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Dreams Before the Start of Time
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
In a near-future London, Millie Dack places her hand on her belly to feel her baby kick, resolute in her decision to be a single parent. Across town, her closest friend—a hungover Toni Munroe—steps into the shower and places her hand on a medic console. The diagnosis is devastating.
In this stunning, bittersweet family saga, Millie and Toni experience the aftershocks of human progress as their children and grandchildren embrace new ways of making babies. When infertility is a thing of the past, a man can create a child without a woman, a woman can create a child without a man, and artificial wombs eliminate the struggles of pregnancy. But what does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family?
Through a series of interconnected vignettes that spans five generations and three continents, this emotionally taut story explores the anxieties that arise when the science of fertility claims to deliver all the answers.
In a near-future London, Millie Dack places her hand on her belly to feel her baby kick, resolute in her decision to be a single parent. Across town, her closest friend—a hungover Toni Munroe—steps into the shower and places her hand on a medic console. The diagnosis is devastating.
In this stunning, bittersweet family saga, Millie and Toni experience the aftershocks of human progress as their children and grandchildren embrace new ways of making babies. When infertility is a thing of the past, a man can create a child without a woman, a woman can create a child without a man, and artificial wombs eliminate the struggles of pregnancy. But what does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family?
Through a series of interconnected vignettes that spans five generations and three continents, this emotionally taut story explores the anxieties that arise when the science of fertility claims to deliver all the answers.
212 pages, Paperback
First published April 18, 2017
141 people are currently reading
1519 people want to read
About the author
Anne Charnock
21 books154 followersAnne Charnock's novel DREAMS BEFORE THE START OF TIME is the winner of the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award, and was shortlisted for the BSFA 2017 Best Novel Award. Her latest novel, BRIDGE 108, is written in the same world as her debut novel, A CALCULATED LIFE — a finalist for the 2013 Philip K. Dick and The Kitschies Golden Tentacle Awards.
SLEEPING EMBERS OF AN ORDINARY MIND, her second novel, was named by The Guardian as one of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2015
Anne Charnock's journalism has appeared in New Scientist, The Guardian, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune and Geographical. She was educated at the University of East Anglia, where she studied Environmental Sciences, and at The Manchester School of Art, England where she gained a Masters in Fine Art.
As a foreign correspondent, she travelled widely in Africa, the Middle East and India and spent a year overlanding through Egypt, Sudan and Kenya.
http://www.annecharnock.com
http://www.twitter.com/annecharnock
Author photo by Marzena Pogorzaly
SLEEPING EMBERS OF AN ORDINARY MIND, her second novel, was named by The Guardian as one of the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Books of 2015
Anne Charnock's journalism has appeared in New Scientist, The Guardian, Financial Times, International Herald Tribune and Geographical. She was educated at the University of East Anglia, where she studied Environmental Sciences, and at The Manchester School of Art, England where she gained a Masters in Fine Art.
As a foreign correspondent, she travelled widely in Africa, the Middle East and India and spent a year overlanding through Egypt, Sudan and Kenya.
http://www.annecharnock.com
http://www.twitter.com/annecharnock
Author photo by Marzena Pogorzaly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 147 reviews
April 25, 2017
"Dreams Before the Start of Time" by Anne Charnock is a multigenerational saga that explores a potential future driven by rapid development of reproductive technologies. Ms. Charnock tells the story via vinyets, internal dialog and character dialog We find no space ships or a dystopian futures within these pages.
Raising children is difficult and worrisome as it is. Imagine a future where a single parent can have a child without a partner through stem cell manipulation from the parents own cells, incubated in an artificial wombs, with either sperm or eggs donated by strangers. It's not necessary for a man to need a woman or a woman to need a man to create life. Yet humans need interaction, so how difficult would relationships then become. Layer on top of that the options of genetic manipulations can come into play. How would the children then cope with these situations?
This is a novel dealing with relationships, man to woman, man and woman to child, family to family. The borders and boundaries all change and Anne Charnock has created a plethora of challenges, options, emotions and ramifications surrounding, what used to be kind of fun, reproduction practices.
