E.M. Forster

 

Of all the science fiction I read in my youth, nothing imprinted itself more vividly or lastingly on my memory than this remarkable story. The well-meaning Vashti and her unhappy fate never left me, as I saw her world take shape around me.
When the time arrived to select a name for an Internet domain, it took only a moment to recall Vashti's use of just such a network. The choice was obvious. Like a real-life Hari Seldon, Forster saw where we would go with our new technology and left us a warning, ready to surface when conditions were right. With the World Wide Web and Internet videophones changing our very concepts of information and communication, this is a story whose meaning has only deepened.
So here it is, as good a read as ever, and as astute. But be forewarned: you may never see technology quite the same again...
 
Michael L. Wright, 1997