The concept of All Tomorrows has become a cornerstone of modern speculative fiction, a haunting exploration of humanity's potential futures that blurs the lines between science fiction, cosmic horror, and biological art. At its core, C.M. Kosemen's seminal work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man, presents a billion-year narrative of human evolution, genetic engineering, and existential dread. It’s a story not just of survival, but of transformation into forms both wondrous and terrifying, a theme that resonates deeply with fans of cosmic horror and biological fiction.
The Speculative Biology Universe
To fully appreciate All Tomorrows, one must also consider its conceptual sibling, All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. While All Tomorrows looks forward to humanity's fragmented future, All Yesterdays reimagines the past, challenging conventional paleoart with speculative behaviors and appearances of extinct creatures. Together, they form a powerful diptych on the nature of life across time, making them essential reading for anyone interested in speculative evolution. This fascinating comparison is explored in depth in the blog post All Yesterdays vs. All Tomorrows: Speculative Biology's Twin Masterpieces.
Intersections with Cosmic and Artistic Horror
The evolutionary horror of All Tomorrows finds a natural companion in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The existential dread of humanity's insignificance in a vast, uncaring universe is a shared theme. This connection is vividly realized in H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga), which translates classic cosmic dread into a gripping graphic novel format. The visual representation of alien geometries and ancient gods complements the bodily horrors depicted in All Tomorrows. For a deeper dive into this thematic overlap, the article All Tomorrows & Lovecraftian Horror: Exploring Cosmic Dread in Manga offers excellent analysis.
Furthermore, the biomechanical and visceral aesthetic of All Tomorrows is deeply reminiscent of the iconic art of H.R. Giger. The nightmarish fusion of organic and mechanical forms in Giger's work, celebrated in volumes like HR Giger. 45th Ed., provides a visual lexicon for the terrors of forced evolution. This artistic kinship is a key topic in the guide All Tomorrows & HR Giger: A Guide to Sci-Fi's Evolutionary & Biomechanical Nightmares.
From Page to Game: All Tomorrows in RPGs
The influence of All Tomorrows extends beyond traditional books into the realm of tabletop gaming. The supplement All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies for the popular horror RPG All Flesh Must Be Eaten by Eden Studios allows players to experience the existential terror firsthand. It translates the novel's themes of parasitic takeover and bodily transformation into a playable apocalyptic scenario. Gamers and readers alike can find a comprehensive breakdown in the All Tomorrows Zombies: A Sci-Fi Horror RPG Supplement Review & Guide.
The Literary Spectrum of "Tomorrow"
The evocative title "All Tomorrows" inspires works across genres. For a poignant, emotional contrast, All the Tomorrows After offers a literary fiction take on family, time, and resilience. In the realm of cyberpunk, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties (Bridge Trilogy Book 3) concludes his visionary trilogy, exploring a near-future shaped by technology and counterculture. Meanwhile, All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story delves into rock history, capturing the spirit of the 1960s music scene that inspired the phrase.
Ultimately, the legacy of All Tomorrows is its ability to provoke profound questions about identity, evolution, and humanity's place in the cosmos. It is more than a book review subject; it's a cultural touchstone that continues to inspire artists, writers, and thinkers to imagine all the possible tomorrows—and the myriad species we might become.