Although not my normal type of reading I found this to be quite enjoyable and thought provoking.
This copy is inscribed and signed by the author Anne Charnock.
Raising children is difficult and worrisome as it is. Imagine a future where a single parent can have a child without a partner through stem cell manipulation from the parents own cells, incubated in an artificial wombs, with either sperm or eggs donated by strangers. It's not necessary for a man to need a woman or a woman to need a man to create life. Yet humans need interaction, so how difficult would relationships then become. Layer on top of that the options of genetic manipulations can come into play. How would the children then cope with these situations?
This is a novel dealing with relationships, man to woman, man and woman to child, family to family. The borders and boundaries all change and Anne Charnock has created a plethora of challenges, options, emotions and ramifications surrounding, what used to be kind of fun, reproduction practices.
Although not my normal type of reading I found this to be quite enjoyable and thought provoking.
This copy is inscribed and signed by the author Anne Charnock.
August 7, 2018
You don't expect those who reinvent the wheel to be awarded the patent.
Okay, let me step back. While I have serious problems with this book, it was actually a surprisingly pleasant reading experience. That is due in some part to the magic of low expectations, but it is also because the characters Charnock crafted are engaging. I might have liked this book if I could have read it without any context.
But as a piece of science fiction, it fails, doubly so as an award winning piece of science fiction. I can see the reason why the director of the Arthur C. Clarke award called this "science-literate fiction" rather than science fiction (though even that may be overstating the case). Frankly, this reinvents the wheel. What do I mean by that? I mean that the author is acting as if the genre concepts she's working with are completely novel. I will grant that I'm not aware of any books that focus on pregnancy an parenthood, but there are plenty that raise the technology and situations that this books turns it's attention to. The technology is nothing that the author had to dream up, some of it already halfway exists, and it's all mentioned so quickly that Charnock doesn't have time to add anything. The problem is that this book acts as if all this is something science fiction has never dreamed (heck, half the time it feels like it's try to invent science fiction). Ultimately this book feels like it's throwing in the future and technology to get a better stance to philosophize.
Another wheel this book reinvents? To quote the back of the book "[W]hat does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family?" The basic answer isn't anything new to, for instance, families that adopt or those who know that. While genetic lineage has some influence on a child, parents and children are defined by the act of caring, the act of rearing, and so on, not the circumstances of birth. Yawn. Seriously, that's enough to win a major science fiction award?
And it gets worse. This book is told in 3 periods. The first is 16 years down the road. Then 50 more years away, finally another 36 years. That earliest section hasn't changed much from our world. Oh, the branding of single parenthood has changed a bit, a few things are more common. We have hints that polyamory might become more acceptible by 2034, but zoom out to the middle era and one couple maybe has some sort of open relationship, but really seems more like the characters have an on-again off-again relationship and otherwise the relationships are traditional. We have a bigender character (the gender isn't stated, so I'm guessing at a term, but certainly someone outside the gender binary) who seems to have a little bit of an easier time than they would today by a bit. We have an asexual, maybe aromantic character whose bisexual. None of this feels even near futuristic but that's what it's supposed to be.
Looking more broadly and in the later eras, if there were queer identities down the line, I missed them (and maybe that's possible, I had to spend enough effort as the vignettes jumping around trying to figure out/remember who was who and who they were related to--at the very least they have a tiny role to play). There's no one else outside the gender binary, no queer relationships. And, heck, the bisexual character seemed more to have had a 'phase that she went through' than to be depicted as really bisexual (I will grant that the book takes a moment to defend the characters queerness, but it still disappears), the asexual character is described in insensitive ways (I will again mention that the book takes a moment to defend her against the older generation, but still). And something seemed a bit off about the depiction of the bigender character (though I can't honestly say if the author didn't do the research or knows someone who experiences gender in that way, so I can't come down strongly here). All together, it's not surprising that queerness gets erased in Charnock's future.
Honorable mention for ridiculousness? A character in 2120 pushing a goal of becoming a street food vendor selling crepes as if she's discovered the future. Seriously? That exists. Where I live.
