The term All Tomorrows has evolved far beyond its original literary context to become a cultural touchstone for a specific brand of speculative fiction. It represents a fascination with humanity's distant future, evolutionary possibilities, and the profound cosmic dread that can accompany such visions. This exploration delves into the myriad works that orbit this central concept, from the foundational text to its artistic and narrative kin.
The Foundational Epic: All Tomorrows and Its Legacy
At the heart of this universe lies C.M. Kosemen's seminal work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man. This book is not merely a story; it's a thought experiment charting a billion years of human evolution, divergence, and often tragic transformation. Its power lies in its blend of rigorous speculative biology with a deep, unsettling horror—the horror of being reshaped by forces beyond comprehension. The book's influence is so significant that it has spawned its own dedicated analysis and discussion hub at All Tomorrows, where fans and scholars dissect its themes of evolutionary horror and cosmic dread.
Twin Pillars of Speculation: Yesterday and Tomorrow
Interestingly, Kosemen also co-authored All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. While one looks forward and the other looks back, both share a core philosophy: challenging established perceptions through imaginative, yet plausible, reconstruction. All Yesterdays asks us to rethink the lives of dinosaurs beyond the museum skeleton, much like its companion piece asks us to rethink humanity's ultimate fate. Together, they form the twin masterpieces of modern speculative biology, a genre that breathes life into both the deep past and the far future.
Converging Horrors: All Tomorrows Meets Lovecraft and Giger
The cosmic horror of All Tomorrows finds a clear parallel in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. This connection is made visually stunning in adaptations like H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga). The manga format translates Lovecraft's indescribable entities into terrifying yet captivating imagery, capturing the same sense of insignificance that permeates Kosemen's evolutionary saga. Similarly, the biomechanical nightmares of Swiss artist HR Giger. 45th Ed. resonate deeply with the transformed, often grotesque, post-human species of All Tomorrows. Giger's art books are essential viewing for anyone fascinated by the fusion of organic life and cold, alien machinery—a theme central to much evolutionary horror.
Genre Crossovers: From RPGs to Literary Fiction
The influence extends into interactive storytelling with supplements like All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies. This horror RPG supplement from Eden Studios brilliantly merges the zombie apocalypse genre with the far-future, post-human setting of All Tomorrows, offering game masters a toolkit for campaigns drenched in both body horror and existential despair.
On a different literary spectrum, the title inspires works of poignant realism. All the Tomorrows After is a moving piece of contemporary fiction and a profound family saga, exploring the emotional aftermath of loss and the slow march of time within a domestic setting. It showcases how the phrase can anchor stories not of cosmic scale, but of deeply human emotional depth.
Cultural Echoes: Music and Cyberpunk
The phrase also echoes through music history and cyberpunk literature. All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story is a definitive music biography chronicling one of the most influential bands in rock history and counterculture. Meanwhile, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties serves as the finale to his iconic Bridge Trilogy, a cornerstone of cyberpunk fiction that explores a near-future saturated with technology and corporate intrigue.
From the foundational All Tomorrows text to its artistic cousins in manga, art books, and role-playing games, this conceptual universe is vast. It connects the biological speculation of All Yesterdays, the visceral terror of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, the iconic design of HR Giger, and the narrative depths of apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Whether you're drawn to speculative evolution, chilling art, or profound stories of humanity's potential futures, the world of All Tomorrows offers a uniquely rich and terrifying landscape to explore.