Publisher – Newcon Press

Published – Out Now

Price – £12.99 paperback £4.99 Kindle eBook

Produced as tribute to Neuromancer, William Gibson's genre defining novel, Night, Rain, and Neon is a volume of all new stories written by some of the sharpest and most insightful authors of cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk fiction around, curated by editor Michael Cobley. 

Cyberpunk in some ways the genre that has had some of the biggest impact not just on books but games, film, tv and even fashion. This is the age where we wrestle with technology and the digital world and indeed, we now know evil corporations do lurk down those digital highways. But in the 2020s is there anything left to say? Is cyberpunk going the way of so many other punk genres? I am pleased to say that after reading the new anthology Night, Rain and Neon edited by Michael Cobley with a host of talented authors giving us their stories there is indeed some digital life in the old avatars yet.

Among the many stories I enjoyed were

Hello, Goodbye by Stewart Hotston – the collection begins with this fine piece of noir as a man finds himself slowly dying thanks to a piece of designed corrupted software slowly turning his organs off. There is a mystery to solve as to who launched the attack but then Hotston moves into SF with our lead character planning a digital afterlife but finds escape may not be as simple as he think. How do you fight against the system when you’re dead? Lovely character work and very subtle worldbuilding make this tale refreshingly new.

Four Green Fields, And Fair by Ian McDonald – This is one of my favourites in the collection. A delightfully joy introduction to Ireland’s giant mecha team. Taking hits at corporate sponsorship, reality tv and all seems totally light and frothy and then McDonald delivers one of the finest gut punches to a short story I’ve read. The tone change is stunning and especially poignant these days.

All The Precious Years by Al Robertson – Really interesting and multi-layered this tale explores a team of cyber-attack specialist investigating who is attacking a city. Robertson throws invention after invention; concept after concept very beautifully at ethe reader as we cover everything from public transportation to the power to edit memories. Importantly though it has heart and character as we get to gently understand the characters and their own motivations. A beautifully balanced story.  

Assets by Keith Brooke and Eric Brown – was initially put off by the main character seeming to enjoy being catcalled but then I found this was actually just excellent character work as the writers of this tale explore what the super-rich will want in the future. A world where bodies are just another commodity, and your mind can be transferred anywhere for the right price. You’ll intensely dislike this character for how they see the world and the people in it but fortunately they have been finally noticed…

The Still Small Voice by Louise Carey – this story I really liked moved to the future commute and office life of a man who is slowly falling apart. I loved how this story makes the future so soul-numbing – everything is for sale; your life is always under scrutiny; and you can feel our lead character being slowly squashed under the weight of it all. But there is a sting in the tale how much we give to our helpful AI assistant does mean other powers are watching. Quietly disturbing cyber-horror as all that anger finally gets used.

Mindstrings by Jeremy Szal – a deliciously dark far future tale of a young man slowly falling under the influence of a drug. But here the drug is the ability to link your consciousness with a host of others. Feel anything anywhere at any time. I loved the way this story explained both the allure but also the consequences of a drug that makes you feel part of something you will do anything to protect. The sting in the tale is sobering and disturbing.

Tabula Rasa by Danie Ware – in some ways this feels classic cyberpunk as a black clad mercenary gets involved with a deal that goes wrong but I loved how Ware throws in glimpses of the people underneath the body armour and shades while a very thrilling attack and escape go underway. We also start to reailise a lot more is going on than meets the eye with a very dark ending too.

Collision Detection by Tim Maughan - a black mirror style tale about the super-rich finding the need for ever more powerful experiences. This tale takes the erotic exploration of the ability to touch your lower across thousands of miles but the couple’s desire spells their undoing as they plan their super-rich getaway from the perils of life. Smart ideas executed very satisfyingly.

We Appreciate Power by Gavin Smith – almost a black comedy of a cyberpunk heist set at Christmas in the ruined burning wasteland of California and even a famous theme park. I love the flow of the tale moving from an exquisite heist and kidnapping to an unsettling final set of reveals and all works thanks to our everyday narrator explaining his mission and also telling us a lot about how he lives in this rather disturbing place and time. Another favourite.

A Game of Clones by Justina Robson – A weird tale that could be best described as Iain M Banks meets Michael Moorcock with two AI mins having to find a killer and sending a crew of strange misfits to flush them out. It is a ride and a fun one to boot!

Terms and Conditions: A Decayed London Story by Joseph Elliot-Coleman – another favourite is this tale of three resitance fighters coming back home to London. The joy here is the brilliant, dark, and yet fascinating world and time that Elliot-Coleman has created a time when neo-nazis and fascism took control and then got pushed back. This is a tale about when you have to say enough is enough and point out when a line gets crossed. There is so much more I’d love to explore in this story but it is very very entertaining and interesting.

This is a fine collection and while perhaps one too many heists that go not quite to plan I really enjoyed it. The stories that work the most explore what cyberpunk means for now and not just re-jig the past’s many incarnations. Highly entertaining and well worth a look.