Notes on 'Schismatrix' (1985) by Bruce Sterling (b. 1954)
Schismatrix is an early and very influential work of postmodern space opera, developing many of the tropes that has since come to characterise much critically acclaimed space opera. Schismatrix is the only book in Bruce Sterling’s Shaper/Mechanist series (1982-1985) which consists largely of several short stories. The series revolves around a conflict between two ideologically divided factions: the Shapers who dream of a transhumanist utopia via biogenetic engineering, and the Mechanists who strive for perfection through machine implants and computer circuits.