From the novel Artificial Wisdom
London, 2050. 111°F.
London
48th Floor, Pudding Lane
Baker House
Marcus Tully lives and works on the 48th floor of Baker House, a grimy skyscraper on Pudding Lane. Below his window stands the Monument to the Great Fire of London, its golden urn the one beautiful thing left in the view.
“Every other floor in the grimy, dated Baker House skyscraper on Pudding Lane contained mostly empty commercial office space.”
“Looking out the floor-to-ceiling window… they could see the fluted column of the Monument to the Great Fire of London below, topped with a glinting golden urn.”
“When the fire swept through London, it must have felt like the end of civilization to those living here at the time. They couldn’t have imagined the entire world would be burning nearly four hundred years later.”
Life at Ground Level
The Streets
“The humid hellfire of the London summer. Sweat beaded everywhere, from the small of her back up to her brow. The stench of the sewer laced the air.”
“King William Street. The street in front of the once-majestic facades was now lined with tents and poverty.”
“Packed with tents, people cooking insect burgers with illegal gas, and kids running barefoot. It was a rancid mess.”
“The flooded river stank.”
“The Tube was unusable after the recent flash floods, unless you were a rat.”
“Livia kicked at a rat as it scurried near her across the pavement. She missed, and was sure its eyes glinted in triumph.”
“Would there ever be stars above London again, or were they all condemned to die in a starless smog?”
Same World. Same Moment.
The Contrast
- 111°F, sewer stench
- Mosquitoes, rats
- Starless smog
- Tent cities, insect burgers
- “Dirty, stinky, hot”
- Perfect temperature, flower scent
- Imported parakeets, birdsong
- Stars from the ocean
- Transport pods, fine dining
- “Fresh, sweet air”
“I’ve always thought the Floating States are built to keep out all the problems rather than do anything serious about solving them. Keep out the hot weather. Keep out the roiling seas. Keep out the poor people.”
— Marcus Tully
Real Places. Imagined Future.
Still London
Despite everything, it’s still recognisably London. The landmarks endure. The Monument has survived four hundred years. The Roman temple on Walbrook is still buried beneath modernity. You can walk these streets today — and in Tully’s world, they’re lined with tents.
The Monument to the Great Fire
Pudding LaneStill standing. Golden urn still glinting. Four hundred years of survival.
King William Street & Bank
City of LondonOnce-majestic facades now lined with tents. Known locally as St. Shitsville.
Cannon Street Station
Cannon StreetStill functioning as a landmark. The city endures.
The Roman Temple
WalbrookThe ancient Mithraeum, buried by modernity. Still there beneath it all.
Mansion House
City of LondonSurrounded by poverty. Grandeur fading.
St. Swithin’s Lane
Near BankA side street. Still recognisably London.
Marcus Tully lives on the 48th floor of a crumbling skyscraper on Pudding Lane. When he’s offered a chance to uncover the truth behind the climate catastrophe, he leaves for New Carthage. What he finds there changes everything.
This is London in 2050. It won’t look like this for long.
Read Artificial Wisdom →Keep Exploring