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Devolution: A Short Tale of a Dystopian Far Future

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Derek 100771 lives in a far future world where the human population has long exceeded the ability of the Earth to support it. When recycling and reclamation are the only foundation for life, and births must be supported one to one by deaths, even sex is digital and everyone's life is lived exclusively to support the lives of the whole...until an accident occurs that changes everything.

30 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 2, 2014

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About the author

Clabe Polk

22 books16 followers
Clabe Polk is into a second career as a writer of fiction. So far, he has written three novels, three novellas, several short stories, assorted screen plays and has a couple of novels in process. He is a life-long reader with a great variety of life experiences that has led him to write a variety of different types of fiction.
Mr. Polk retired after nearly thirty-seven years in professional environmental protection, that included administrative, civil, and criminal law enforcement. Having studied Marine Zoology and natural sciences at the University of South Florida, he has spent most of his life among the woods, waters, fields and farms of Florida and Georgia.

He currently lives in Powder Springs, Georgia with his wife, two daughters and the family’s cockerpoo named ‘Annie’.

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah.
116 reviews46 followers
March 7, 2018
Book name: Devolution: A Short Tale of a Dystopian Far Future

Author: Clabe Polk

Blurb/Theme :
Derek 100771 lives in a far future world where the human population has long exceeded the ability of the Earth to support it. Derek is a person who needs human contact and communication in a world where human interaction is controlled by computers and even sex is virtual. But Derek is a rebel. He is willing to risk correction and attitude adjustment, even recycling in order to maintain a little human contact. He is even willing to risk the fear and animosity of his virtual female companion in order to dream.

In Derek’s time disease and unexpected death have been eradicated and births must be supported one to one by deaths; life is lived exclusively to support the lives of the whole. And then an accident occurs that changes everything!

About:
This is the sixth book of Mr. Clabe Polk that I am reviewing and the second short story of the author.

I loved the protagonist Derek and his willingness to understand the logic all through his entire work with advanced AI and virtual world. The quality that he was able to discern things touched me most. I feel this quality is extinct with many “humans” today as in “humanoids” we cant discuss this issue at all.

The description of - “childbirth was authorized to only those who made virtual love and if their lottery number was drawn they would be called separately in a fertility lab for sperm and egg donation and then in a growth cell, the embryo would grow. The parents were sent a digital photo and they would never know each other except through a digital link” simply stunned me.
It gave me goosebumps and I hope such a thing never happens in the future.

I loved Shanda and they make a really good pair as they both are so much aligned with their thoughts and it's really heartwarming to see love grow in them.

I loved the ending lines- a family, a new beginning, and the greatest blessing hope. Finally, Derek had to accept that Shanda was right. On a lighter note, women are always right though first, their opinions seem absurd to men!

I enjoyed reading this short story and I wish Mr. Clabe Polk all the best for his future authorship works.

My rating is
Narration:5/5
Story plot:5/5
Cover:5/5

Profile Image for Tony Parsons.
4,156 reviews96 followers
February 19, 2018
2075, the Cosmic Cataclysm (asteroid) hit the Earth killing billions of PPL.
Derek (100771) work shift was not over.
He was being detained. It his 3rd. violation.

The line of PPL could be seen as far as 1 could see.
They were there to get their fair share of commodities: recycled food, recycled waste & wastewater.
A worldwide controller & a massive data system kept continues monitoring on everything/everyone.
Nevel 101962 & Derek worked different shifts processing dead bodies at the recycling facility.
Child birth was only granted by the lottery.
The chosen couple would come separately to a fertility lab & donate the eggs or sperm. Those would be handled through a growth cell where the embryo would develop to full term. Also, under constant surveillance.

What does the future hold for Derek?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one. All thoughts & opinions are entirely my own.

A very awesome book cover, & great font/writing style. A very well written Dystopian short story (book). It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great Dystopian movie, an animated cartoon or better yet a mini TV series. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free Goodreads; Making Connections; Making Connections discussion group talk; Author; PDF book
Tony Parsons (Washburn)
Author 8 books22 followers
February 6, 2018
The story starts out good, in a Logan’s Run esque future, but just when the drama starts with a plague, the story ends. How the society ends/changes and what happens during the plague is given less than a paragraph with a death toll. I also had a problem with such a mechanized society with controlled reproduction having such a high population, wouldn’t the computers or their designers be able to reduce the population to a sustainable level in a few generations?
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews

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