I love nothing more than a book that asks intriguing questions. This one does, but adds in an extra element: unflinching, almost damning clarity.

Did Kafka’s preoccupation with consciousness and alienation come from human zoos? Can algorithms understand complex poetry? Can bacteria write literature?

It’s a collection of essays that explores the crossroads between civilization and barbarism through history, literature, and genetics. The line, however imagined, is thinner than I thought. It interrogates how scifi shaped everything from Silicon Valley’s delusions to Argentinian history.

What works is the refusal to settle and the critical depth without academic distance. Sometimes you pick up an essay collection expecting polemic and get something far sharper: illumination.

Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

This book felt like a high pressured hose to face in terms of information density, and I loved it. Immediately after this review I will find everything Nieva has written in English and invite him over for tea to discuss technology and politics.

Each essay in this collection is thoroughly researched and herein lies my only complaint. Sometimes it felt like the narrative thread was compromised due to the depth of research. That is, I feel there is an art in choosing what not to write.

Having said that, the writing style was funny, thoughtful, insightful, honest and personal whilst retain objectivity. I would recommend to any one who wants to do Brain Day at the gym.

Also a note to the publisher, with scientific notation the indicie should be present in superscript. That is, with the 2 × 10 -6 on page 207 the -6 should be in superscript.

Not the easiest read (the essays were dense and very informative), but utterly fascinating throughout. Made me think, made me smile in more places than I expected, and I found myself raising similar questions with my colleagues and friends-- a mark of a great book and compelling ideas.

First essay on capitalist science fiction is incredible, well worth your time. Felt the second half was a little disjointed and not really about sf, but still an effective exploration of the contagion metaphor used historically to discuss indigenous people

4.5 - This was such a smart collection of essays by Nieva (and just makes me want to read his fiction even more than I did previously). Sci-fi has always been political and these essays have equipped me with new lenses to read it through. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!