We are delighted to announce the first English-language print edition of the classic work of speculative evolution, All Tomorrows. The edition will include bonus material from C. M. Kosemen including a species commentary and never-seen-before artwork.
'Love Today, and seize All Tomorrows!'
From C. M. Kosemen:
'In the early part of the 2000s, inspired by the creations of artists such as Wayne Douglas Barlowe and the writings of Dougal Dixon and Olaf Stapledon, I found myself getting increasingly interested in speculative evolution.
After filling numerous notebooks with strange alien creatures and anatomical aberrations, I tried my hand at putting together a more coherent portfolio.
I started by contorting the human body to assume the overall features of animals – there were flying people, there were burrowing people, swimming people, predatory people, and so on.
At this point I had no idea of making a book in any shape or form. At most, I thought this exercise could take up ten or twelve pages in my sketchbook, and that would be that… In doing them I was pioneering the use of a mixed media approach, layering digital textures over watercolour illustrations in black and white, and detailing them with pencil. Then, as always, I created simply for the joy of creating.
Some months passed, and I turned back to my post-human portfolio. I felt that there could be something more I could do with this work. I tried to find a story that could tie all of these concepts together…
For some time then I was interested in the narrative possibilities offered by history and 'lore', as opposed to character-driven stories. We all find ourselves spending lots more time on Wikipedia, or reading encyclopaedias, or about obscure historic events, as opposed to reading character-driven adventures. Yet most (but not all) popular science-fiction stories remain character driven.
I knew that the many weird species I created would be impossible to unite with a single coherent story, so I went with the historic narration similar to Edward Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, as well as Olaf Stapledon’s incredible books, Star Maker and Last and First Men.
Thus, All Tomorrows was created, and without much fanfare I released it to the Internet as a free ebook. Looking back, I can today see how processing certain events the world suffered, and certain issues I personally dealt with while writing it, contributed to the book’s quirky sense of optimism against adversity.
Perhaps this was why the book enjoyed a renaissance of popularity in 2021 – at a time of pandemic lockdowns and economic turmoil.
I am grateful to everyone who popularised my work, and shared their love for it with their friends and loved ones – especially online. I was surprised beyond words to see how quickly All Tomorrows became popular younger audiences…
Imagine all the dreams you have when you are in your late teens… You are more idealistic; you think you can do a lot, easily, and be appreciated for it. Life will be a cakewalk. But more often than not, life gets in the way, and amid many rude awakenings and harsh lessons such dreams are seldom realised.
With the publication of this exceptional volume, I seem to have been blessed with a rare exception! Not only did a wild plan hatched by my nineteen-year-old self succeed – but it grew popular beyond my wildest expectations, and went on to inspire others.
***
I would like to thank everybody and anybody who loved me, loved my work, believed in it and supported it. Once again I would like to thank everybody who had a hand in creating this present, exceptional volume of All Tomorrows – rich with additional sketchbook pages and never-seen-before content.
As the saying goes, "I must've done something right!" I hope this book keeps you good company and adds a sense of mystery, wonder and optimism to your life for years to come…'
