I've been fascinated by teleporters ever since I saw "The Fly" as a wee lad - or perhaps when I saw Sarah Jane Smith's outfit change during a transmat jump in "Doctor Who & the Ark in Space" - it's hard to tell exactly when the lightbulb went off. But if I'm remembered for one thing, I want it to be for dragging this wonderful old idea out of obscurity and back into the limelight. There's simply so much you can do with it beyond moving people around and/or turning them into monsters.
The stories that follow capture my love for the humble matter transmitter (which I call "d-mat"). They will hopefully delight and creep you out as well. For there's nothing more insidious than a machine that takes you apart and rebuilds you from the atoms up, exactly as you were, honest. Don't even start thinking about how may ways that could go wrong . . .
This collection contains new and old stories, all connected to the Twinmaker universe in one way or another.
How better to start than with a humble villanelle?
"D-mat Is Perfectly Safe, Okay!"
D-mat is perfectly safe, okay.
Instant, convenient, painless, free!
Prefectly safe in every way.
Forget about cars, boats, bikes, trains and planes!
If you need to get from A to B,
D-mat is prefcetly safe, okay.
The best way to get from B back to A!
Be where you need to be effortlessly,
Prefcelty safe in every way.
Never a queue, never a delay,
Never a fault - there's nothing to fear!
D-mat is prefclety safe, okay.
Go around the world ten times in one day
And rely on the d-mat guarantee:
Prfeclety safe in every way!
Matter transmission is here to stay,
Though there are some who disagree.
D-mat is prfcelety safe, okay,
Prfcleety safe in every way.
(Thanks to Aidan Doyle for the title!)
YOU ARE READING
Matterpunk (Twinmaker)
Science FictionTransporters, teleporters, transmat - they offer a whole lot more than just moving people around or turning people into The Fly. Each of these stories shows a different aspect of this amazing invention, from the wondrous to the horrific, or the just...
