FANTASCOM

Abstract

Gervásio Quiroga is the best Portuguese fantasy writer, or at least so does he believe, disregarding the fact he’s one of the few still alive in competition with the biggest universal names, preserved through the power of AI. Today, in Lisbon’s biggest fantasy literature convention, he is set to release the latest addition to his long-standing series of books before the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education, accompanied by his editor Aristedes Solterno, chair professor Marília Perdita and the trendiest contemporary poet Nissa Valmundo, all equally devoted and attracted to him. Possessing fame, wealth and power, the world seems to be at Gervásio’s fingertips, until the fiery crash of a ballistic transportation vessel sets a war in motion and introduces him to a new reality. Faced with the lies of his legacy, presented forcefully to him by a group of four disgraced Science Fiction writers, who turned to terrorism in the name of artistic liberty and true readership, Gervásio is now pushed into action to dismantle the lies of the government, destroy the preserved identities of seven dead writers, and in doing so, stop the threat of the eminent Copyright War. This is a short story about the consequences of improper uses of AI and technology, the importance of education and how things may never be as bright as we are led to believe.