Walter Jon Williams

Après avoir été un singe, Michelle est désormais une sirène planant sur les coraux micronésiens. Car ici, dans ce lointain futur où le travail, la famine et la mort ne sont plus que des reliques obsc

En una ciudad que abarca el mundo, ¿qué es lo peor que puede pasar?Vivir eternamente junto al objeto del deseo y no poseerloUna barrera ha caído entre la humanidad y el espacio. A lo largo de los siglos, el mundo se ha urbanizado hasta que el planeta entero es una sola metropolis superpoblada. Capa sobre capa, la superposicion de arquitecturas de una complejidad creciente genera relaciones geomanticas que culminan en la acumulacion de energia en los nexos apropiados: el plasma. Con plasma, cualquier cosa es posible. Su uso, controlado por la Compañia del Plasma, esta celosamente reservado a los que pueden pagarselo. Y, por eso mismo, es la posesion mas codiciada por los que desean subvertir el sistema, y tambien por aquellos que simplemente buscan salir adelante. Cuando Aiah, funcionaria de la Compañia y miembro de una minoria oprimida, topa por casualidad con un deposito de plasma sin cartografiar, la cuestion no es si aprovechara la oportunidad para alcanzar poder y fortuna, sino a quien entregara su lealtad, y con ella un recurso de potencia practicamente ilimitada.En este soberbio despliegue de capacidad imaginativa, finalista del premio Nebula, Walter Jon Williams se adelanto al movimiento New Weird con la construccion de un mundo fascinante y abigarrado que no se olvida facilmente."Combina aspectos de ciencia-ficcion con un estilo de novela negra para crear una poderosa atmosfera de distopia urbana."Publishers Weekly"La caracteristica mas sobresaliente de Metropol es lo bien que se lee, sobre todo gracias a la excelente caracterizacion y a los convincentes dialogos."Book World"Hay una solidez al estilo de Julio Verne en Metropol, con todos esos conductos y construcciones y maquinasenormes, una sensacion victoriana de hierro, piedra y vapor, bella y astutamente expresada."Norman Spinrad

Unable to find a meaningful posting due to the hostility of his superiors, Lord Gareth Martinez has accepted a meaningless post as Inspector General of Chee, a newly-settled world. Intending nothing more than a pleasant vacation with his family, Martinez first discovers corruption among the contractors engaged to develop Chee, but then finds something far more dangerous--- a literal cosmic menace that threatens to wipe out all life on the planet.

NOMINATED FOR A NEBULA AWARD. Walter Jon Williams classic science fantasy Metropolitan is once again available for a new generation of readers.Aiah has fought her way from poverty and discovered a limitless source of plasm, the mysterious substance that powers the world-city. Her discovery soon involves her with Constantine, the charismatic, dangerous, seductive revolutionary who plans to overthrow, not simply the government, but the cosmic order . . ."A spectacular blend of fantastic science, high politics, and low intrigue . . . Williamss world and characters are richly imagined yet utterly real."Melissa Scott"Entertaining . . . Williams understands that science fiction can breathe life into language . . . [His] writing is always lean, lively and engaging.New York Times Book Review"Blends SF aspects with noir stylings to create a potent atmosphere or urban dystopia . . . Ever the expert storyteller, Williams provides more than enough suspense."Publishers Weekly

