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Sex In The System: Stories Of Erotic Futures. Technological Stumulation And The Sensual Life Of Machines edited by Cecilia Tan
01/11/2006 . Source: Paul Skevington 
pub: Thunder's Mouth Press. 282 page enlarged paperback. Price: $15.95 (US). ISBN: 1-56025-851-9. Buy Sex In The System: Stories Of Erotic Futures in the USA - or Buy Sex In The System: Stories Of Erotic Futures in the UK  check out website: www.avalonpub.com
Sex is a difficult thing to fully comprehend. Its physical mechanics are wonderfully intricate and the thought processes involved which are so important to our modern understanding of sexual experience even more so. One could say that the basics of sex are the same for us all, but how true is this really? Not everyone is turned on by the same thing. Our sexualities proliferate, our fetishes abound. We could never claim to possess a full understanding of sex, even in its current state. The authors of 'Sex In The System' have taken a brave step by disregarding this truism and stretching themselves into the future of sensuality, imagining what strange new worlds may await us there.
The best stories in this anthology succeed by close adherence to this mission statement, envisioning tales of sexual developments to come, using the freedom of an imagined environment to explore the possibilities inherent in the subject. Both approaches have strong SF elements at their hearts, providing focus for their tales of eroticism.
Stories such as Beth Bernobich's 'Remembrance' use more recognisably traditional SF ideas in their narratives. The piece concerns two lovers who are about to be separated by a vast distance. They sign up to test experimental equipment that will allow them to partially transcend this divide. The gadget in question allows them to make brief recordings of sensory experiences that are both tactile as well as auditory. The author unfolds the narrative with some highly charged erotic language but also manages to capture the deep feelings involved in a long-term sexual relationship. The essential conceit is not sacrificed to romanticism and whilst the closing moments are moving, they are also a logical exploration of the implications that such a technology would have for communication and remembrance.
Elspeth Potter's 'Poppet' similarly takes the idea of an advanced experimental technology and demonstrates how it could function more intimately than intended. The device in the story is not designed for arousal but is cleverly adapted to suit such purposes, something not unheard of in the real world. Hey, you are reading this on the Internet, aren't you?
In 'More Than the Sum Of His Parts' by Joe Haldeman, a grievously injured man is partially rebuilt, providing him with limbs and other equipment disproportionately powerful to his undamaged body parts. Sexual desire is but one theme that Haldeman explores here, crucial to the plot as it may be. Much current SF, even that of a dystopic bent, fixates on the improvement such technology may award us. Here the potentially dehumanising aspect of artificial reconstruction is brought to the fore. It's an essay on cyber-psychological disintegration and its one of the highlights of this anthology.
Other stories skew the SF in a more fantastical direction, such as Scott Westerfield's excellent 'That Which Does Not Kill Us', a carefully constructed piece that explores our tendency to fetishise the unfamiliar. It can perhaps be read as a debate on the existence of the soul. In the story, science is used to resurrect the recently dead, integrating them back into society, but some believe that these dead men walking lack something, perhaps the very thing that makes us human beings and not biological machines. Alternatively, it can be seen as a distinct view of sexual objectification, the subject of which is literally 'dead' to the individual.
Paul Di Filippo's 'Pinocchia' is also at least partially concerned with this phenomenon. It's protagonist is a RealDoll, highly reminiscent of the 'Realdoll', an item currently available for purchase that is a lifelike (sort of) representation of a human being and the subject of many late night documentaries that I have definitely never watched and have only heard about through hearsay. Ahem!
Pinocchia is much more advanced than her real-life counterparts however. She is an organic being, created solely for the pleasure of her prospective owner. Unfortunately for him, a fluke accident gifts her with 'free will, curiosity, unease and desire.' What follows is a bizarre re-telling of the Pinocchio story as she escapes, determined to become a real human being. All the familiar parts of the classic tale are to be found here, although not quite as you may remember them. For instance, when Pinocchia lies, it isn't her nose that gets bigger. There's a huge sense of fun in this story, but it's not for the easily offended.
Jennifer Stevenson's 'Value For O' is also massively entertaining, and a great example of storytelling through allusion. The couple in this story are trying to find the mathematical formula for great sex, which at the end seems to boil down to just do it, but do it with enthusiasm and with the right person. This piece does not revolve around any true exploration of sexual possibility, but this is forgivable in a story so memorable and true.
There are other stories that also sideline exploration of the theme in favour of more typical structures and I am inclined to look less favourably upon them. Whilst still being fun, pieces such as 'The Show' by M. Christian, concerning a couple who are planning an anarchistic sex stunt. 'The Proof' by Shariann Lewitt, a kind of quantum love story, failed to arouse a sense of wonder. 'Caught By Skin' by Steve Berman, which deals with a culture of physical transformation and imitation that complicates the role of identity in sexual interaction. This is much more reflective of the sort of adventurous, erotic and keenly inventive sort of fiction that I would like to see more of in this sort of anthology.
It is the kind of fiction that makes clear the intention of writers of the fantastical, that we are more than capable of being adult in every sense of the word. Look up and take note: SF is post-pubescent and proud.
Paul Skevington
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