Bruce Sterling's doing a public

You wanna read a real futurist, check out this blurb I just wrote for Jules Verne's latest English-language translation, INVASION OF THE SEA.

"Mr Verne's latest techno-thriller boldly confronts the menace of Islamic terrorism. He has topnotch chops in technical accuracy, with endearing dashes of broad humor and a keen eye for telling detail. Let me be the first to predict this: someday this French novelist will be known worldwide!"

And it's true, because Verne's book really *is* about Islamic terrorism, specifically, French engineers versus fanatic desert saboteurs in North Africa. Some "wars" are older than others. Bin Laden thinks that war been going on since the 12th century, but, you know, how often do the rest of us bother to notice?