Fang Xiang

This is both a work of science fiction and an exploration of the meaning of life, love, literature and art. Brainpower is no longer the main ingredient for being human in this far distant future world.  Spirituality, physical balance, and diligence all come together as integrity for Chen Mu, the Card Apprentice.  The cards which Chen Mu masters in his own scrappy way, distill all the powers of the cosmos –  human and nonhuman –  into something that is not a book, not technology, and neither art nor magic, but is these and more.  Learn about these strange cards, which can embody everything you might imagine for the future of technology, but also a future beyond technology which promotes the best, and sometimes the worst, from mankind’s past.

The Card Apprentice

<p>Looking at the Y09 energy block he had just taken down, Chen Mu was full of joy. A person's power was like a cask of water; each failure raised the level of the water in the cask by some imperceptible trace. In the eyes of most people, that little bit was so tiny they would just ignore it. Even when the number of failures had gotten large enough, people would still have the illusion they hadn't gotten the necessary return on their effort, and most would get discouraged.</p>

<p>But 1,611 failures was 1,611 traces, which, when gathered up, had helped Chen Mu break through the layer of obstacles.</p>

On the Verge of a Crisis