Black Swan

Description

“We started reading Black Swan and couldn’t put down our Kindle until the last word.” [Brain Pickings] 2009 Sidewise Award Nominee Bruce Sterling brings us a tale of espionage, cyber-threats, alternate realities and intrigue in “Black Swan”, a dark and cyberpunk novelette. Luca is a technology blogger looking for anything newsworthy. ‘Massimo Montaldo’ is the nickname of hacker living on the fringe of society. What can happen when these two very different people meet each other? Massimo has discovered something, something that could shift the balance of power among the superpowers of the world. A Black Swan. What is a Black Swan? “A black swan, when it arrives, cannot even be recognized as a black swan. When the black swan assaults us, with the wingbeats of some rapist Jupiter, then we must rewrite history.” As a journalist, Luca must investigate, learn the truth – or should he? What if this is all beyond him, beyond his ability to fully grasp? Memristors? Euro-Liras? Spies and the possibility of an Alternate Italy? What if the risk is too high, the danger too great? Warring between what is safe and what is right, Luca had to decide if reporting the truth is worth the risk… ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael Bruce Sterling (born April 14, 1954) is an American science fiction author, best known for his novels and his work on the Mirrorshades anthology, which helped define the cyberpunk genre. "Black Swan" is a novelette. 9250 words.