Air

This science-fiction parable meditates on the consequences of unfettered technology, as well as the differences, both superficial and deep-rooted, between First- and Third-World cultures. In the stubbornly old-fashioned town of Kizuldah, technological progress is slow. But when the isolated village is used as the testing ground for a radical new form of quantum communication that affects users' brains, several people are killed, and one woman's life is disastrously altered. Mae Chung finds her mind fused with the memories of the old woman who died next to her, as well as the ability to see into the past and the future. Now, she must race to adjust herself and her village to the impending tidal wave of change that this new technology will bring. Winner of the 2005 James Tiptree, Jr., Award and the 2005 Arthur C. Clarke Award.