If you keep up with me, you know by now that I enjoy stories with a twist, whether it’s in books, comics, TV or movies. And I’ve written before about how much I like the dark technology sci-fi portrayed in Black Mirror. Well, when a collection of short stories popped up that was directly compared to that show, I knew I had to give it a try. 

Restricted Fantasies by Kevin Kneupper focuses on virtual reality. These 11 stories portray a range of scenarios around living with, and within, virtual worlds. Of course, in the tradition of dark sci-fi, things seldom go as they should in these worlds or, when they do, it’s not exactly a positive experience for the people involved. In some instances, the downward spiral is pretty obvious, but in others there is definitely more of a twist.

Take, for example, the story “Panopticon”, which explores life in Sim-Sing, a simulated prison with a harsh AI warden. Criminals can be sentenced to hundreds of years for their crimes and in the prison it feels like they live every day of those sentences, while in the real world it’s merely hours that pass. It’s a fascinating exploration of the ability to reform through technology without wasting much “real” time.

Then there are the stories of overindulgence, like “Restricted Fantasies” and “Cheat Codes”. These look at using technology to get everything you want, regardless of the harm it might do to others. And “Second Honeymoon” or “Rumspringa”, where there’re opportunities to cut loose and push your own boundaries, but at what psychological cost.

I thoroughly enjoyed this collection. A few stories were a little obvious in the plotting, but they were all very well told. And some could be turned into episodes of Black Mirror pretty effectively. Restricted Fantasies is a good book to pick up for anyone who enjoys dark sci-fi and doesn’t require all the aliens and space exploration and laser beams that often go with it.