Written with care, intelligence, and grace, [Aristoi] depicts a future society based on highly developed computers and biological engineering, the key skills of which are controlled by an elite known as the Aristoi. This world is depicted meticulously and vividly, and so is the near war of all against all that is unleashed when one of the Aristoi falls prey to the corruption of power. A fine, thoughtful work, highly recommended; Williams seems to grow with each book.---Roland Green, Chicago Sun-TimesBeneath the facade of universal prosperity, however, lurks a tide of dissension and madness that can only be fought from within. Williams tests the borders of imagination in a novel that combines brilliant hard science and speculative vision with a firm grip on the central humanity of his characters. A priority purchase for sf collections.---Library JournalIn this complex and rewarding novel, Williams has created a future which features many of the wonders SF has been promising us for years: virtual reality, genetic engineering, faster-than-light travel, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, telepathic links with computers, and more.---Publishers WeeklyGabriel is one of the Aristoi, the elite class that hold dominion over a glittering interstellar culture, their rule more absolute than that of any Old Earth tyrant. When another of the Aristoi is murdered, Gabriel finds that the foundations of his civilization are tottering, and that his own power may have its roots in the greatest lie in all history.In order to defend himself and the interstellar order, Gabriel must go on a quest into the heart of barbarism and chaos, and discover within himself his own lost, tattered humanity.

An alternative-history classic nominated for the Hugo, Nebula, and World Fantasy Awards!Young Mary Godwin has run away with the married poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, but a chance encounter places them in the path of Lord Byron, the Hero of Waterloo. Byron wants Mary, and is willing to use Marys young, reckless sister Claire as a pawn in his heartless schemes. Exactly how heartless, and how audacious is only revealed on a storm-tossed lake in Switzerland, a tragic encounter that produces not only an alternate history, but an alternate literary monster, a new Frankenstein for a new world..

Peleng is a planet ripe for the plucking, and Drake Maijstral is an Allowed Burglar rated in the Top Ten by the Imperial Sporting Commission. But what should be a simple case of breaking-and-plundering turns into an intergalactic crisis when Maijstral steals something so rare, so valuable, so utterly desirable, that everyone wants it everyone including well-armed Imperial spies, gun-toting human militias, a homicidal maniac with a very large sword, and a fanatical countess with a really nasty croquet habit.The Crown Jewels, by award-winning author Walter Jon Williams, is sophisticated science fiction comedy at its best.

This Hugo Award-nominated novelette takes place in the distant future, when a highly-evolved humanity finds itself at war with the alien Shars. The product of eight million years of evolution, Ambassador Drill is sent to make peace... but does he retain enough of his humanity to recognize that of his enemies?

Ric has survived a rivals attempt to poison him, but the hospital AIs pegged him as a suspect character with no job history and a suspicious amount of cash on his person, and they kept the treatments coming until he was broke.Now he needs a new source of funds, and the hospital which stole his money is chock-full of a new neurohormone thats worth a fortune. All Ric needs is to manipulate a street gang into committing the crime for him, and then hell betray everyone and live happily ever after.But maybe he hasnt counted on a new technology aimed at turning him into the star of a very nasty reality show . . .From Walter Jon Williams, the master of hard-boiled speculative fiction.

Nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula Award, City on Fire returns to the world-city of Metropolitan, a city dominated by plasm, the magical substance capable of both creation and destruction.With her help, Aiahs lover Constantine has established himself in the metropolis of Caraqui, a nation dominated by corrupt officials, gangsters, and the genetically altered known as the "twisted." Here they hope to create a revolution in the cosmic order--- but first they must fend off treachery, war, and the threat of Taikoen, the "hanged man," a deadly creature that lives within plasm itself. Aiah must fight not only for her revolution and for her place in the world, but for Constantines very soul."City on Fire is a splendid, riveting novel in which the most powerful magic is that of a writer directing the twin streams of reason and intuition to produce a dream within the texture of reality."--- Russell Letson, Locus, April 1997"City on Fire, by Walter Jon Williams, is that rarest of entertainments, a sequel that improves on a successful predecessor . . . Mr. Williams prose is distinguished by a no-nonsense confidence that perfectly matches Constantines unshakable faith in his own destiny and in his ability to resist the corruption that notoriously comes with power."---Gerald Jonas, NY Times Book Review, Feb 23, 1997"City on Fire offers something for just about every kind of reader . . . Williams really gives the reader hours of entertainment with polished style, twisty plots, action and vivid characters."---Jeff Watkins"Williams [creates] a magnificent world-city, its entire surface urbanized by a multitude of civilizations that draw their very existence from plasm, the mysterious energy contained in all matter . . . Well-drawn, believable characters give emotional force to this fine novel . . . Ultimately, however, it is Williamss complex world-city, more convincing than even Asimov in Foundation, and his endlessly inventive use of plasm that will hold readers fascinated attention.--- Publishers Weekly, Dec 30, 1996./

"Walter Jon Williams is a visionary of tremendous power and originality . . . He kills every damn time."--Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning authorGame designer Dagmar Shaw is skilled at creating vast online entertainments with millions of players. But Dagmar is haunted by her past, and by memories of a burning city, and of the friends who died as a bloody vengeance plot played to its conclusion around her.Dagmar is an expert at manipulating the online players known as the Group Mind. But when an acquaintance appears with the plan to manipulate an entire Middle Eastern country, to stage a revolution and make the people think it was all their own idea, Dagmar is both appalled and intrigued.Can she crash the Deep State? And can she do it without creating another bloodbath?This is no longer a game. The bullets, the tanks, and the spies are real, and so is the danger as Dagmar plunges into the task of gaming an entire state.When it first appeared, Deep State gained a modest amount of infamy as the novel that predicted the Arab Spring, and appeared the very week the Egyptians occupied Tahrir Square."And since this is an intrigue thriller, there are undercurrents and deceptions and hidden agendas and secret loyalties and unexpected betrayals, deeper states of operation and deeper games being played for higher (or lower) stakes. Dagmar faces not only the normal perils of an elaborate and delicate con, but those of the deep state of international politics, where you dont know who has been bought or intimidated, who might be a plant, who has a history that will blow up at the worst possible moment." --Russel Letson, Locus"Williams has crafted a slick, intelligent techno-thriller that never allows the melodramatic storyline to swamp the cast of sympathetic characters." --Eric Brown, the Guardian"Both prescient and utterly of the moment, featuring an ingeniously concocted and elaborated plot and a compelling cast of characters, Deep State is a success on every level . . . if ever one of Williams books had crossover potential . . . this is it." . . . The biggest plot coupon of all . . . is really the card on which the whole hand turns, and Williams does not blow the trick. On the contrary, he weaves this bit of scientific or pseudo-scientific legerdemain very deftly into the warp and weft of his plot, giving the novel that satisfies both logically and emotionally. Like his doughty heroine, Williams is absolutely at the top of his game here." ---Paul Witcover, Locus

A classic work from Walter Jon Williams, "Daddys World" earned the Nebula Award in 2001.Little Jamie lives with his family in an eerily perfect environment, entertained by characters from literature, sung to sleep at night by the Woman in the Moon. But cracks begin to appear in Jamies world that reveal rifts within his family, and he begins to see the terrifying reality behind the walls of his life, and to understand that perfection has its price . . .

"Walter Jon Williams is a visionary of tremendous power and originality . . . He kills every damn time."--Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning authorSean Makin was a washed-up child actor, until Dagmar Shaw made him a star. Now hes starring in a big-budget action thriller that offers him the chance to become a box-office titan.Except the action and the thrills arent just in the movie. Dangerous and destabilizing new technology is floating around behind the scenes. Police and cartel lords lurk in the shadows. An assassin is on the loose, and has already claimed his first victim.Sean could be next in the killers sights, unless he can find out what the bad guys want, whos hiding it, and how many people hes going to have to betray in order to save his life--- and more importantly, his celebrity!"This story is a must read. One of my favorites in the whole anthology so far. The main character is funny, even though hes not trying to be. And essentially what weve got is a self-absorbed Hollywood dude, a bunch of cliches, all trying to shoot a shitty B-flick in corrupt Mexico, and there ends up being a murder mystery wrapped up in the whole thing. A murder mystery!"Read this one, guys. I dont even want to say much more about it. Nothing super amazing, or twisty, or revolutionary, just pure entertainment." --David V Fugit, Fugit Reads

