The Church of Divine Electricity

Whether being held by a giant and comforting machine, agreeing to allow micro-drones to record one's every moment for a year to win prize money, or choosing self-mutilation in exchange for a bionic hand, the characters in these stories navigate technological and social change. The familiar can turn unrecognizable and disorienting--sometimes in a flash, sometimes gradually. Lyrical, haunting, and often funny, these stories ask us to consider what--and who--gets left out of a seemingly utopian future of technological advancements.

Finely observed, thoughtful, and vivid, Mitchell's stories get under your skin. It's not that the best-laid plans could lead us astray--it's that they may already have.