Release Date: 28 May 2024
The Utopia of Us
edited by Teika Marija Smits
The year 2024 marks the centenary of the first publication of the hugely significant novel We by the Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin. The direct inspiration for George Orwell's 1984, We also influenced many other novels, such as Ursula K. Le Guin's The Dispossessed and Kurt Vonnegut's Player Piano. We ushered in a new genre - the future dystopia - and in doing so gave birth to the many dystopian novels and films which have found their way into our popular culture.
Inspired by Zamyatin's ground-breaking novel, The Utopia of Us features stories by some of the most imaginative of today's writers of speculative fiction, including Aliya Whiteley, R.T. Ester, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Anne Charnock, Tim Major, Anna Orridge, Douglas Thompson, Nadya Mercik, Liam Hogan, Fiona Mossman, Ian Whates, Michael Teasdale, Ana Sun, Rayn Epremian, and Sofia Samatar. A timely and necessary celebration of We, The Utopia of Us offers the reader stories of hope and despair, wonder and brutality. Most of all, The Utopia of Us reminds us of our humanity.
Due to Russia's current war with Ukraine, royalties from the book will be donated to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.
The Utopia of Us
"This is an absorbing collection that reminds us dystopian worlds still speak to us, reflect back our own worlds and still try to warn us not to go too blindly into the night. As storm clouds gather in many democracies around the world a very fresh and powerful anthology I strongly recommend!"
Runalong the Shelves
"This one is a timely tribute to the original classic novel and will hopefully nudge more people into reading it."
SFCrowsnest
"The Utopia of Us is a fine anthology. Several stories are outstanding examples of the power of the short form, and there isn’t a single dud. Without exception, they are provocative, original, well-crafted and exuberantly entertaining."
Parsec August 2024