Also, incredibly bougie. Seriously, this focuses so much on how the middle class would be affected. The lower class comes up a bit, but those characters are introduced through the eyes of one of the bourgeoisie.
Edited further: I meant to knock this book another way. One of the characters who gets unexpectedly pregnant should have (judging solo by her internal monologue) probably have gotten an abortion. Even more (again, judging by her internal monologue), she shouldn't have stuck with the genetic father, or at least she shouldn't have tried to transition their relationship 6 weeks in from something very casual to a long term relationship with parenting involved. But it did all work out in the end (in the book), I guess because having a baby makes everything easier, or something?
Okay, let me step back. While I have serious problems with this book, it was actually a surprisingly pleasant reading experience. That is due in some part to the magic of low expectations, but it is also because the characters Charnock crafted are engaging. I might have liked this book if I could have read it without any context.
But as a piece of science fiction, it fails, doubly so as an award winning piece of science fiction. I can see the reason why the director of the Arthur C. Clarke award called this "science-literate fiction" rather than science fiction (though even that may be overstating the case). Frankly, this reinvents the wheel. What do I mean by that? I mean that the author is acting as if the genre concepts she's working with are completely novel. I will grant that I'm not aware of any books that focus on pregnancy an parenthood, but there are plenty that raise the technology and situations that this books turns it's attention to. The technology is nothing that the author had to dream up, some of it already halfway exists, and it's all mentioned so quickly that Charnock doesn't have time to add anything. The problem is that this book acts as if all this is something science fiction has never dreamed (heck, half the time it feels like it's try to invent science fiction). Ultimately this book feels like it's throwing in the future and technology to get a better stance to philosophize.
Another wheel this book reinvents? To quote the back of the book "[W]hat does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family?" The basic answer isn't anything new to, for instance, families that adopt or those who know that. While genetic lineage has some influence on a child, parents and children are defined by the act of caring, the act of rearing, and so on, not the circumstances of birth. Yawn. Seriously, that's enough to win a major science fiction award?
And it gets worse. This book is told in 3 periods. The first is 16 years down the road. Then 50 more years away, finally another 36 years. That earliest section hasn't changed much from our world. Oh, the branding of single parenthood has changed a bit, a few things are more common. We have hints that polyamory might become more acceptible by 2034, but zoom out to the middle era and one couple maybe has some sort of open relationship, but really seems more like the characters have an on-again off-again relationship and otherwise the relationships are traditional. We have a bigender character (the gender isn't stated, so I'm guessing at a term, but certainly someone outside the gender binary) who seems to have a little bit of an easier time than they would today by a bit. We have an asexual, maybe aromantic character whose bisexual. None of this feels even near futuristic but that's what it's supposed to be.
Looking more broadly and in the later eras, if there were queer identities down the line, I missed them (and maybe that's possible, I had to spend enough effort as the vignettes jumping around trying to figure out/remember who was who and who they were related to--at the very least they have a tiny role to play). There's no one else outside the gender binary, no queer relationships. And, heck, the bisexual character seemed more to have had a 'phase that she went through' than to be depicted as really bisexual (I will grant that the book takes a moment to defend the characters queerness, but it still disappears), the asexual character is described in insensitive ways (I will again mention that the book takes a moment to defend her against the older generation, but still). And something seemed a bit off about the depiction of the bigender character (though I can't honestly say if the author didn't do the research or knows someone who experiences gender in that way, so I can't come down strongly here). All together, it's not surprising that queerness gets erased in Charnock's future.
Honorable mention for ridiculousness? A character in 2120 pushing a goal of becoming a street food vendor selling crepes as if she's discovered the future. Seriously? That exists. Where I live.
Also, incredibly bougie. Seriously, this focuses so much on how the middle class would be affected. The lower class comes up a bit, but those characters are introduced through the eyes of one of the bourgeoisie.
Edited further: I meant to knock this book another way. One of the characters who gets unexpectedly pregnant should have (judging solo by her internal monologue) probably have gotten an abortion. Even more (again, judging by her internal monologue), she shouldn't have stuck with the genetic father, or at least she shouldn't have tried to transition their relationship 6 weeks in from something very casual to a long term relationship with parenting involved. But it did all work out in the end (in the book), I guess because having a baby makes everything easier, or something?
