Dark Future

'Dark Future' was Games Workshop's car combat board game set in a post-apocalyptic (then) near future of 1995 (think Mad Max with James Bond style gadgets with a heavy cyberpunk influence and you are not far wrong). A nuclear war has devastated much of the United States of America and society is falling apart. Criminal gangs (the Renegades) wreak havoc and are hunted by Bounty Hunters (Standard Operatives)

Back in the late 1980's I was absolutely captivated by this game and setting despite never having had the opportunity to play it or being able to afford to buy it. Indeed my only exposure to the setting was in the fluff and additional rules printed in Games Workshop's 'White Dwarf' magazine. Those ten or so articles really struck a chord with me and it's something I remember quite fondly nearly 30 years later! The game was discontinued not long afterwards and I think it must have only been supported for three or four years.

Although novels in Games Workshop's more established Warhammer and 40K settings have been around for a few decades and have an audience outside of the gaming industry back in 1990 this wasn't the case, just a couple of Warhammer Fantasy anthologies had been published before this book hit the shelves. (In retrospect the creation of the tie-in novels seem quite linear - people liked the fluff pieces in the rules and magazines, this lead to longer works (the short stories that appeared in the anthologies leading to Games Workshop risking full length novels). Nine further novels were written in this setting after this anthology which have far outlasted the actual history of the board game (at the time of writing a PC game in the setting is being developed).

So are the stories actually any good? Well, they won't win any literary prizes, that's for sure. Furthermore, for readers unfamiliar with the setting I don't think they will stand out as anything other than average. As a piece of nostalgia for those who recall the setting with affectation then they definitely work. I admit I cringed in places at the misogyny in some of the stories but I revelled in the glam punkiness of the apocalyptic world. In the future all the outlaws WILL have mohicans and wear studded leather (as an aside I just love those Mad Max rip offs from the 80's were driving round the desert in a stripped down buggy wearing makeup and fishnets pumping lead was the thing to do - they don't make 'em like that anymore). Although the setting is based in America there is a very British sense of humour to the stories, I guess they also are deeply influenced by Judge Dredd and the Mega Cities - inside is heavily policed fascism, consumerism and control by media - outside is a lawless wasteland. It is surprising how often writers caustic opinions of how oppressive society will be in the future and how the media will influence have actually become true. The shit we put up with today in terms of surveillance etc. would have been unimaginable 30 years ago.

I love how this book reflects the concerns of the era - entering the 1990's - the media, nuclear war, fox hunting, AIDS, religion are all viewed through a late 80's lens of a decade of Thatcherite Reaganism. Another thing I love in science fiction looking to the near future is what they predict and what they get wrong. Cars have the internet and Skype but still print out instructions - awesome!

Route 666 by Jack Yeovil (journalist, film critic and writer Kim Newman) has a nod to Cthulhu and perhaps also to the Warhammer settings Blood God Khorne. We have an introduction to the Bounty Hunters of the setting (the Ops - Standard Operatives) and the lawless criminal gangs. What I like about the anthology is that they portray life outside of the PZ (Policed Zone's - think the cities). There is a nice Wild West theme to this one. That said, not my favourite story in the book.

Kid Zero and Snake Eyes by Brian Craig - Billy the Kid meets genetic manipulation

Ghost Town by Neil Jones - This is a fun little story that is little more than a car combat between Ops and a gang called the Sand Sharks in a deserted town. I enjoyed this, it made me want to roll dice, move car minatures and then watch 'The Salute of the Jugger' or something...

Duel Control by Myles Burnham - a very silly story with a not very well disguised attack on the vile activity known as fox hunting. Back in 1990 rich people in Britain were legally allowed to ride horses with dogs and let the dogs rip foxes apart - thankfully it is banned now. A good piss take of toffs with quite a cool ending.

Thicker Than Water by Brian Craig - more guns, gangs and mad science. Two brothers have to return a woman to a scientific facility without touching her. More than a nod to the 80's AIDS epidemic.

Maverick Son by Neil McIntosh - Very cool story where a former Op goes rogue and starts his own 'religion' that dopes up the adherents (Jim Jones? Religion is the opium of the masses?) Cue gun battles on motorbikes and lots of black leather. Loved it.

Four-Minute Warning by Myles Burnham - Another great story focussing on a bent televangelist receiving his comeuppance. I suppose in 1990 everyone knew all about Jimmy Swaggart and his 'transgressions'. A group of scammers predict audience participation on TV and run a vote as to whether an exposed televangelist should be executed. What seems like a straightforward internet money routing scam seems quite forward thinking in 1990. A clever play on the perceived morals of a worldwide TV audience.

Only in the Twilight by Brian Craig - have you read the Iliad? Are you aware of the story? Put motorbikes in it. To be honest I felt this dragged a little but I enjoyed discovering the best way to counter a Trojan Horse.

Uptown Girl by William King - Stockholm Syndrome set in the near future - very enjoyable.

This book won't do anything for people unaware of the setting but has been an interesting read over 25 years since publication.