Ranking the Amazon Forward short stories
Amazon Forward is a collection of six short stories. Blake Crouch, who is one of my favorite authors, curated the stories which feature some of today's best and brightest writers in the science fiction genre. After reading the collection, here is my ranking of the stories starting with my favorite of the group.
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch
Summer Frost takes place in a near-future San Francisco. It blends video gaming, artificial intelligence, nano-technologies, and other tech that is under development and being heavily invested in. In Crouch's classic style, he wastes no time getting to the action. The technologies in the book are believable and real. I didn't have to suspend any belief to see how the future he portrays could exist. In fact, a lot of it may come to fruition sooner then he portends.
Summer Frost by Blake Crouch
Summer Frost takes place in a near-future San Francisco. It blends video gaming, artificial intelligence, nano-technologies, and other tech that is under development and being heavily invested in. In Crouch's classic style, he wastes no time getting to the action. The technologies in the book are believable and real. I didn't have to suspend any belief to see how the future he portrays could exist. In fact, a lot of it may come to fruition sooner then he portends.
Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin
Emergency Skin is a story set at some point in the future where a being, for lack of a better word, is sent to Earth to complete a prescribed mission. What makes the story particularly interesting is the point of view it is written from. The narrator is the person from the originating planet that is controlling the person who's been sent to Earth. The concept is well done, the writing is excellent, and the plot twists will keep you engaged.
Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin
Emergency Skin is a story set at some point in the future where a being, for lack of a better word, is sent to Earth to complete a prescribed mission. What makes the story particularly interesting is the point of view it is written from. The narrator is the person from the originating planet that is controlling the person who's been sent to Earth. The concept is well done, the writing is excellent, and the plot twists will keep you engaged.
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
In somewhat of a coincidence, the last story I read in Amazon's Forward Series happened to be The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay. I didn't plan it that way. It just kind of happened. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to read it. I liked it, a lot, and almost ranked it ahead of Emergency Skin.
The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay
In somewhat of a coincidence, the last story I read in Amazon's Forward Series happened to be The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay. I didn't plan it that way. It just kind of happened. I don't want to give anything away, so you'll have to read it. I liked it, a lot, and almost ranked it ahead of Emergency Skin.
Ark by Veronica Roth
In Ark, Roth explores an end of the world scenario in which a massive asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. Since the asteroid is expected to cause cataclysmic damage, humans are evacuated from Earth to the nearest habitable planet. A small group of scientists stays behind to catalog as many possible plant species before they are evacuated. The story focuses on one of the scientists, Samantha, and the decisions she must make in the final days before her group is schedule to leave.
Ark by Veronica Roth
In Ark, Roth explores an end of the world scenario in which a massive asteroid is on a collision course with Earth. Since the asteroid is expected to cause cataclysmic damage, humans are evacuated from Earth to the nearest habitable planet. A small group of scientists stays behind to catalog as many possible plant species before they are evacuated. The story focuses on one of the scientists, Samantha, and the decisions she must make in the final days before her group is schedule to leave.
Randomize by Andy Weir
Randomize is based on quantum computing theory. Weir throws around a lot of technical terms in the story. I like to consider myself somewhat tech-savvy, but at times I felt like I was in over my head. While quantum theory knowledge isn't critical in understanding the gist of the plot, Something tells me that having even a little background in the subject would make the story more engaging.
Randomize by Andy Weir
Randomize is based on quantum computing theory. Weir throws around a lot of technical terms in the story. I like to consider myself somewhat tech-savvy, but at times I felt like I was in over my head. While quantum theory knowledge isn't critical in understanding the gist of the plot, Something tells me that having even a little background in the subject would make the story more engaging.
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles
You Have Arrived at Your Destination is about the implications of genetic engineering. When Sam and his wife Annie decide on in vitro fertilization to start their family, they approach an advanced genetic engineering company. The company claims they can alter the child's lifetime outcomes through genetic selection. The kicker is that the couple gets to pick the outcome they want.
[Read the full review for You Have Arrived at Your Destination]
You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles
You Have Arrived at Your Destination is about the implications of genetic engineering. When Sam and his wife Annie decide on in vitro fertilization to start their family, they approach an advanced genetic engineering company. The company claims they can alter the child's lifetime outcomes through genetic selection. The kicker is that the couple gets to pick the outcome they want.
[Read the full review for You Have Arrived at Your Destination]