The Far Future

Gene O'Neill's magnum opus of speculative fiction, The Cal Wild Chronicles, comes to a close with THE FAR FUTURE, a meta-novel with interconnecting tales that takes place shortly after-and also intertwine with-those in THE NEAR FUTURE and the rest of this colorful series. Collecting some of Gene's more recent works, such as memorable short stories like "Down on the 01 Level," where for a price one can transform into skins of past celebrities, "Nostalgia," in which full-body art is commonplace and sometimes useful when hiding from the law, and even "The Hungry Skull" (a love story), which takes place around an illegal histro-bistro where historical events are reenacted in 'deathplays' by actors and commonfolk alike, this final book in the series perhaps offers us warning glimpses into possible futures of our own, wherein prejudices and stereotyping might one day take us if we allow them into our lives. Also included are connected novellas such as The Great Northern Sweet Water Raid, and Jade, and two new futuristic novelettes, "On the North Slope of Little Agony" and "The Dark Green Woman," which further explore post-apocalyptic Cal Wild and its colorful tales of Dyed People, mutants, and other wonderful creatures. With this final piece of the Cal Wild puzzle placed, we can finally understand the metamorphosis and importance of a not-so-unrealistic future.