A collection of eight stories, Digital Extremities shines a spotlight on ordinary people in a callous yet hopeful future. Set across small towns and remote islands, where neon flickers against old buildings and oaks, this collection paints a unique view of a traditionally cyberpunk setting.
In 2089, a woman miscarries and seeks a way to find peace amidst overwhelming grief. Years later, a young man must find a way to pay rent outside of his job at the glassblowing studio. A pair of students, excited to go to college, install new hardware that promises to improve their cognitive functions. A private investigator searches for a missing child who has a reputation for embarking on risky adventures. Each tale is shaped by love, loss, and perseverance, weaving a vision of life outside of the megacities.
"'Touching' and 'cyberpunk' might not often intersect, but they do with Digital Extremities. It swings from moving to haunting in an instant, searching for our humanity in an increasingly dim future. Bassett both honours the legacy of the genre while keeping one fixed firmly on new horizons with a collection which spans the world. 'Brand New Eyes' gives a simple family drama a sci-fi gut punch while '36 Broadway Avenue' sets two fascinating characters against a ticking time-bomb. Each of these stories bring something great to the table."
—Timothy Hickson of Hello Future Me, author of A Catalogue for the End of Humanity and On Writing and Worldbuilding Vol. I-III.
"Adam has done a wonderful job of exploring a near future where our experiences have become so dominated by technology that it seems impossible to distinguish between the physical world and the digital one. Despite [that], these stories remain wholly anchored in the humanity of their characters."
—B. K. Bass, author of What Once Was Home and editor for Digital Extremities.
"Adam did a phenomenal job crafting distinctly original stand-alone stories that still flow with the kind of overarching consistency I want in an anthology."
—Alex Atkins, author of Them Bones.