July 1, 2017
This captivating series of linked stories starts in the future and continues moving forward in time, exploring the ways plausible (if sometimes disturbing) advances in conception and birth options would change individual lives and the relationships between family members and lovers. The book spans several generations in the families of two devoted, but very different, best friends, Millie and Toni, who we meet in the first story. Each successive story features someone the reader has already met, making the implications of previous character choices, or in a few cases non-choices, poignantly clear.
Some characters stumble into relationships and parenting, others are highly purposeful. Some go down the old natural paths, others opt for high tech genetic enhancements for one or more of their children.
This is people centered science fiction, and almost all of the stories are thought provoking and don’t-want-to-stop-reading compelling. Most moving for me was finding out what happened to a genetically optimized “bottle baby”, meaning a fetus with traits chosen by his parents who was “carried to term” in a lab rather than a human womb. Gerard was orphaned before he was born and left unadopted in his “bottle” by the main characters of an especially haunting story. We meet Gerard again in another story much later in his life, as an adult, after he’d been raised in an institution setting among other orphans with genetic upgrades. Gerard has been living a perfectly constructed life, but now he’s grappling with the unexpected. A one night stand about 10 years ago resulted in a son he has only recently learned about, a boy who contrasts in marked and unexpected ways with the carefully planned son he’s raising with his wife.
I read an advanced review copy of this book supplied to me at no cost by the author. Review opinions are mine.
Some characters stumble into relationships and parenting, others are highly purposeful. Some go down the old natural paths, others opt for high tech genetic enhancements for one or more of their children.
This is people centered science fiction, and almost all of the stories are thought provoking and don’t-want-to-stop-reading compelling. Most moving for me was finding out what happened to a genetically optimized “bottle baby”, meaning a fetus with traits chosen by his parents who was “carried to term” in a lab rather than a human womb. Gerard was orphaned before he was born and left unadopted in his “bottle” by the main characters of an especially haunting story. We meet Gerard again in another story much later in his life, as an adult, after he’d been raised in an institution setting among other orphans with genetic upgrades. Gerard has been living a perfectly constructed life, but now he’s grappling with the unexpected. A one night stand about 10 years ago resulted in a son he has only recently learned about, a boy who contrasts in marked and unexpected ways with the carefully planned son he’s raising with his wife.
I read an advanced review copy of this book supplied to me at no cost by the author. Review opinions are mine.
April 16, 2017
I was expecting something spectacular. This book did not develop. I actually found the technological aspects to be really cool but that was the only positive thing about this novel. Based on the premise, I was expecting a very character-driven story that explores complex relationships and emotions between the different people involved in this story as they go from one generation to another. However, that did not happen. It felt like I was reading an interesting textbook rather than a fiction story. None of the characters were expressive enough and there was no emotional connection for me. I didn't feel anything for anyone in the book and I couldn't believe in the relationships that were established in the novel, either. In that sense, this novel made me really upset. I wanted it to be so interesting and different and there was so much potential for that to happen. Instead, I got a dry book with no feelings or emotion, except for a huge wave of disappointment from my end. In the end, this was not a good novel for me.
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
I received this novel as an advanced copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews, visit: www.veereading.wordpress.com
November 20, 2023
Yay, finally a 5 star read for me this year!
This was a highly competent novel. The way the story and plot was pushed forward through jumps in characters, generational shifts and time, was genius. It's mostly a sort of speculative fiction about a future with multiple ways to construct a family, both by natural and artificial sources, and it's told by inner monologues and dialogue, centered around two best friends, Millie and Toni, and the very different ways their families branch out.
I deeply appreciate the way this story was told. Often you didn't know what happened or what decisions certain characters made, only to hear about it again, two generations later, and learning through their own internal train of thought what happened. It's near genius, to carry a story forward like this, jumping from one everyday conversation to another, and sneaking in info here and there about the way these characters' lives were formed. I'm a big fan of writing as a storytelling tool, and this was one brilliant and unusual way of using this tool. Well done!
