Today I found this cyberpunk story, and just had to shout about it. Described as a prescient vision of the future United States after it has been broken apart by civil war it made me fascinated and horrified at the same time.
On the one hand, we have the strangely beautiful urban cityscapes of a future Cincinnati that has fallen into ruin, which remind me of the work of photographer Liam Wong's work in Tokyo, as well as some colorful punk characters like Maria Logen... on the other, well, let's just say it doesn't sound like too nice a place to live, with all the sleaze and rampant corruption.
Writer Rob Chant states:
"The United States is broken. Torn apart by wars of secession, ecological disaster and political conflict. The mid-west, poisoned by biological and chemical weapons, has become a barren, infertile wasteland. The cities, straining under the weight of the ensuing refugee crisis, have succumbed to rampant corruption and urban decay. On the border of order and chaos, civilization and barbarism, lies the city of Cincinnati."
What intrigued me is that I can't think of another Cyberpunk story, other than say, Mr Robot, which is so plausible, so true to life. Rob states that he specifically tried to avoid flying cars and other Cyberpunk tropes, which is pretty unique. Other than that, his ideas about how important the city of Cincinnati would become to the politics of the United States, is very intriguing.
The Kickstarter for cybpunkdreams: Cincinnati Stories is already fully funded, so if this sounds like your kinda thing, please check it out there!
More info: kickstarter.com
Maria Logen: The punk in Cyberpunk
Cinncinnati, 100 years from now.
The dark alleyways of Cinci
Crosswalk
The backstreets and alleyways of future Cinci
Meanwhile, out in the wasteland
