When his father, a soldier stationed in India, dies suddenly, young Kimball O'Hara is left to fend for himself on the streets of Lahore. A proper English lad, Kim is plunged into an exotic and unfamiliar world of crowded bazaars and noisy markets, gilded temples, sahibs and fakirs, beggars, whirling dervishes, soldiers, and spies. Forced to live hand-to-mouth, Kim must rely on his cunning and wit to survive.
Focusing on interdisciplinary perspectives, this collection of essays explores how various creators, including writers and filmmakers, have envisioned the future over the past two centuries. While it touches on mainstream science fiction, the emphasis lies on the interplay of diverse histories—technological, cultural, military, and ideological—that shape speculative thought. The essays reveal how our expectations for the future are deeply influenced by our connections to history, offering a rich examination of the dynamics between past and future imaginings.