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

Chen Mu opened his eyes and felt suddenly moved as he quickly sat up on the floor. He closely examined the perception in his body. With no warning, the composition of his perception had undergone a stunning transformation overnight.

The previous shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex had disappeared and was replaced by a composition made up of an orderly pair of snail-shaped strands. It was formed from two thick, parallel perceptual threads, which wound into a spiral. The two parts represented diametrically opposite properties, and the most wonderful thing was that there was a force field between the two.

It was because of that sort of energy composition that it was so firm—a lot firmer than the previous shuttle-shaped perceptual vortex. Those complicated and fine-as-hair perceptual tendrils had all disappeared. The new perceptual composition was refreshing and clean, with no superfluous parts.

The Transformation (V)