zen-like calm and detachment. The "Nonmovement" (as it is sometimes called) looks to slow the process of societal change, and has a strong focus on social order. Galacticism: A belief that mere loyalty to species was obsolete, and worked for faster than light technologies, interstellar colonization and increased contact with aliens. While not inherently militant, the resources required to pursue these goals demanded major faction support and so indirectly increased militarism as Shaper and Mechanist Galacticists competed with one another. Post-Humanism: Post-humanists believe in Prigoginic Levels of Complexity and its surrounding philosophy and science. Sterling only hints at many of the tenets of post-humanism, but a key goal of post-humanists is terraforming, which they consider to be a primal duty of intelligent beings. Post-humanists are supporters of détente. Wellspring is a key ideologue for the post-humanist philosophy. Reception Dave Langford reviewed Schismatrix for White Dwarf #77, and stated that "Besides being highly exciting and crammed with ingenious ideas, Schismatrix paints a moving Big Picture of humanity getting a grip on its own evolution. Lindsay, however unheroically, helps nudge it the right way. Excellent sense-of-wonder stuff." J. Michael Caparula reviewed Schismatrix in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 80. Caparula described it as "a jolting, kaleidoscopeic space saga that O.D.'s on imagination." References External links 1985 American novels 1985 science fiction novels American science fiction novels Fiction about main-belt asteroids Novels by Bruce Sterling Novels set on the Moon Fiction set on Europa (moon) Novels about genetic engineering Cyberpunk novels Biopunk novels Novels about extraterrestrial life Fictional philosophies Transhumanist books