This was a highly competent novel. The way the story and plot was pushed forward through jumps in characters, generational shifts and time, was genius. It's mostly a sort of speculative fiction about a future with multiple ways to construct a family, both by natural and artificial sources, and it's told by inner monologues and dialogue, centered around two best friends, Millie and Toni, and the very different ways their families branch out.
I deeply appreciate the way this story was told. Often you didn't know what happened or what decisions certain characters made, only to hear about it again, two generations later, and learning through their own internal train of thought what happened. It's near genius, to carry a story forward like this, jumping from one everyday conversation to another, and sneaking in info here and there about the way these characters' lives were formed. I'm a big fan of writing as a storytelling tool, and this was one brilliant and unusual way of using this tool. Well done!
April 24, 2017
The world needs more feminist science fiction. Anne Charnock's take on what the ethics of reproduction might look like in the near and distant future is interesting and refreshing. This is the type of subject that easily lends itself to dystopian darkness of the type represented by The Handmaid’s Tale, the most famous account of reproductive disaster. Charnock’s novel is also timely: sales of The Handmaid's Tale have shot up since the election of Donald Trump. I think it’s safe to say that we will welcome more views of the subject via the medium of fiction.
In contrast to The Handmaid’s Tale, Dreams Before the Start of Time is not a dystopia. Instead, we have an objective, almost scientific distance where the developing ethical quandaries are presented as problems to consider, not crimes to judge. A number of them have stayed with me since reading this book. First and foremost, Charnock presents the problem of one naturally gestated son in the same family as a genetically improved son. The latter doesn't even look like his family; he is too perfect, strangely superior.
Charnock also speculates that pregnancy will no longer be socially acceptable. One of her characters has to stop working well before her maternity leave in order to avoid the disapproving looks and comments she gets from random strangers. Pregnancy is considered the shabby, almost irresponsible way of gestating a child when there are much safer, healthier facilities in labs.
Then there's the problem of the extremely unusual situation where babies produced in the lab become orphans. They can be adopted before they're born, if they're lucky. Others end up in a group home where they are treated to a luxurious upbringing, lacking nothing except parents—thanks to the extensive insurance requirements of labs in the baby growing business.
Dreams Before the Start of Time is a series of thought-provoking vignettes. It's a must read for anyone interested in science fiction or feminism and it's easy to see why Charnock has been nominated for so many awards. I think she may well be the most interesting and provocative writer of science fiction out there at the moment.
In contrast to The Handmaid’s Tale, Dreams Before the Start of Time is not a dystopia. Instead, we have an objective, almost scientific distance where the developing ethical quandaries are presented as problems to consider, not crimes to judge. A number of them have stayed with me since reading this book. First and foremost, Charnock presents the problem of one naturally gestated son in the same family as a genetically improved son. The latter doesn't even look like his family; he is too perfect, strangely superior.
Charnock also speculates that pregnancy will no longer be socially acceptable. One of her characters has to stop working well before her maternity leave in order to avoid the disapproving looks and comments she gets from random strangers. Pregnancy is considered the shabby, almost irresponsible way of gestating a child when there are much safer, healthier facilities in labs.
Then there's the problem of the extremely unusual situation where babies produced in the lab become orphans. They can be adopted before they're born, if they're lucky. Others end up in a group home where they are treated to a luxurious upbringing, lacking nothing except parents—thanks to the extensive insurance requirements of labs in the baby growing business.
Dreams Before the Start of Time is a series of thought-provoking vignettes. It's a must read for anyone interested in science fiction or feminism and it's easy to see why Charnock has been nominated for so many awards. I think she may well be the most interesting and provocative writer of science fiction out there at the moment.
January 26, 2022
Between 2 and 3, in all honesty. Too many characters, epochs, places and continents... that are supposed to be interconnected, but barely are to the extent I wondered at times whether I'm reading collection of stories or one unified novel... Far too little clarity or writing. Nice idea, interesting topic, but not so stellar execution. I believe it could have been done in less ambitious (not to say pretentious) manner, focusing on single place in space and time. The same message, if there is one, would have been delivered in much clearer and more enjoyable way.
