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A review by katykelly
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton
4.0
Powerful, relevant and riveting series of interconnected genetic engineering narratives.
4.5 stars.
I was intrigued from the first. Set in our own near future but spanning decades and beyond, the stories explore related issues and in fact related stories, regarding genetic engineering of the human body.
Some are very brief, a brother and sister organ donation plot, a girl whose body has been wrecked but rebuilt after an accident and how this affects how other students see her. Others are longer and more detailed - what happens when you select for certain traits and the effects are not what you expect, the planetary implications of creating human-like beings, or of altering large amounts of the body.
We have different narrators, young people who tell us about their world, their body, their attitudes to nature and alteration. I can't imagine anyone will read/listen to this and not question their own instincts and reactions to the idea of modifying the human body or of creating human-like beings.
Just loved the collection, and how they interconnected as well. The society the stories built is one that seems not too far away, and the technology and its implications this showcases only makes it clear that there are both huge benefits and some tremendous downsides to having this power and control.
I would recommend the audio version of this. Some of the narrators speak directly to the reader/listener, making this an absorbing Audible listen. A range of voices portray the characters effortlessly, there are clear breaks from tale to tale.
I do enjoy a book that makes me ponder my opinions, and makes me think 'what if'. Fans of dystopic fiction but also anyone interested in science/technology and its future will find this a stimulating read.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.
4.5 stars.
I was intrigued from the first. Set in our own near future but spanning decades and beyond, the stories explore related issues and in fact related stories, regarding genetic engineering of the human body.
Some are very brief, a brother and sister organ donation plot, a girl whose body has been wrecked but rebuilt after an accident and how this affects how other students see her. Others are longer and more detailed - what happens when you select for certain traits and the effects are not what you expect, the planetary implications of creating human-like beings, or of altering large amounts of the body.
We have different narrators, young people who tell us about their world, their body, their attitudes to nature and alteration. I can't imagine anyone will read/listen to this and not question their own instincts and reactions to the idea of modifying the human body or of creating human-like beings.
Just loved the collection, and how they interconnected as well. The society the stories built is one that seems not too far away, and the technology and its implications this showcases only makes it clear that there are both huge benefits and some tremendous downsides to having this power and control.
I would recommend the audio version of this. Some of the narrators speak directly to the reader/listener, making this an absorbing Audible listen. A range of voices portray the characters effortlessly, there are clear breaks from tale to tale.
I do enjoy a book that makes me ponder my opinions, and makes me think 'what if'. Fans of dystopic fiction but also anyone interested in science/technology and its future will find this a stimulating read.
With thanks to Nudge Books for providing a sample Audible copy.