3 Review(s)

WELCOME TO VIRTUAL CENTRE, WHERE THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE CONVERGE. A collection of science fiction that borders on science possible, Virtual Centre and Other Science Fiction Stories brings to you some brilliant, adventurous possibilities of our tech-dominant lives. "Virtual Centre," the first in this collection, is the 2002 Palanca Awards first-prize winner for Futuristic Fiction. It tells the story of rich people who have chosen to live the rest of their lives virtually while poor people care for them-until a young anarchist attempts to disrupt the system. "Hatchling" refers to the monster tiyanak of Philippine supernatural lore. "The Creator Defends His Creation" is the testimony of a man standing trial for fraud for building an android and getting him elected as president. "By the Light of the Moon" introduces an alien figure from Venus who revels in being hailed as the goddess Haliya, protector of the timid moon god. "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" is the story of a girl who maintains a lifelong resentment against her younger sister, a clone of her grandmother. "The Beautiful and the Whole" is a post-apocalyptic story in which a nation, in an attempt to rejuvenate its population after a devastating world war, has instituted restrictive laws regarding marriage and reproduction.