In an ideal world, everybody will be healthy. There will be no need for a doctor in a future world where bodies can be replaced, limbs and organs regenerated. Where every home, every transport vessel is equipped with AI medical bots and sickbays, there is no requirement for a hospital—every home, every vehicle can serve as hospitals in case of emergencies. While the Star Trek future is still far, we are on the verge of a medical, biotechnological revolution right now.
I kept returning to The Sign of the Dragon because I got completely caught up in Xau’s story. It was almost an obsession. I thought about it when I was vacuuming, or brushing my teeth, or grocery shopping.
The stories in Avatar focuses on SF’s transformative role in negotiating changes ushered in by digital world and social media, as well as the advances in biotech and surveillance mechanisms augmented by technology, besides the perils of climate change.
“Upshot” takes place soon after the end of the Guatemalan civil war in the cloud forest, Ixil region, of Guatemala.
“The Ghost Teas of Sakruajima” is a ghost story about love, loss, denial, and acceptance, in Warring States Japan.
