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A review by __apf__
Forward: Stories of Tomorrow by N.K. Jemisin, Blake Crouch, Paul Tremblay, Amor Towles, Veronica Roth, Andy Weir
3.0
Forward is an uneven collection of short stories that fails to be more than the sum of it parts. The six authors all have distinctive, strong voices that pull in wildly different directions. Forward's theme -- technologies causing social change -- is far too broad to provide any coherence. I recommend picking and choosing the stories separately; it isn't clear to me that all six would be to any one person's taste. (Individual reviews are below.)
Ark: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A delicate portrait of two scientists, working to catalogue and preserve plant specimens in the shadow of an impending asteroid strike. I enjoyed the depths of the characters and the joy of scientific discovery.
The Last Conversation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A short psychological thriller that delves into the meaning of self.
You Have Arrived at Your Destination: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was put off by the unnecessary ode to Tesla at the beginning, but the story contains an interesting look at the way lives can be lived. I'm guessing I will appreciate this story more when I am older; it feels like it could be very meaningful to someone in middle age, reflecting on what might have been.
Summer Frost: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fun take on super-sentient AI.
Emergency Skin: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unexpectedly funny story of space travel and apocalypses-that-weren't. Quite clever, but also a little too simplistic and on-the-nose. I imagine this story could be divisive among some readers.
Randomize: ⭐️ A Vegas casino heist that involves quantum computers. Stilted technical talk and shallow characters.
Ark: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A delicate portrait of two scientists, working to catalogue and preserve plant specimens in the shadow of an impending asteroid strike. I enjoyed the depths of the characters and the joy of scientific discovery.
The Last Conversation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A short psychological thriller that delves into the meaning of self.
You Have Arrived at Your Destination: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I was put off by the unnecessary ode to Tesla at the beginning, but the story contains an interesting look at the way lives can be lived. I'm guessing I will appreciate this story more when I am older; it feels like it could be very meaningful to someone in middle age, reflecting on what might have been.
Summer Frost: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ A fun take on super-sentient AI.
Emergency Skin: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ An unexpectedly funny story of space travel and apocalypses-that-weren't. Quite clever, but also a little too simplistic and on-the-nose. I imagine this story could be divisive among some readers.
Randomize: ⭐️ A Vegas casino heist that involves quantum computers. Stilted technical talk and shallow characters.