Review: Futureland
Walter Mosley always writes as Walter Mosley. I can imagine a reader picking up this book wondering how the mystery writer does in the SF world. Such a reader will find that genre does not bound Mosley. His voice and expressive powers inhabit a speculative story as easily as contemporary fiction.
Structurally, Futureland is built of multiple short stories from different points of view. Each lights up the world from a different point of view. There’s an overarching plot and some interesting technical speculation, but Mosley’s always got society and race on his mind. His SF world is tuned to amplify the ongoing economic exploitation in America without oversimplifying it.
But enough about the big picture. The thing I love best about these stories is how each struts into the reader’s mind with direct and powerful writing. Mosley’s always got the right word in the right place without ostentation or pretension. Even when his characters are downtrodden, his prose swaggers. The results feel muscular and powerful, even when they’re tender and wistful.
Strongly recommended.