To be honest, I initially picked up this collection of stories because of the cover design. The bold colors and mechanical beetle attracted me and caused me to pull it off of the shelf. Skimming through the table of contents and a few random passages cemented the idea that I was taking this book home with me.
These stories take place in apocalyptic futures filled with "plastic" bodies, fluid genders, organic starships, and communities teetering on the edge of collapse. These futures are filled with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse—famine, pestilence, war, and death—metaphorically rather than literally. And yet these futures are likewise filled with hope and possibility.
Some of the short stories in Kameron Hurley's Meet Me in the Future are related to one another. For instance, both "Elephants and Corpses" and "The Fisherman and the Pig" feature "body mercenary" Nev, who has the ability to jump into the corpses of the recent dead. Others echo elements of sister stories—six-legged dogs, warrior women, and sentient spacecraft making more than one appearance.
Kameron's strength is creating strong, (mostly) likable, and relatable characters. Likewise, she is a great world-builder, immersing me in each future she places before me as a reader. I wholeheartedly believe in the main character of each sci-fi short story, the environment and setting they inhabit, and the tales that Kameron weaves around and about them.
It won't be too long before I delve back into these stories. Likewise, I will be seeking out her novels.
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