A breathtaking journey through a far-future universe in which the adherents of technological bodily enhancements violently clash with believers in genetic manipulation, from one of the godfathers of cyberpunk In the generations since humanity first began to spread itself throughout the universe, schisms have torn the race asunder. In the future, as in the past, extreme ideological differences have set man against man, causing serious tensions and violence, particularly between the Mechanist and Shaper sects. For the Mechanists, who believe in high-tech prosthetics as the only means of advancing human development, the Shaper belief in the use of genetic improvement is anathema and therefore must be eradicated, while the rebel Shapers likewise strive for the ultimate destruction of their cybernetic rivals. Between the two camps travels Abelard Lindsaya betrayed and exiled Shaper diplomat, well trained in the art of lies and subterfugewho, over the course of a lifetime of centuries, comes to embrace piracy and revolution en route to quite possibly ushering a shattered humankind toward its bold new destiny. Considered by many, including the author himself, to be his most powerful work,Schismatrixoffers a brilliant, bold, gritty, and startlingly original look into humanity's future possibilities. InSchismatrix Plus, Sterling also includes every subsequent excursion into the Shaper/Mechanist universe, complementing his acclaimed novel with the complete collection of mind-boggling Schismatrix short fiction.