The term All Tomorrows has become a cultural touchstone, representing a unique and often terrifying exploration of humanity's potential futures. At its core, it refers to C.M. Kosemen's groundbreaking work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man, a book that masterfully blends speculative evolution with profound cosmic horror. This seminal text imagines a billion-year saga where humanity is genetically manipulated by alien overlords, the Qu, into a myriad of bizarre and often tragic post-human species. The sheer scale and biological creativity on display have cemented its place as a modern classic in biological fiction.
The Speculative Biology Spectrum: From Yesterdays to Tomorrows
Interestingly, the fascination with reimagining life forms extends into the past as well. Kosemen, along with Darren Naish and John Conway, also authored All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. This paleoart book challenges conventional depictions of dinosaurs, proposing more dynamic, speculative, and lifelike behaviors and appearances. Together, All Yesterdays and All Tomorrows form twin pillars of speculative thought—one looking back with creative scientific rigor, the other gazing forward with unnerving imagination. For a deeper dive into this fascinating comparison, you can read the blog post All Yesterdays vs. All Tomorrows: Speculative Biology's Twin Masterpieces.
Converging Nightmares: All Tomorrows and Cosmic Horror
The themes of insignificance and existential dread in All Tomorrows resonate deeply with the traditions of Lovecraftian horror. This connection is made visually explicit in adaptations like H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga). Both works explore the terror of the unknown and the fragility of the human form against vast, uncaring cosmic forces. The cosmic dread evoked by the alien Qu in All Tomorrows is a direct descendant of the fear inspired by Lovecraft's eldritch deities. Exploring this thematic link further, the blog All Tomorrows & Lovecraftian Horror: Exploring Cosmic Dread in Manga offers excellent analysis.
This aesthetic of biological and mechanical terror finds another iconic expression in the work of H.R. Giger. The HR Giger. 45th Ed. art book showcases his legendary biomechanical style, which famously birthed the Alien xenomorph. The nightmarish, fused-organic forms in Giger's art share a clear kinship with the twisted post-human species of All Tomorrows. For fans of one, the other is essential viewing, as discussed in the guide All Tomorrows & HR Giger: A Guide to Sci-Fi's Evolutionary & Biomechanical Nightmares.
Gaming in a Post-Human World
The compelling and horrifying universe of All Tomorrows has even inspired tabletop role-playing game content. Eden Studios created a supplement for their All Flesh Must Be Eaten system titled All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies. This horror RPG supplement allows players to navigate a world overrun by the terrifying zombie variants inspired by Kosemen's creations. It's a perfect example of how a rich speculative fiction concept can expand into interactive storytelling. A detailed review and guide for this unique supplement can be found here: All Tomorrows Zombies: A Sci-Fi Horror RPG Supplement Review & Guide.
Literary and Musical Echoes of "Tomorrow"
The phrase "All Tomorrows" echoes beyond speculative biology. In literature, Nino Cipri's All the Tomorrows After is a poignant emotional novel and family saga dealing with love, loss, and the passage of time. In the realm of cyberpunk, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties serves as the finale to his Bridge Trilogy, exploring a near-future world on the brink of transformation. Fans of Gibson's work can explore an explanation of this complex novel in the blog All Tomorrow's Parties: William Gibson's Bridge Trilogy Finale Explained.
The phrase has a storied history in music as well. "All Tomorrow's Parties" is a famous song by The Velvet Underground, a cornerstone of 1960s counterculture. The definitive story of this iconic band is captured in All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story, a must-read music biography for any fan of rock history.
From the evolutionary epic that started it all to its resonances in horror, art, gaming, and music, the concept of All Tomorrows invites us to ponder the infinite possibilities of time—both past and future. It challenges our perceptions of humanity, evokes primal fears, and inspires creative works across multiple mediums. Whether you're drawn to the hard science fiction of speculative evolution, the chilling voids of cosmic horror, or the artistic expression of our deepest anxieties, this multifaceted theme offers a rich and unsettling universe to explore.