Wireless

From the short and funny MAXOS to the long and dark Missile Gap, Wireless is an amazing tour through Stross' futuristic world view. Central to this view is the observation that if there is anything out there in the stars it will surely defy our comprehension. To some extent, Stross is an atheist theologist. He draws equally from the various Abrahamic traditions as well as literary, pop, and tech culture and speculates on what an incomprehensible godlike intelligence could be like. When he isn't exploring Lovecraftian horrors or post-singularity strong-AI, we get a glimpse into the near future or alternative near-pasts. From a content to volume perspective, Wireless is the anti-Baroque Cycle. While both Stephenson's and Stross' work cover a broad conceptual space, Stephenson does so in a single story that spans three volumes and thousands of pages. Stross delivers numerous stories that together fit within hundreds of pages. Readers familiar with Stross' previously published works will enjoy the new explorations of familiar ideas presented in Wireless. Readers encountering Stross for the first time will have an opportunity to drink from the fire hose, one gulp at a time.