Schismatrix by Bruce Sterling

👍👍👍 A cyberpunk novel without cyberspace. I found it a bit difficult to read, and while the reading experience itself wasn’t especially enjoyable (except from the final chapter) I’m still glad I read it. Chapter and chapter sections are fragmented and discontinuous with abrupt time jumps and with characters who randomly appear and disappear. The book offers a lot to think about though, particularly regarding posthumanism, evolution, and immortality. The protagonist, who survives across decades (even centuries) undergoes numerous cybernetic and genetic rejuvenation treatments. His natural biology is repeatedly altered, disrupting the normal ageing process and turning his life into a continual cycle of self-reconstruction aimed at extending his life. Yet despite these enhancements and renewals, there remains a persistent sense of physical decline and mental exhaustion accumulating over time. As his body and identity were repeatedly transformed, I wondered if he would still call himself human. There was much more in Schismatrix. The world building is interesting mainly based on politics, political factions, and war. The edition in the photo includes Schismatrix, the novel, and 5 short stories based in the same universe. I only read the novel.