Sci-fi and Heroic Fantasy discussion

This is our discussion of the story:


"The Regular" by Ken Liu

Originally published in Upgraded, edited by Neil Clarke.

This story is part of the The Long List Anthology: More Stories From the Hugo Award Nomination List (2014) group anthology discussion.

"The Regular" is one of two novella that are included in the Long List collection. I originally read it in the Upgraded anthology.

"The Regular" is a near-future crime story dealing with hookers, a serial killer, and a private eye – in short, it's a story you may have seen on a TV crime show this week, except this is in a very near future with some new tech. As usual, Liu spends at least as much time on the human element of the story as the hardware/software/futurist speculation.

Human implants, called Regulators, have been designed to regulate body and brain chemistry to keep people from getting emotional. The police used to guarantee their objectivity, and so does a private eye. Thus, the story's title derives multiple meaning: the hookers have Regular customers, the serial killer is a Regular murderer, and the implants keep everyone's emotions nice and Regular. PoV varies between hooker, killer, and PI.

Engaging story, if you're in the crime fiction, with several likable characters (not the serial killer, but he gets his due, too.) And if you're not interested in crime fiction, it has some interesting thoughts on several new pieces of technology, of which the Regulator is only one.

More often than not, if there is a Ken Liu story in a collection, it will be the first place I turn. You might say I'm a Ken Liu regular. I reread it this morning and enjoyed it even more this time.

*****