Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Genre: YA Science Fiction
Release Date: December 4th, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Source: ARC received from publisher for review
My rating: 4 stars
Synopsis:
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.
BOOK LINKS
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This was a really neat look at genetic modification and manipulation, things that are becoming closer and closer to being reality. Especially with the recent news of a scientist in China who supposedly modified the genes of twins before they were born so that they would be immune to AIDS. All of the different stories had their definite importance to the overall story. However a few I liked better than the others. When I first started the book, I was reminded a bit of the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. As that is one of my favorite series, that is a good thing.
The first story was a good one, kind of gave the beginnings of how this all could start, or has started, and it was twins, one ended up with parts of the other one in order to live. The second story was one I really liked how it went. It was a great story of how teens would deal with a situation like that. The way it would feel to get revenge, and then the way the person you got revenge on, getting it. I really liked that story and how it ended. The third story was about the Reverend who was what you'd call the religious figure fighting the genetic manipulation. But his story, wow, just what a big shocker. And then to have him fit into all the stories afterwards perfectly. However the fourth story, while interesting, and unique, still had a little too much that kept me from quite connecting with the main character. The next story started out a little boring, but then when we got the Russian back story it clicked and got to where it fit and I enjoyed it more.
The final story really wrapped the whole thing up in a perfect way. It had parts that tied in to today's social issues. As I read, the science teacher in me kept needing some reason for why the people with genetic modifications were having the issues. And the way that the author fit that in, it was just, well, to use the same word I've already used, it was perfect! I liked all the different ways the author took each little idea with genetic modifications and how she saw things could maybe go. Some may have seemed a little out there, but who knows what could actually happen? That is what science fiction is for. Not once did the story get preachy about genetic modification being bad, in fact all the stories really brought up the reasons for why it can be a good thing, and I liked that a lot.
I've already put this on my list to buy for my school library, hoping that my students will really enjoy it as well, and that it will make them think, just like it did for me.
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.
Giveaway:
• 1
finished copy of STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL by Arwen Elys Dayton
• US
Only
Tour Schedule:
http://fantasticflyingbookclub.blogspot.com/2018/11/tour-schedule-stronger-faster-and-more.html
PRAISE FOR STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL
“Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful will send shivers down your spine.” —Teen Vogue
“Powerful,
poignant, and action-packed, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is
an exciting sci-fi adventure firmly rooted in the realities of our present day
that fans of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies
series will love.” —Bustle
★ “Part
cautionary tale and part ode to the inventive human spirit, Dayton’s brilliant collection of stories is best
described as a scientific Twilight Zone.”
—Publishers
Weekly, Starred
★
“Compelling and terrifying, this volume is science fiction
at its finest.”
—School Library Journal, Starred
★ “This
speculative, thought-provoking novel
will take readers on a frightening, remarkable journey through humanity’s past,
present, and possible future.” —Booklist, Starred
★ “Imaginative and incisive.” —Kirkus
Reviews, Starred
“An
alternately charming and horrifying exploration of what it means to be human
and how far we’ll go in pursuit of personal and societal ‘perfection.’ Dayton’s newest is imagination at its best and most
terrifying. I devoured this book.” —Kiersten
White, New York Times bestselling
author of And I Darken
“A work of unforgettable vision and imagination.
This book is everything I love about science fiction.”
—Jay Kristoff, New
York Times bestselling coauthor of the Illuminae Files
“Haunting, challenging and provocative—this is an
extraordinary book. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
—Amie Kaufman, New
York Times bestselling coauthor of the Illuminae Files
“A deep and suddenly necessary exploration of the
beautiful and terrible futures we face.
Every story leaves you desperate for more.”
—Hank Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
Every story leaves you desperate for more.”
—Hank Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
“Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a remarkable book, visionary and very hard to put
down.”
—Kevin J. Anderson, New
York Times bestselling author of The
Dark Between the Stars
“Stronger,
Faster, and More Beautiful—fast-paced, tightly
plotted, and engaging from the first page—puts a human face on the prosperity or catastrophe that is waiting just
around the corner.”
—David Friedberg, founder of Climate Corporation
“Arwen Elys Dayton explores
the next era of humanity with astonishing heart.”
—Peter H. Diamandis, MD, founder of XPRIZE and Singularity University and
author of the New York Times
bestsellers Abundance and Bold
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