In the vast landscape of speculative fiction, few works have carved out a niche as distinct and haunting as C.M. Kosemen's All Tomorrows. This illustrated book, subtitled "The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man," presents a billion-year future history of humanity, remade countless times by alien overlords into bizarre and often horrifying new forms. It's a work that defies easy categorization, blending biological fiction, cosmic horror, and profound philosophical inquiry into a single, unforgettable narrative. The core concept of All Tomorrows—humanity's malleability and the indifferent cruelty of the cosmos—has resonated deeply, inspiring discussions and connecting to a wider universe of related media.
The Speculative Biology Spectrum: From Yesterdays to Tomorrows
To fully appreciate All Tomorrows, it's essential to view it alongside its conceptual sibling, All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. While "All Tomorrows" projects forward into a terrifying evolutionary future, "All Yesterdays" looks back, challenging rigid conventions of paleoart to imagine dinosaurs in more lifelike, speculative behaviors and appearances. Together, they form the twin pillars of modern speculative biology, one exploring the deep past's unknowns and the other the infinite possibilities of the future. Both books encourage readers to think beyond established norms, whether it's the posture of a Stegosaurus or the ultimate fate of the human species.
Echoes of Cosmic Dread: All Tomorrows and Horror Traditions
The cosmic dread permeating All Tomorrows finds a clear ancestor in the works of H.P. Lovecraft. The themes of insignificant humanity facing vast, uncaring entities are powerfully shared. This connection is made visually explicit in adaptations like H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga), which translates Lovecraftian horror into a gripping graphic novel format. The evolutionary horror of Kosemen's work, where the human form is twisted into pitiful or monstrous shapes, is a direct descendant of Lovecraft's fear of bodily corruption and alien genealogy. Exploring both gives fans a richer understanding of how cosmic horror evolves across decades and mediums.
This fusion of biological and existential terror reaches another peak in the art of HR Giger. The nightmarish, biomechanical landscapes and creatures Giger conceived for *Alien* share a deep kinship with the genetically engineered horrors of All Tomorrows. Publications like HR Giger. 45th Ed. showcase his iconic biomechanical art, providing a visual companion to the similarly unsettling visions of post-humanity. For enthusiasts of this specific aesthetic blend—where flesh fuses with machine and evolution takes a sinister turn—these works are essential.
Gaming the Apocalypse: All Tomorrows Meets Tabletop RPGs
The compelling and horrifying universe of All Tomorrows naturally lends itself to interactive storytelling. This potential was officially realized with the RPG supplement All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies. This book for Eden Studios' popular horror RPG "All Flesh Must Be Eaten" allows players and Game Masters to bring the Star People, the Qu, and the myriad mutant human species into their apocalyptic fiction games. It's a perfect example of how a rich speculative concept can cross-pollinate into other creative domains, offering new ways to engage with the material's themes of survival and transformation.
The Literary and Musical "Tomorrows"
Beyond horror and speculation, the phrase "All Tomorrows" echoes in other cultural corners. In literary fiction, All the Tomorrows After presents an emotional novel and family saga, exploring the passage of time and personal legacy in a more intimate, contemporary setting. It shares the thematic concern with time and consequence, albeit on a human scale rather than a cosmic one.
William Gibson, the godfather of cyberpunk, titled the final book of his Bridge Trilogy All Tomorrow's Parties. This dystopian fiction novel deals with technological singularity and societal collapse, another vision of a challenging future, albeit through a technological lens. Finally, the phrase finds its iconic origin in music with All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story. This definitive music biography delves into the legendary 1960s band that helped define counterculture and rock history, reminding us that the contemplation of future days has always been a potent source of artistic inspiration.
The enduring power of All Tomorrows lies not just in its shocking imagery, but in its ability to act as a conceptual hub. It connects threads of paleontology, cosmic horror, biomechanical art, role-playing games, and even literary fiction. Whether you're drawn to its stark evolutionary predictions, its Lovecraftian sense of scale, or its sheer imaginative audacity, exploring the ecosystem of media around "All Tomorrows" enriches the experience of the original masterpiece. It reveals a network of creative works all grappling with the same fundamental questions: What are we? What might we become? And what awaits us in all our tomorrows?