The term All Tomorrows has become a powerful touchstone in modern speculative fiction, evoking a deep sense of cosmic wonder and evolutionary dread. It originates from C.M. Kosemen's groundbreaking work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man, a book that chronicles a billion-year saga of human evolution and devolution at the hands of alien overlords. This seminal text didn't just tell a story; it created an entire genre of evolutionary horror, asking profound questions about identity, legacy, and what it means to be human across unimaginable timescales.
The Speculative Biology Connection: Past and Future
Interestingly, Kosemen is also the co-author of All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. While All Tomorrows looks forward to a terrifying future, All Yesterdays looks back, challenging our rigid perceptions of prehistoric life. Together, they form the twin pillars of modern speculative biology. This fascinating interplay between past and future is a core theme explored in the blog post All Yesterdays vs. All Tomorrows: Speculative Biology's Twin Masterpieces. Both books encourage us to think beyond the fossilized bones and the familiar human form, embracing the weird and wonderful possibilities of life.
Bridging to Cosmic Horror and Iconic Art
The themes of All Tomorrows resonate strongly with the tradition of cosmic horror, where humanity is rendered insignificant by vast, uncaring cosmic forces. This connection is made explicit in adaptations like H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga), which visualizes classic cosmic dread in a gripping graphic novel format. For a deeper dive into this thematic overlap, check out All Tomorrows & Lovecraftian Horror: Exploring Cosmic Dread in Manga.
Furthermore, the biomechanical nightmares of All Tomorrows find a visual soulmate in the work of H.R. Giger. The compendium HR Giger. 45th Ed. is an essential art book for any fan of this aesthetic, showcasing the fusion of organic and mechanical that so perfectly complements the themes of forced evolution. The blog All Tomorrows & HR Giger: A Guide to Sci-Fi's Evolutionary & Biomechanical Nightmares expertly explores this chilling synergy.
From Page to Game: All Tomorrows in RPGs
The compelling universe of All Tomorrows has even inspired tabletop role-playing game content. All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies is a supplement for the popular horror RPG All Flesh Must Be Eaten by Eden Studios. It allows players to experience the terror of the Star People's fate firsthand, blending apocalyptic fiction with biological fiction. For a detailed look at how this supplement works, the review All Tomorrows Zombies: A Sci-Fi Horror RPG Supplement Review & Guide is an invaluable resource.
The Literary and Musical Echoes of "Tomorrow"
The phrase "All Tomorrows" also echoes in other literary realms. Niven Govinden's All the Tomorrows After is a poignant emotional novel and family saga, exploring love and identity in a more intimate, contemporary fiction setting. A thoughtful analysis can be found in All the Tomorrows After: A Literary Journey Through Family, Time, and Emotion.
In science fiction, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties concludes his iconic cyberpunk dystopian fiction Bridge Trilogy. Meanwhile, in music history, All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story provides a definitive music biography of the legendary 1960s counterculture band, essential for any rock history enthusiast.
From the evolutionary epic of All Tomorrows to the paleontological reimagining of All Yesterdays, from the biomechanical art of Giger to the RPG adventures and literary echoes, this constellation of works shows how a single, powerful idea can ripple across genres. They all invite us to question our place in time, to imagine the unthinkable, and to confront the myriad possibilities of all our tomorrows.