Saucer Wisdom

Science fiction novel by Rudy Rucker. This is the most recent example of the genre that he apparently created for himself: "transrealism."

Here, he casts himself as the narrator. Rucker (the character) is contacted by a man named Frank Shook (supposedly a false name, to protect his privacy) who claims that he is regularly abducted by time-traveling flying saucers. Shook agrees to tell Rucker about his experiences for a book, in exchange for two percent of the domestic profit as well as all the sales in Finland.

The rest of the story (if one can call it that) is devoted to Shook's account of his travels through time. He follows several subjects (Communication, Biotechnology, et cetera) into the future to the point that people cease to be people.

Basically, this is all an excuse for Rucker to have a good time speculating. His "predictions" are fascinating and he writes about them in an entertaining way.

The best description I've found is in the Salon.com review: "Rucker's sensibility is a combination of gonzo humor, fictionalized autobiography... and the sheer bugs-in-your-teeth thrill of scientific extrapolation taken to blitz-punk extremes."

Uh... yeah.