October 14, 2018
Review to follow. This is a significant failure of high-concept SF. Little emotional payoff, lack of follow through, no broader socio-political context. Troublesome treatment of gender and droids.
May 7, 2018
1.5/5.0
February 7, 2017
https://anaslair.wordpress.com/2017/0...
Dreams Before the Start of Time had my head spinning. It is quite an epic book, spanning five generations. It is not a particularly easy read as it goes back and forth in time and switches characters quite often.
I don't even know what to say about its content cause there is just so much going on and at the same time not much. We are shown snippets of several characters' lives, at different points in their life. We meet them as babies and adults and as the narrative advances we get the view them differently but they still have their voices.
Sadly I was unable to connect with the characters. Also, the writing made me uncomfortable, as each chapter or even subchapter ended very abruptly.
However, I did enjoy the sci-fi elements. I especially enjoyed that everything felt like it could happen soon. It is not distant sci-fi as most of the stuff out there. And crazy as it may seem the stuff that comes up during the narrative made me wonder why I hadn't thought of that before because it could totally happen.
It is a special book indeed. I just wish I could have connected more with the characters and that the narrative didn't feel so disjointed all the time. Rounding it up because there is so much food for thought and for the originality of the concept, but it is a solid 3.5 for me.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
Dreams Before the Start of Time had my head spinning. It is quite an epic book, spanning five generations. It is not a particularly easy read as it goes back and forth in time and switches characters quite often.
I don't even know what to say about its content cause there is just so much going on and at the same time not much. We are shown snippets of several characters' lives, at different points in their life. We meet them as babies and adults and as the narrative advances we get the view them differently but they still have their voices.
Sadly I was unable to connect with the characters. Also, the writing made me uncomfortable, as each chapter or even subchapter ended very abruptly.
However, I did enjoy the sci-fi elements. I especially enjoyed that everything felt like it could happen soon. It is not distant sci-fi as most of the stuff out there. And crazy as it may seem the stuff that comes up during the narrative made me wonder why I hadn't thought of that before because it could totally happen.
It is a special book indeed. I just wish I could have connected more with the characters and that the narrative didn't feel so disjointed all the time. Rounding it up because there is so much food for thought and for the originality of the concept, but it is a solid 3.5 for me.
Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
February 10, 2017
I received this book free of charge from NetGalley.
This story called to me. It is labeled as sci-fi. But mostly it seems a good excuse to do character development stories. It was for that that I kept reading and actually finished the book. In fact, as I was listening and suddenly it was the Acknowledgements. I don't know what the ending was.
The other thing about the book was it was presenting the idea that shows results of natural pregnancy versus choosing a child gestated out of the womb. Then the story follows the parents and children and grandchildren of these differing beginnings.
But I never got to know anyone enough to care. After just having read something similar and not finishing it, I found myself trying not to give in and toss the book. But I got through it and I am left feeling I wasted time. I know I won't remember this book. I am only giving 3 stars because I finished. So I guess the stars are for me. Not the book. I am so sorry to feel this way about it. I hope others love the book and maybe I will go back someday and find it wonderful.
This story called to me. It is labeled as sci-fi. But mostly it seems a good excuse to do character development stories. It was for that that I kept reading and actually finished the book. In fact, as I was listening and suddenly it was the Acknowledgements. I don't know what the ending was.
The other thing about the book was it was presenting the idea that shows results of natural pregnancy versus choosing a child gestated out of the womb. Then the story follows the parents and children and grandchildren of these differing beginnings.
But I never got to know anyone enough to care. After just having read something similar and not finishing it, I found myself trying not to give in and toss the book. But I got through it and I am left feeling I wasted time. I know I won't remember this book. I am only giving 3 stars because I finished. So I guess the stars are for me. Not the book. I am so sorry to feel this way about it. I hope others love the book and maybe I will go back someday and find it wonderful.
July 14, 2017
Though the concept sounded intriguing, the book didn't seem to have a cohesive flow. No emotional connection made with any of the characters and the tone the book was written in seemed cold and detached.
