Original review posted here: http://populuxe.ca/blog/?p=363

This is the perfect book for people who are either scared of, or say they “don’t like” sci-fi. Futureland is an excellent example of how sci-fi can be used to highlight our current world culture, and then cast doubt on the direction we may all be taking. It’s a little bit dystopian, without being fatalist and negative. It’s a little bit cyberpunk, and moments make me think of burning questions that might be brought up by the likes of William Gibson.

Heavily philosophical, but not overbearingly so, Mosley doesn’t preach, nor bash you over the head with his complex world and the social ramifications therein. He deals with issues of race, sex (both the physical act as well as physiologically), ethics of bio-medical engineering, class, politics, privacy issues, welfare, reliance on technology, and the justice system. He also deals with the idea of the soul, religion, and faith. It’s a huge undertaking to examine these issues in the span of 300-odd pages, but Mosley does it with class and effectiveness.

To call this a short story book is a bit of a misnomer – while it is a collection of short stories, they are all stories set in the same world that are interconnected. Going into the book, I thought these stories were all disparate entities in and of themselves, but in actuality they are all images from a much larger world, and they are all linked together by not a single character, but many. Story A will feature a character, Story B will make a remark of that character and introduce a new one, who in turn in Story C has influenced the world in some way, etc. It’s a wonderful structure that meshes all these stories in perfectly.

The world that Mosley creates is constantly in transition, which leads to the credibility of the future that he has created. While I read this book, I feel as thought history is being made now, not in some distant past as is frequently the case with science fiction.

Like all short story books there are stories I connected with over others. The first story I barely got into, but that was until I understood how it was an instigator for how the rest of the world would be shaped over the next 30 (maybe 40?) or so years. The timing was a bit hazy. I think what pushed me out the most of this story was the heavy dialect the author opted to write this first story in (which, thankfully, wasn’t throughout the whole book). I’m just generally not a fan of when an author does that, as I find it takes me out of a story if I have to work too hard to figure out just what in the hell the characters are saying.

Mosley also plays a little fast and loose with the science part of the sci-fi, and while it’s not meant to be hard science, being of that genre it is inherently present in the book, despite the focus on societal aspects of the world. I won’t say too much as not to spoil it for anybody picking this one up to read (which you really should), but my belief was easily suspended for all science except for the final climactic science-y bit. It was a bit thrown together, and far too much of a leap for me to make. While that was a bit of a let-down, it was still an incredibly enjoyable read.

All in all, it was a pleasure to read this book, and I loved the organic nature of Mosley’s story telling, and the way the book was structured as a whole. This is one I would definitely recommend to those looking for some serious meat in their science fiction. ( )

I just couldn't get into this one. I am sure there are some people that would love it, but it just wasn't for me. I found the stories to be hard to follow at all. ( )

Walter Mosley is a well-known writer of crime and science fiction novels. Futureland is a collection of short stories, all sharing a near-future dystopic setting. The audiobook is superbly narrated by Richard Allen. ( )

This was an unexpected find. I do not usually read science fiction or am very selective about it. I was however very pleasantly surprised with this series of stories which stand alone but borrow characters and scenarios from story to story to create a unique fresco. There are definite political themes: feminism, racism, capitalism but what is most striking is the search for the human soul behind all the technology. A reflection of possible years to come through unchecked excess but also of the triumph of man over systems. ( )

It's an amazing bunch of linked stories in a future of ubiquitous surveillance and weird biotech. The stories were tight. I loved it! *** Seconded Futureland, I love that book and need to read it again.*** Thirded. Futureland is an amazing book.