The Furry Future — Fred Patten

For the history of the human race we have been locked inside our bodies. Spiritualism, medicine, basic biochemistry and genetic enhancement seek to take us beyond the physical limitations we were born with. The Furry Future is a record of what might become of us once we perfect the methods of reshaping biology.Fangs and claws could become just another fashion accessory. We might use our technology to create intelligent and able companions as we spread out to the stars, or else create perfect servants unable to disobey the whims of their masters. We may remake ourselves to attain our future across the galaxy and unlock our spiritual potential, or collapse into war over where the boundaries of humanity lie.These nineteen stories take us to these different futures, each one written in the fur we choose to wear. Contains the following stories: Emergency Maintenance by Michael H. PayneTow by Watts MartinExperiment Seventy by J. F. R. CoatesA Bedsheet for a Cape by Nathanael GassHachimoto by Samuel C. ConwayVivian by Bryan FeirFamily Bonding by Yannarra CheenaThe Future Is Yours by MikasiWolfDistant Shores by Tony GreyfoxThe Analogue Cat by Alice Huskyteer DrydenThe Sequence by NightEyes DaySpringTrinka and The Robot by Ocean TigroxLunar Cavity by Mary E. LowdThe Darkness of Dead Stars by DwaleField Research by M. C. A. HogarthThe Curators by T. S. McNallyEvolver by Ronald W. KlempGrowing Fur by Fred PattenThebe and the Angry Red Eye by David Hopkins with illustrations by Roz GibsonCover art by Teagan Gavet