Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

by: Arwen Elys Dayton
The future is curious.
STRONGER
Today our bodies define us. We color our hair; tattoo our skin; pierce our ears, brows, noses. We lift weights, run miles, break records. We are flesh and blood and bone.
FASTER
Tomorrow has different rules. The future is no longer about who we are--it's about who we want to be. If you can dream it, you can be it. Science will make us smarter, healthier, flawless in every way. Our future is boundless.
MORE BEAUTIFUL
This is a story that begins tomorrow. It's a story about us. it's a story about who comes after us. And its a story about perfection. Because perfection has a way of getting ugly. {cover copy}
I was given this book in exchange for an honest review, and I could not be happier with the outcome. I always worry a little bit when I agree to read a book I don't necessarily pick out for myself, but man, was I rewarded! So the first thing that sticks out about this book, something that I found myself thinking several times as I read it, was that this book is like a YA Black Mirror. If you are unfamiliar with Black Mirror, it is a SciFi show that features a new story each episode. Each story is about some technology some unknown point in the future and how it affects us, or could affect us. It's actually kindof scary because you can totally picture this stuff happening in our future. Enter this novel, which is actually a set of short stories that build on each other. Each story goes further into the future, introducing more technological/biological change, and building on the story before it in subtle ways. I wasn't expecting that, but I really enjoyed it. Perhaps because it drew that Black Mirror parallel even stronger for me. The difference is that the themes in this book aren't quite as adult as some of the Black Mirror episodes, which is no knock on the book at all, btw, as the issues that are tackled are still pretty grown up. And the stories build on each other more in this book than the episodes do in Black Mirror. Anyway, each story was equally intriguing, which is a sign of well-written short stories, since you only have a limited time to connect with the characters before their time in the spotlight of the book ends and then you have to want to connect to the next set of characters. This was really well done. This was a fascinating and entertaining book, and I'm so glad I agreed to read it. These stories are definitely going to stick with me and infiltrate into my life the way Black Mirror has done. I definitely recommend this one! 

Also, can we just appreciate this first and last word situation? I have yet to have this happen on any of my reviews. I think this is clever.

Human! {first line}
• Human • {last word}