Bruce Sterling has called his Shaper/Mechanist novel Schismatrix "my favorite among my books." It is a detailed history of a spacefaring humanity divided into two camps: The Shapers, who prefer genetic enhancements, and the Mechanists, who rely on prosthetics. Sterling also published five Shaper/Mechanist stories between 1982-84, which have been collected with the novel in this compendium volume. This book represents the definitive collection of what is arguably Sterling's most intense work, offering a hard, gritty look at humanity as it pushes and claws its way to the stars.


From Library Journal
This collection contains Sterling's cyberpunk sf Shaper/Mechanist universe short stories from his collection Crystal Express plus his novel Schismatrix, both published in the 1980s. Recommended for sf collections lacking the two books.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Midwest Book Review
Sterling's science fiction writings about his Schismatrix world, where revolutionaries struggle against Mechanists for mankind's future, have appeared in a range of publications: now for the first time all the Schismatrix stories appear in a single volume, providing enthusiasts with an organized, coherent survey of the Schismatrix setting and adventures. Recommended reading for enthusiasts of political science fiction.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

In the last decade Bruce Sterling has emerged a pioneer of crucial, cutting-edge science fiction, his work lauded by critics and contemporaries alike. Now for the first time in one volume comes every word Bruce Sterling has ever written on the world of the Schismatrix - where the Shaper revolutionaries struggle against the aristocratic Mechanists for ultimate control of mankind's destiny. Experience the classic full-length novel, Schismatrix, plus thousands of words of mindbending short fiction from a storytelling master in overdrive.

FROM THE CRITICS

Library Journal