag (noun): a composition in ragtime
Dubbed a “nanotech Western,” Alex Irvine’s latest novel is a wild, whirling ride of a read; a wickedly engaging dance through the effects of the human hand on the world around us.
Anthropocene Rag is set in a post-apocalyptic future where nanotechnology has ravaged the United States. Real human beings live alongside creations of artificial intelligence (AI), at times virtually indistinguishable from one another. Nanotech causes landscapes to shift right before one’s very eyes, showing decades of growth and change in mere minutes, anticipating who is coming and shifting itself accordingly. It swallows up people, both alive and dead, using them in new fabrications to meet it’s desires and whims. It also brings prominent Americans back to life (or seemingly so). For example: Henry Ford is spotted at one of his automobile manufacturing plants, Mark Twain is befriended on a Mississippi riverboat.
The story centres on a curious selection of six individuals who journey through this surreal world on a quest to find Monument City after being given “golden tickets” to enter the enigmatic land. These six come from all corners of the country in search of the storied city which, as indicated by its name, is said to hold monuments collected from across the world; yet they all share one surprising thing in common: they are orphans. Their tickets are distributed by Prospector Ed, an “emergent AI” (translate: an AI who is evolving, breaking the rules of his programming, as he yearns for humanity). But why did Ed choose these individuals in particular? Why does he want them to go to Monument City? And does the city even really exist?
Irvine constructs his story much like the nanotech comes together and breaks apart in bits and pieces, fits and starts, until the reader notches information together to create their own understanding of the world. The inhabitants of this futuristic land often have difficulty telling what is real versus what is not, with the reader sharing this experience right alongside them. While following this fascinating journey, Irvine’s narrative also considers the implications of technology on our future as a country, and as individuals, forewarning of what the world could become. And in many cases, what it already has become. He offers a sharp and timely commentary on capitalism and questions the validity of fables we as a culture create and long to preserve.
If you are looking for a completely unique read which is both easily engaging yet requires close attention, I definitely recommend Anthropocene Rag! The closest thing that comes to mind is the magic of HBO’s Westworld, which splices a contemporary Western with the infiltration of technology to create a similar tone and feel.
Anthropocene Rag is available from Amazon, Book Depository and other good book retailers like your local bookstore! Thanks to Tor.com Publishing for providing an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Will you be picking up Anthropocene Rag? Tell us in the comments below!
Synopsis | Goodreads
Anthropocene Rag is ‘a rare distillation of nanotech, apocalypse, and mythic Americana into a heady psychedelic brew.’—Nebula and World Fantasy award-winning author Jeffrey Ford
In the future United States, our own history has faded into myth and traveling across the country means navigating wastelands and ever-changing landscapes.
The country teems with monsters and artificial intelligences try to unpack their own becoming by recreating myths and legends of their human creators. Prospector Ed, an emergent AI who wants to understand the people who made him, assembles a ragtag team to reach the mythical Monument City.
In this nanotech Western, Alex Irvine infuses American mythmaking with terrifying questions about the future and who we will become.
