A MEGABYTE BLOW-OUT IN 21ST CENTURY BOSTON... He awoke in a body bag, his brain fried, a black hole where his memory should be. If not for the cool carbon-fiber blade concealed in his arm, he would've been dead for sure. But Michael Bishop—a.k.a. Babel, messiah of the Matrix—is back in the game. Renraku Computer Systems has defied the accords of the Corporate Court. Now they must decipher the secrets of the otaku—and Babel is the technoshaman reborn for the job. But netwalking in the shadows of the electron jungle means an initiation into deadly megacorporate intrigue—and discovering more about Babel's own team than he fears he should know. As allies become adversaries, Babel breaks through the dreaded black ice security to find a doorway to the future—and signs of a corp war looming on the horizon—one that could destroy the technoworld and beyond...forever.

Presents annotated lists of fantasy titles, grouped by subgenre, with interest levels, and award indicators; and includes a discussion of fantasy, providing a historical overview and working definition of the genre.

Introduction: Seeing past the state of the art -- That which survives: design networks and blueprint culture between fandom and franchise -- Used universes and immaculate realities: appropriation and authorship in the age of previz -- Chains of evidence: augmented performance before and after the digital -- Microgenres in migration: special effects and transmedia travel -- Conclusion: The effects of special effects.