Tag: tech fiction

The Gibson Continuum

In this episode of Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw takes us into an augmented reality where digital nostalgia and cyberpunk ghosts blur the lines between authentic experience and manufactured references.

“The Gibson Continuum” follows Kevin, a self-proclaimed multimedia node hunting for cyberpunk “ghosts” for his latest content piece. When he meets a mysterious woman reading Neuromancer in a bar called The Squid and Mashed Potato, he discovers they’re both seeing the same strange apparitions—digital echoes from pop culture past manifesting in their augmented reality.

As these semiotic ghosts become more frequent and vivid, Kevin’s search for meaning leads him to question the nature of reality itself, only to discover the truth might be far more mundane than he hoped.

Themes & Topics

• Digital nostalgia and cultural recycling

• The commodification of subcultural aesthetics

• Reality vs. augmented perception

• Content creation and the attention economy

• The blurred boundaries between authentic experience and manufactured references

• How we build identity through cultural touchpoints

About the Author

Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that examines how technology shapes our perception of reality and culture. His stories playfully deconstruct genre expectations while offering insightful commentary on our digitally mediated existence.

Get Early Access

Love what you heard? Get early access to all audio stories plus exclusive text versions of every episode by supporting Jon Cronshaw on Patreon: ⁠patreon.com/joncronshawauthor⁠.

The Perfect Daughter

In our premiere episode of Speculative Fiction Tales, Jon Cronshaw introduces us to a chilling near-future where family connections become just another thing to optimise away.

“The Perfect Daughter” follows Ellie, a busy management consultant who’s tired of her mother’s guilt trips and endless phone calls.

When she discovers VoiceEase—an AI service that can perfectly simulate her voice and personality—she sees it as the ideal solution.

The AI can handle those emotionally draining calls with her mother while she focuses on her career.

Themes & Topics

• AI automation of emotional labor and relationships

• The gap between technological convenience and authentic connection

• Modern family dynamics in the digital age

• The temptation to optimize away difficult but necessary human interactions

• How technology can both reveal and deepen our disconnection from loved ones

Listener Discretion

This episode contains themes of family estrangement and emotional avoidance that some listeners may find resonant with their own experiences.

About the Author

Jon Cronshaw crafts speculative fiction that examines how technology reshapes our most intimate human connections.

His stories probe the psychological impacts of our increasingly digitized existence, offering thoughtful and often unsettling glimpses into very possible near futures.

Get Early Access

Love what you heard? Get early access to all audio stories plus exclusive text versions of every episode by supporting Speculative Fiction Tales on Patreon: p⁠atreon.com/joncronshawauthor⁠.