"Walter Jon Williams is a visionary of tremendous power and originality . . . He kills every damn time."--Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief, Wonderful Life of Oscar WaoWhen you play one of Dagmars online games, you cant just shut down the computer and walk away. The games pursue you into real life: you start getting emails and phone calls from fictional characters, perfect strangers ask you to help solve their problems, and sometimes youre asked to volunteer for a mission to discover a vital clue.But now something is pursuing Dagmar.From the anarchy of a street riot in Indonesia to the brutality of a Mafia killing in Los Angeles, from the seedy glitz of Hollywood to the ruthless international currency market, Dagmar finds herself at the center of an intrigue far more desperate than those she devises for entertainment.And somehow, she knows, the key to the puzzle lies in her own past, and the gaming group she joined in college.Dagmar must draw on all her powers, not the least of which is her circle of online gamers whose well-honed puzzle-solving skills may prove vital to preserving her life.This Is Not a Game. And there is no Second Life."Williams (The Rift) weaves intriguing questions about games, gamers and their relationships with real life into this well-paced near-future thriller." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)"This Is Not a Game is a compelling mystery, one that threateningly demandslike a militant nun, ruler in hand, your knuckles spread before herfor you to continue, to finish. Stopping, its not an option. Its not even a thought. You turn the pages of the book not just to get answers, but to get the questions, also. And neither disappoint. There is no letdown, no clumsy resolution, no descent into lameness. Everything works, the story coming together beautifully like a well-played game of chess, Williams maneuvering the reader, skillfully. Like a pawn. A very happy pawn. Paul Stotts"Williams, from his own experience, knows how these games work and how the participants react, and the result is that This Is Not a Game succeeds only as a suspense novel, but as an incisive portrait of a subculture for whom reality is increasingly contingent, and increasingly mediated." --Gary Wolfe, Locus"Combines droll satire, cyber-fu knowingness, ingenious extrapolation, social commentary, and techno-thriller suspense." --SciFiWire.com"[An] eerily prophetic thriller." SFX

"Well-developed characters, an intriguing plot and a clear-eyed view of the double-edged sword called change make [AMBASSADOR OF PROGRESS] an engrossing book..."LIBRARY JOURNAL"Williams has an above-average knack for fast pacing, gritty realism, and high-tech details."BOOKLISTAn interstellar catastrophe has left humanity scattered on dozens of primitive worlds. Fiona is an emissary to one such world, charged with helping the inhabitants of Echidne rise from barbarism.But once shes arrived on the planet, she finds herself in the middle of a war... the Brodaini, the worlds most ferocious warriors, have risen in revolt against their overlords. The combat soon threatens to become a war of extermination.Fiona is a neutral. But Echidne is proving a perilous place for neutrals...

"Walter Jon Williams is a visionary of tremendous power and originality . . . He kills every damn time."--Junot Díaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning authorDagmar Shaw is back in Hollywood, with a plan to lasso a series of emerging technologies into a revolutionary new form of entertainment.Sean Makin is a washed-up child actor clinging to life on reality television, until Dagmar offers him the chance to be a star.Seans past, however, holds the darkest of secrets, and now it looks as if that secret threatens to break loose in a new cycle of violence and murder.Seans determined to succeed, even if the path to stardom is splashed with blood. But the ultimate secret is Dagmars, and Sean has to decide how much to pay in order to find out whats on the other side of the fourth wall." . . . the blending of mystery-thriller, SF, and traditional Hollywood-story elements is hugely successful. Its one of those ambitious, genre-bending books in which you keep seeing, as you read, ways the story could fall apart under its own weightbut it never does. Surely the best of the Dagmar Shaw series and one of the authors finest novels." --Booklist (starred review)"This is an ambitious novel, blending elements of science fiction, thriller and Hollywood epic into one wildly inventive narrative. Its the kind of genre-bender that you can spend a lot of time trying to describe, or you can simply say: go read it, right now." --David Pitt, Winnipeg Free Press