Thanks to RockStar Book Tours for involving me in this book tour. Giveaway at end of post (US only, sorry). I received an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Genre: Sci-fi Age Range: YA Star Rating: 4/5 stars Series: standalone/short-story collection
Summary:
For fans of television shows Black Mirror and Westworld, this compelling, mind-bending novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.
Set in our world, spanning the near to distant futures, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a novel made up of six interconnected stories that ask how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimens, and how hard that will push the definition of “human.”
This extraordinary work explores the amazing possibilities of genetic manipulation and life extension, as well as the ethical quandaries that will arise with these advances. The results range from the heavenly to the monstrous. Deeply thoughtful, poignant, horrifying, and action-packed, Arwen Elys Dayton’s Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is groundbreaking in both form and substance.
Thoughts:
A very thought-provoking collection of stories about where exactly genetic modification could take us, from life-saving medical research to vanity, all why asking exactly what it means to be human. Both the good and bad sides of humanity is explored, and where religion intersects with our tinkering.
The six stories are linked by the overall theme, and the recurring (and sometimes central) character of Tad Tadd. These stories vary in length from ten pages to seventy, each a jump further in the future.
My favourite story was the first – a very short one that felt the closest to reality. A boy is in hospital getting organs from his twin to save his life (the twin being in a coma she can’t wake from). It was a great start, setting the stage with technology and ideas already around. About halfway through, Tad Tadd is introduced, and the ideas of what is humanity kick off.
The six voices are well differentiated, the writing pulling you along into these snapshots of possible futures. They act almost like cautionary tales of what human folly could bring. Despite this, there is a hopeful (if almost overly confident) assertion that humanity will find away – one I don’t share. This collection leaves you with questions long after you’ve finished. To my mind, this is the true purpose of sci-fi.
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD
About the Author:
ARWEN ELYS DAYTON is the author of the Seeker series—Seeker, Traveler, and Disruptor and the e-novella The Young Dread—and the science-fiction thriller Resurrection. Arwen lives with her husband and their three children on the West Coast of the United States. You can visit her at arwendayton.com and follow @arwenelysdayton on Twitter and Instagram.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Instagram
Giveaway Details:
3 winners will receive finished copies of STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL, US only. Click here to enter the rafflecopter.
Tour Schedule:
And yes, anyone following the tour will notice I’ve changed these dates to the UK format.
Week One:
- 3/12/2018- Kait Plus Books– Review
- 4/12/2018- Novel Novice– Excerpt
- 5/12/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert– Review
- 6/12/2018- Sifa Elizabeth Writes– Review
- 7/12/2018- The Pages In-Between– Review
Week Two:
- 10/12/2018- Dani Reviews Things– Review
- 11/12/2018- Book-Keeping– Review
- 12/12/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Review
- 13/12/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
- 14/12/2018- Rainy Day Reviews– Excerpt
Week Three:
- 17/12/2018- A Gingerly Review– Review
- 18/12/2018- Always Me – Review
- 19/12/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo Blog– Excerpt
- 20/12/2018- Devouring Books– Review
- 21/12/2018- BookHounds YA– Review
Week Four:
- 24/12/2018- My Books-My World– Excerpt
- 25/12/2018- Books of Teacups– Review
- 26/12/2018- Lifestyle of Me– Review
- 27/12/2018- Wishful Endings– Excerpt
- 28/12/2018- Eli to the nth– Review
Week Five:
- 31/12/2018- Oh Hey! Books.– Review
Sifa Elizabeth Reads 