"Seven short stories of the future - with a sting"
Reviewed by Clare O'Beara
Posted July 31, 2015
LGBTQ Science Fiction | Science Fiction
Billed as a collection of science fiction fairytales, this
book of seven short stories explores tales of people,
exploration, and the human essentials like danger, heroism
and falling in love. The locations may be a little
different than we're used to, but what about the endings?
Is it fair to expect happily ever after in the future? DIVISION starts with a story some of us will find
uncomfortable. Soldier, the title, is applied to a young
person who has a very aggressive immune system. When he
survives an epidemic, the medical experts start figuring
out ways to use him to fight diseases. Like ebola. The
gradually warming continent has provided new breeding
grounds for mosquitoes and diseases. Antibiotic-resistant
germs are spreading through the population. Can young Tamun
bear to keep on being a hero? In Dissimulation, we see a world where people don't need to
travel to work or school, if they can plug themselves
directly into a sim from home. Fast forward to the next
tale where people are so shut off in their net-linked
apartments and jobs that they don't meet, flirt, hang out
or talk. So what would dating be like? Find out in Please
Connect. This is my favourite story. Horror fans will find something to their liking, and
there's more than one wry look at future tech. The title
story DIVISION is last, and we find ourselves aboard the
largest passenger ship in the galaxy, the Mary Shelley. Two
women have made a baby, and their little girl is their
focus until events take a turn for the worse. I found a deeply touching tale here
with all
the humanity we would expect of a contemporary novel. The
setting is well realised and makes sense of some of the
contextual items, such as needing a licence for motherhood. Dip in and dip out with a smile or a frown, as you make
your way through the woods where something worse than
wolves may lurk. If you do not like the future presented,
remember that it is our generation who will bring about the
future. Thanks to Lee S. Hawke, we can visualise this
version of a cybernetic, mechanised, warming world and see
how ordinary people fit into it - or don't. DIVISION will
suit SF fans looking for quick reads.
Learn more about Division
SUMMARY
BEAUTY. GRIEF. MINDS. EVERYTHING IS DIVISIBLE From LEE S. HAWKE, author of THE CHANGELING AND THE SUN (published by
Ideomancer Speculative Fiction Magazine) comes DIVISION: A COLLECTION OF SCIENCE
FICTION FAIRYTALES. Featuring 7 original, fairytale-inspired science fiction short stories, this collection
explores the division between mind, body, technology, and humanity in Hawke’s
trademark haunting style. Inside:
A chronically ill civilian discovers that his immune system may be the key to human
survival A schoolgirl tries to escape her demons through levels of virtual reality A data analyst falls in love with a software coder during a forced government
assignment A young boy is confronted with a horrifying truth about his constructed world A jaded medical technician rediscovers the meaning of beauty A girl scrambles to escape a horrifying alien invasion in a futuristic dystopia, and A spaceship engineer struggles with the death of her only daughter.
Metaphysical and visionary, this collection of fantastic fiction combines humor, wonder,
horror and humanity to create an enduring anthology of fairy tales for adults.
What do you think about this review?
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy