The term All Tomorrows has become a cultural touchstone, evoking a profound sense of wonder and existential dread. While C.M. Kosemen's seminal work, All Tomorrows: The Myriad Species and Mixed Fortunes of Man, stands as the cornerstone of this concept, it has inspired and connected to a fascinating array of other creative works. This exploration delves into the rich ecosystem of media that orbits the core ideas of speculative evolution, cosmic horror, and humanity's uncertain future, all linked by the evocative phrase "All Tomorrows."
The Speculative Biology Duo: Yesterday and Tomorrow
To fully appreciate the context of All Tomorrows, one must look to its conceptual sibling, All Yesterdays: Unique and Speculative Views of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals. While "All Tomorrows" projects humanity's future through a terrifying evolutionary lens, "All Yesterdays" reimagines the past, challenging rigid paleoart conventions. Together, they form the twin pillars of modern speculative biology. This approach of questioning established narratives—whether about dinosaurs or our own descendants—is what makes both books, and the broader speculative biology genre, so compelling. For a deeper dive into their connection, the blog All Yesterdays vs. All Tomorrows: Speculative Biology's Twin Masterpieces offers an excellent analysis.
Cosmic Horror: From Evolutionary Dread to Lovecraftian Manga
The existential terror in All Tomorrows shares deep roots with the cosmic horror tradition. This lineage is vividly realized in H.P. Lovecraft's The Call of Cthulhu (Manga). Both works explore humanity's insignificance in a vast, uncaring universe, though one uses evolutionary biology and the other uses ancient, alien gods. The visual medium of manga provides a stunning new perspective on Lovecraft's themes, much like the illustrations in Kosemen's work bring his horrific human descendants to life. The intersection of these two worlds is explored in the article All Tomorrows & Lovecraftian Horror: Exploring Cosmic Dread in Manga, highlighting the shared cosmic dread.
This theme continues in other works like All the Fiends of Hell, a title that promises its own brand of apocalyptic terror, fitting neatly within the apocalyptic fiction and horror genres that fans of All Tomorrows often enjoy.
The Art of the Biomechanical Nightmare
No discussion of the aesthetic influencing All Tomorrows is complete without mentioning H.R. Giger. The nightmarish, biomechanical forms of the Qu and the Star People's altered descendants echo Giger's iconic style. HR Giger. 45th Ed. is a definitive collection of his work, serving as a visual companion to the themes of bodily horror and alien transformation. The fusion of biological and mechanical elements defines a specific strand of cosmic horror that both Giger and Kosemen master. For a guided tour through this connection, see All Tomorrows & HR Giger: A Guide to Sci-Fi's Evolutionary & Biomechanical Nightmares.
Gaming in a Post-Human World
The concepts of All Tomorrows are so potent they've spawned their own tabletop RPG supplement. All Flesh Must be Eaten: All Tomorrows Zombies for Eden Studios' horror RPG system allows players to navigate a universe where the grotesque post-human species from the book become threats in a narrative game. This bridges the gap between reading about evolutionary horror and actively experiencing it, a must-have for fans of both the book and horror RPGs. A comprehensive look at this supplement can be found in All Tomorrows Zombies: A Sci-Fi Horror RPG Supplement Review & Guide.
Literary and Cultural Echoes
The phrase "All Tomorrows" resonates beyond strict sci-fi and horror. All the Tomorrows After represents a turn towards literary fiction, exploring family, time, and emotion—themes of legacy and future that, while less horrific, still ponder what comes next for humanity.
In the realm of cyberpunk, William Gibson's All Tomorrow's Parties concludes his Bridge Trilogy, examining a near-future shaped by technology and corporate power, a different but equally compelling vision of tomorrow. Meanwhile, All Tomorrow's Parties: The Velvet Underground Story grounds the phrase in music history, offering a definitive biography of one of rock's most influential bands, a testament to the phrase's cultural cachet since the 1960s.
Finally, works like All Yesterday’s Papers show how the "All Tomorrows" concept continues to inspire creators across different series and mediums, creating an interconnected web of speculative thought.
In conclusion, All Tomorrows is more than a single book; it's a gateway into a multifaceted exploration of humanity's potential futures and artistic expressions of dread and wonder. From the paleoart of our past to the biomechanical nightmares of our possible evolution, and from graphic novel adaptations to tabletop adventures, the legacy of All Tomorrows continues to grow, challenging us to look ahead with both fear and fascination.