July 10, 2019
Fertility in the Future: what will humans in the future--near and far--make of child-rearing, of genetic screening, of paired or solo conception? In 2034, 2084-2085, 2120: several individuals and their descendants make those irrevocable decisions and live with the consequences, good, bad, or ugly. The author's clarity of insight and forthtelling create a gem. DREAMS BEFORE THE START OF TIME won the Arthur C. Clarke Award.
October 2, 2018
Decepcionante. La última ganadora del premio Arthur C. Clarke es una obra futurista que se centra más en las relaciones entre personas y cómo los cambios en los métodos de gestación las afectan. Sin embargo, todo esto queda en nada, siendo la mayoría de capítulos intrascendentes y la especulación científica practicamente nula.
March 7, 2018
A book of ups and downs. There are some things Anne Charnock does very well, there's others I'm significantly less keen on. First, my favourite thing, the premise. Infertility is a thing of the past, pregnancies can be conducted in artificial wombs and a person of any sex can create a child using only their own genetic material, no partner required. It's a premise to remind anyone why they love speculative fiction, take an idea and run with it.
The story is told by piecing together small vignettes from several generations of two families. This is partly a strength, letting the book cover a lot of ground in not much word count, but to me it also felt like its biggest weakness. So many of the characters in this book would have suited a book to themselves. Charnock's really good at characterisation, but for this book that ends up being the whole problem, you get a wide variety of interesting characters, all of whom you're not given as much time with a you'd like.
I think I will be looking out for more Charnock, and with a premise like this I'd recommend it to anyone, it's a short book with a lot of content, but I'm not sure it's going to be an all time favourite.
The story is told by piecing together small vignettes from several generations of two families. This is partly a strength, letting the book cover a lot of ground in not much word count, but to me it also felt like its biggest weakness. So many of the characters in this book would have suited a book to themselves. Charnock's really good at characterisation, but for this book that ends up being the whole problem, you get a wide variety of interesting characters, all of whom you're not given as much time with a you'd like.
I think I will be looking out for more Charnock, and with a premise like this I'd recommend it to anyone, it's a short book with a lot of content, but I'm not sure it's going to be an all time favourite.
August 5, 2018
This is feminist science fiction that feels like realism, told through a series of vignettes/character studies that all in some way connect to two friends, Toni and Millie. It's beautifully done, although really more philosophical than anything else. There's no plot to speak of, just an examination of how families can work (and not work) in many different forms, and some consideration of what the quickly-advancing science of fertility will do to family dynamics. It felt very calm and peaceful to read, interesting without being overwhelming, and the tone was so confident, the sci-fi touches so deft, that I wasn't at any point jarred out of the story to question the science, which is quite an achievement. Well worth a read.
March 11, 2018
https://nwhyte.livejournal.com/2976098.html
This story is told through a series of closely linked vignettes, following the two main characters, Millie and Toni, from their discovery that they are pregnant in 2034 to their old age, exploring how technology changes their relationships to their parents, lovers, children and grandchildren. I guess I rate it just a little lower because the ending is rather abrupt, but in other ways it's a book very much for the present day, when we are on the cusp of redefining a lot of these concepts.
This story is told through a series of closely linked vignettes, following the two main characters, Millie and Toni, from their discovery that they are pregnant in 2034 to their old age, exploring how technology changes their relationships to their parents, lovers, children and grandchildren. I guess I rate it just a little lower because the ending is rather abrupt, but in other ways it's a book very much for the present day, when we are on the cusp of redefining a lot of these concepts.
April 3, 2019
Dreams Before the Start of Time is a novel told in a series of vignettes, focusing on different, interrelated characters in three different time periods across a ninety-year span. The focus is on two families, Millie Dack's and Toni Munroe's, and how their families are affected by developments in fertility and child-rearing across nearly a century. Some things are new, others stay the same.
