Fantastic Metropolis

As you probably know by now, the entire contents of the Breaking Windows anthology are available for perusal at the site, and so I’m inclined to regard this book as an experiment of sorts, an attempt to determine what sort of impact free online texts have on print publication sales. We are by no means the first to attempt it, although Prime Books should nonetheless be praised for their unwavering commitment to making this book available. Cory Doctorow has recently published Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which can also be obtained via free download, and Eric Flint’s Baen Free Library site has been going for a couple of years now, with astonishing results.

There has been a lot of heated argument on the subject in the past, especially surrounding Harlan Ellison’s famous KICK Internet Piracy campaign. I must make it clear that Fantastic Metropolis in no way condones the illegal distribution of creative works, whatever the medium, but on the other hand I’m not entirely convinced that consequences are as damaging as many claim them to be. Public libraries, friends borrowing books, and people trying out novels at bookshops before they decide on a purchase, all these can be equally harmful. Quite the contrary, I believe the effects may even be positive, as exposure garnered by online works can help offset the handicap of obscurity. I know I’m not alone feeling this way, otherwise Fantastic Metropolis would have never gone past being a castle in the air.

In the end, it’s up to you, the reader, to prove us right or wrong in this matter. I hope that, whatever your choice, you enjoy your stay at Fantastic Metropolis.

Luís Rodrigues
Lisbon, Portugal
February 2003

Breaking Windows: A Fantastic Metropolis Sampler is available from Prime Books in hardcover and trade paperback.