The term All Tomorrows has become a powerful touchstone in speculative fiction, evoking visions of humanity's distant, often terrifying, evolutionary possibilities. While C.M. Kosemen's seminal work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man, stands as the definitive text in this niche, it exists within a rich ecosystem of creative works that explore similar themes of transformation, dread, and the far future. This journey through All Tomorrows and its conceptual relatives reveals a fascinating web of speculative biology, cosmic horror, and artistic expression.
The Core of Speculative Evolution
At its heart, the allure of All Tomorrows lies in its bold reimagining of human destiny. It presents a future where humanity is not the master of its fate but clay in the hands of alien powers, reshaped over millions of years into bizarre new forms. This core concept of evolutionary horror—the fear of losing one's essential humanity—resonates deeply with fans of biological fiction. It's a theme that asks profound questions about identity, continuity, and what it means to be human when your body and mind are no longer your own.
A Universe of Related Works
The influence and themes of All Tomorrows extend into various media. For those fascinated by the scientific speculation, All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals offers a perfect companion piece. While looking to the past instead of the future, it shares the same creative spirit of challenging established perceptions, making it a must-read for fans of paleoart and paleontology books.
The cosmic dread inherent in All Tomorrows finds a clear parallel in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga) visually translates that same sense of insignificance in the face of vast, uncaring cosmic entities. This blend of cosmic horror and graphic novel artistry provides a different but equally potent avenue into existential fear.
For a more visceral, apocalyptic take, All the Fiends of Hell delivers pure apocalyptic fiction. Meanwhile, the visual language of biological nightmare is masterfully defined by HR Giger. 45th Ed.. Giger's iconic biomechanical art, a cornerstone of modern art books, visually complements the textual horrors of All Tomorrows, showing the fusion of flesh and machine as another path to existential unease.
From Page to Game Table
The concepts of All Tomorrows have even crossed over into interactive storytelling. All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies is a brilliant horror RPG supplement from Eden Studios that allows players and Game Masters to inject the bizarre evolutionary terror of Kosemen's universe into the classic zombie survival framework. It's a perfect example of how a compelling speculative idea can fuel new forms of creative play.
Literary and Musical Echoes
The phrase "All Tomorrows" also echoes in other literary realms. All the Tomorrows After offers a poignant shift into literary fiction and family saga, exploring emotional futures rather than biological ones. In the realm of cyberpunk, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties concludes his Bridge Trilogy with a prescient look at networked culture and near-future dystopian fiction.
Finally, the cultural lineage of the phrase traces back to the iconic band The Velvet Underground. All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story is a definitive music biography that captures the essence of 1960s counterculture and rock history, reminding us that speculation about the future has always been intertwined with artistic rebellion.
Exploring All Tomorrows is more than just reading one book; it's entering a multidisciplinary conversation about time, change, and horror. From the speculative science of All Yesterdays to the RPG terror of All Tomorrows Zombies and the iconic art of HR Giger, this constellation of works offers endless avenues for those fascinated by the myriad possible shapes of future humanity. Each related title, be it a bestseller in contemporary fiction or a cult graphic novel, adds a unique piece to the puzzle of understanding our fears and hopes for all the tomorrows to come.