Originally in : When It Changed.
An intriguing story, one that you read and want to think about, and then re-read. I’ve yet to do the final stage of this process! The story is clearly in the milieu of his forthcoming novel ‘By Light Alone’ (amazon.com | amazon.co.uk).
There are several treats in this story. First up is the narrator, a complicated character in himself, the story is related through his idiosyncratic eyes and worldview. Secondly is the lot of tech in the story. Thirdly is a great central conceit – genmod that allows individuals to live simply through absorbing natural light through their hair (provided it is grown long enough). There is the friend of the narrator who has invented the genmod and loosed it upon the world, his motivations and ego. And finally, the impact on the world itself as, in effect, poverty through lack of food is no more.