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3.31 AVERAGE

mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

zelofheda's review

3.0
adventurous dark medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

gizmomercedes's review

5.0

Would you want to design and build the perfect child? Or would you want that child to live it’s own life?

cmmainero's review

4.0
challenging reflective fast-paced
suvata's profile picture

suvata's review

4.0

One of six Amazon Original Stories

About the Collection:
For some, it’s the end of the world. For others, it’s just the beginning. With brilliant imagination, today’s most visionary writers point to the future in a collection curated by bestselling author Blake Crouch. These stories range from darkly comic to deeply chilling, but they all look forward.

fedak's review

2.0

Sort of an expansion on the Gattica concept where prospective parents can hand select sperm/egg based on genetic analysis- but this take it a step further applying a machine learning algorithm to project the child's prospective future.

The narrative follows a prospective father who is walked though the process and then shown a short list of 3 children that his wife had curated from their available genetic options. Spliced into this is a philosophical thread comparing human lives to three act plays.

Then the protagonist goes and gets drunk in a bar. The end.

[Spoiler: My reading of the final part of the book was that him visiting the bar was his reaction to being told that his wife was 'still in her second act'. i.e. That her current marriage/life situation was her obstacle to overcome before she could be truly happy. This wasn't terribly well explained in the narrative]
zjames's profile picture

zjames's review

3.0

This was and interesting premise and would’ve been better if it didn’t feel like 3 or 4 different stories mashed together.

rebecca46's review

3.25
challenging dark mysterious fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Yes
Diverse cast of characters: Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes
ulven_skoll's profile picture

ulven_skoll's review

3.0

Almost Amazing

A man goes to an advanced fertility clinic to pick his child’s future. It is difficult for him to choose his child’s future, without having to reflect on what is says about him.

The author develops a powerful and emotionally gripping concept, but does not seem to do anything with it. Instead of following any single motivation to a story conclusion, the author leaves things unfinished, in a poetically ambiguous moment.

Great for starting a conversation, but a resolutionless ending.

amyas's review

3.75
emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

A mix of short stories so varying styles