joshmaher's review
4.0
Constance Ash put together a fun collection around the theme of artificial birth, a topic I’ve been reading a lot about lately. The funniest of the stories was There Was An Old Woman by Robert Silverberg and the most intriguing was a tie between Island Of The Ancestor by William F Wu and Judith’s Flower by Susan Palwick.
bloodravenlib's review
5.0
I picked this edition only because it has the cover art. I have it in hardback (same cover), but for some reason GoodReads' record for the HB lacks the art. Anyways, I read this back in 2000. A very intriguing anthology. Here is what I wrote in my journal back then:
>>The book is a collection of short stories dealing with alternative forms of reproduction such as cloning or genetic engineering. The stories were well written overall and presented a myriad of possibilities. The story "Daddy's World" stuck with me, not so much because it was the last one in the book but because of its ending, which could be seen as shocking or terrifying yet very subtle [no, I won't tell you. Go read it]. <<
Back then, I did not hesitate to recommend it to my significant other (an avid SF reader), and thus I do not hesitate recommending it to folks here.
>>The book is a collection of short stories dealing with alternative forms of reproduction such as cloning or genetic engineering. The stories were well written overall and presented a myriad of possibilities. The story "Daddy's World" stuck with me, not so much because it was the last one in the book but because of its ending, which could be seen as shocking or terrifying yet very subtle [no, I won't tell you. Go read it]. <<
Back then, I did not hesitate to recommend it to my significant other (an avid SF reader), and thus I do not hesitate recommending it to folks here.
sjstuart's review
3.0
Fourteen stories, set in fourteen different futures where we're no longer sexually reproducing. (There's still sex; it's just that the reproduction happens in other ways.) Clones and genetic engineering are most common. Other, more interesting variations involve androids, life in software, and an implausible but entertaining scenario that requires a ménage à trois involving three different genders.
Interestingly, nearly all of the stories are fairly introspective. The tension in the stories comes not from plot or action so much as internal conflicts: biology-driven human minds struggling with a world where some of those biological drives are obsolete. This is done much more effectively in some contributions than others.
Most of the stories are distinctly mediocre, but a few are quite good. "Hunting Mother" by [a:Sage Walker|858185|Sage Walker|/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and "Of Bitches Born" by Michael Armstrong were emotionally powerful and convincingly written. "Judith's Flowers" by [a:Susan Palwick|78024|Susan Palwick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304979373p2/78024.jpg] is more about developed vs. developing world differences than biology, but is nicely constructed and beautifully written. And [a:Walter Jon Williams|48960|Walter Jon Williams|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1275489992p2/48960.jpg]' "Daddy's World" is a fantastically spooky story about growing up in VR, and a well-deserved Nebula winner.
Interestingly, nearly all of the stories are fairly introspective. The tension in the stories comes not from plot or action so much as internal conflicts: biology-driven human minds struggling with a world where some of those biological drives are obsolete. This is done much more effectively in some contributions than others.
Most of the stories are distinctly mediocre, but a few are quite good. "Hunting Mother" by [a:Sage Walker|858185|Sage Walker|/assets/nophoto/nophoto-U-50x66-251a730d696018971ef4a443cdeaae05.jpg] and "Of Bitches Born" by Michael Armstrong were emotionally powerful and convincingly written. "Judith's Flowers" by [a:Susan Palwick|78024|Susan Palwick|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1304979373p2/78024.jpg] is more about developed vs. developing world differences than biology, but is nicely constructed and beautifully written. And [a:Walter Jon Williams|48960|Walter Jon Williams|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1275489992p2/48960.jpg]' "Daddy's World" is a fantastically spooky story about growing up in VR, and a well-deserved Nebula winner.
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