Wil McCarthy

During the 1990s, the idea of nanotechnology -- molecule-sized machinery capable of manipulating matter at the atomic level -- took the science fiction world by storm. However, many of the stories were overly optimistic, both in a technological sense and in terms of the reactions of human society. On the other side, the cyberpunk authors were twisting every imaginable technology to sordid or sinister purposes. Walking a line down the middle, I hypothesized a rather dark future in which the growing power of technology set off power struggles and assorted mishaps throughout the 21st century, culminating in a nanotech disaster which destroys the entire inner solar system.
 

Collectively, this series has earned a good deal of critical attention, both for its technical rigor and for the gloomy-yet-energetic tone of most of its stories. Murder in the Solid State was a Locus bestseller, and has remained in print for five years -- a long time in today's publishing world. Bloom was a New York Times Notable Book which appeared on a number of "year's best" lists, including Locus, Borders, and Amazon.com. "Amerikano Hiaika" and Bloom have both been reprinted in various translations and overseas editions.
 

Stories, in chronological order of occurrence: