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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
This was rolling along nicely, looking to be a decent story. And then it went off the rails. And not in a good way. Everything after he leaves the company is just a mess. I get what he's trying to do, but it's a mess. Just no.
Really good SF short story that uses an SF trope as a jumping off point to explore character. This is the second story of the Forward series I've read, and just went and downloaded the rest of them.
Really interesting story about the lives we choose to live and how our experiences shape them, all wrapped in a Gattaca-esque bow.
An ominous short story about a future where you can decide the minute details of your child's life, including their personality and aspirations. It made me wonder, what would I do if I could chose the little aspects of my child's life? Would I want them to live a life like mine? Would I want to have that type of power over them? Or would I want fate to decide for them? I wouldn't be surprised if a future like this is closer than we think, as frightening as that is.
This just didn't work for me. Maybe I missed something (I always write my review before I read anyone else's so it will be interesting to see what else people say)
The genetic engineering part was the most satisfying, if a little bit of a light touch gatacca. There seemed to be some fairly well worn themes of American men who have difficult relationships with their father and whether they've lived up to an external judgement of success. It's clearly a popular issue that's well represented in literature but just isn't something that resonates with me.
There's something about genetic engineering and ethics, whether big corporations can be trusted, there's a self-driving car, there's a marital problem that seems like it could have been resolved with communication... Then it ends. I felt like I was waiting for it to matter or mean something but it never got there.
The genetic engineering part was the most satisfying, if a little bit of a light touch gatacca. There seemed to be some fairly well worn themes of American men who have difficult relationships with their father and whether they've lived up to an external judgement of success. It's clearly a popular issue that's well represented in literature but just isn't something that resonates with me.
There's something about genetic engineering and ethics, whether big corporations can be trusted, there's a self-driving car, there's a marital problem that seems like it could have been resolved with communication... Then it ends. I felt like I was waiting for it to matter or mean something but it never got there.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
*Read via audiobook*
Honestly, I think there were one too many twists in this one.
I liked the question about eugenics and creating a child that we manipulate. Is this manipulation ethical? Is it really what you want as a parent or SHOULD want as a parent?
The twist with the government wanting data I think took it in a weird direction. Maybe if it was tied in differently? I'm not sure. That part threw me a bit.
Still an interesting story, for sure.
Honestly, I think there were one too many twists in this one.
I liked the question about eugenics and creating a child that we manipulate. Is this manipulation ethical? Is it really what you want as a parent or SHOULD want as a parent?
The twist with the government wanting data I think took it in a weird direction. Maybe if it was tied in differently? I'm not sure. That part threw me a bit.
Still an interesting story, for sure.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
I liked the basic premise of this story, even though it's not a new one, but the actual story on paper was a little too muddled to make the emotional payoff really sing.
dark
mysterious
slow-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:
Yes
slow-paced