The Afflictions & Automatic Eve
The Afflictions, by Vikram Paralkar (a doctor in real life) is sort of a compendium of fantastical illnesses, in very very short story form. At its best, the book's entries are something that could have fallen from the pen of Jorge Luis Borges as an encyclopedia of things that never were. But few of them reach that level of substance. Most have that correct tone, but just read like (correctly) abandoned Twilight Zone concepts. Pointless framing story adds nothing to the mix.
Automatic Eve, by Rokuro Inui, also seem to edge toward some significant meaning (especially given the inevitable comparison to Blade Runner and its source material) but also falls short of being profound. Nevertheless, it is a much more successful story, or series of linked stories really. A lot of people have likened it to Steampunk in Shogunate Japan. I can see why, but it's a misnomer. Certainly it's set in shogun era Japan and that adds some interest to the story, but it's not really steampunk. The automata are the only real sign of technology, and they are really more magic or mirales than technology.
Automatic Eve, by Rokuro Inui, also seem to edge toward some significant meaning (especially given the inevitable comparison to Blade Runner and its source material) but also falls short of being profound. Nevertheless, it is a much more successful story, or series of linked stories really. A lot of people have likened it to Steampunk in Shogunate Japan. I can see why, but it's a misnomer. Certainly it's set in shogun era Japan and that adds some interest to the story, but it's not really steampunk. The automata are the only real sign of technology, and they are really more magic or mirales than technology.