This collection of literary excerpts originates from Schismatrix Plus, a science fiction volume by Bruce Sterling that features a novel alongside several connected short stories. The narrative centers on the Shaper/Mechanist universe, a future where humanity has split into two warring factions defined by genetic engineering and cybernetic enhancement. Through the perspective of protagonist Abelard Lindsay, the text explores themes of posthumanism, political exile, and the impact of alien Investors on solar diplomacy. Sterling uses an introduction to explain how these stories functioned as exploratory sketches to build the complex, "crammed-prose" world of the primary novel. Ultimately, the sources depict a fragmented human race struggling to adapt as they undergo radical transformations across the solar system.