To Hie from Far Cilenia by Karl Schroeder
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I've been trying to hunt down some old Karl Schroeder stories because I've been consistenly impressed.

This particular short fiction rather threw me for a loop. Back around 14 years ago, give or take 5 years, we had a rash of novels and stories that seamlessly combined virtual augments and reality and I really enjoyed them all. This one is no different, but there's a little catch:

This one is even more pertinent today than ever before. Not because of the Infomacracy or the Strossian elements, but because false-societies, overlaid over our own, can be subverted with just that little extra push.

AI, anyone? Those who control the information flow can do just about anything. All the cogs may think they're on the level, but when you have so many different pieces, the full picture may never be clear until the end.

This story, however short it is, does a fantastic job of showing just that. Highly recommended.

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