In some ways, Dreams Before the Start of Time feels more like an interconnected world of short stories than a novel, in that with each section we are presented with either a new character, or one who has lived decades since the last time we saw inside their heads. What works about this is that we get different perspectives on the different circumstances - what parents, grandparents, and children think about a family situation. But we also get tangentially related characters, some of whom are more interesting than others, who get virtually no elaboration in connected stories. The general sense is of snapshots of lives, meaningful moments but not necessarily those that have the longest or deepest impact, an incomplete story without an ending, like life.
In some ways, Dreams Before the Start of Time feels more like an interconnected world of short stories than a novel, in that with each section we are presented with either a new character, or one who has lived decades since the last time we saw inside their heads. What works about this is that we get different perspectives on the different circumstances - what parents, grandparents, and children think about a family situation. But we also get tangentially related characters, some of whom are more interesting than others, who get virtually no elaboration in connected stories. The general sense is of snapshots of lives, meaningful moments but not necessarily those that have the longest or deepest impact, an incomplete story without an ending, like life.
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August 13, 2022Some novels transpire the full identity of their writers, and this left me with the feeling of being a prime example. There is an undeniable love for the written word, both in journalism and literature, travel, and art that is described too vividly to have been imagined and not felt.
Anne’s fears, hopes, and dreams seem all transparently on display as she eloquently follows three generations of families on a show of potential futures for alternative pregnancies, family dynamics, and how much of trait and personality is carried over genetic information.
This is novel about people who never feel entirely fulfilled, complete, or at peace themselves - in as so much is the human condition. It presents some predictable future tech in an uncomplicated manner, while being written in accessible, unassuming prose.
Enjoyable.
Anne’s fears, hopes, and dreams seem all transparently on display as she eloquently follows three generations of families on a show of potential futures for alternative pregnancies, family dynamics, and how much of trait and personality is carried over genetic information.
This is novel about people who never feel entirely fulfilled, complete, or at peace themselves - in as so much is the human condition. It presents some predictable future tech in an uncomplicated manner, while being written in accessible, unassuming prose.
Enjoyable.
May 31, 2018
I received this book free of charge from Nudge to read and review.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told through a series of interconnected tales which follow five generations and it is set in a future where carrying a baby naturally is frowned upon. Instead the norm is to grow a baby in a gestation facility where you can tweak the genetics of your child and grow your own baby solo if you wish. I found the story to be both familiar and alien at the same time; human nature doesn’t change but technologies advance and improve our lives (or otherwise!)
This would make a good introduction to anyone wishing to try science fiction for the first time or anyone interested in feminism. It is easy to see why the author has been nominated for so many awards and I will definitely look for her work in the future.
I really enjoyed reading this book. The story is told through a series of interconnected tales which follow five generations and it is set in a future where carrying a baby naturally is frowned upon. Instead the norm is to grow a baby in a gestation facility where you can tweak the genetics of your child and grow your own baby solo if you wish. I found the story to be both familiar and alien at the same time; human nature doesn’t change but technologies advance and improve our lives (or otherwise!)
This would make a good introduction to anyone wishing to try science fiction for the first time or anyone interested in feminism. It is easy to see why the author has been nominated for so many awards and I will definitely look for her work in the future.
February 23, 2019
Though the subject discussed - the way humans reproduce in the future, is a fascinating one, I didn't like the book.
Firstly, because the narration is very slow, lacks any significant plot movements and the heroes are somewhat unsympathetic for me. Secondly, the book consists of multiple short stories of various generations of the same circle of people, but due to the cut-off nature of each story they are rather difficult to follow and connect - I had to go back few times to catch the connections. And finally, I have already read other sci-fi books that discuss the same topic in a less roundabout manner.
Firstly, because the narration is very slow, lacks any significant plot movements and the heroes are somewhat unsympathetic for me. Secondly, the book consists of multiple short stories of various generations of the same circle of people, but due to the cut-off nature of each story they are rather difficult to follow and connect - I had to go back few times to catch the connections. And finally, I have already read other sci-fi books that discuss the same topic in a less roundabout manner.
March 27, 2019
I was quite enjoying this for the first half: gentle, short chapters exploring various connected characters' experiences with starting a family, and how modern technology offers an increasing variety of options for how to achieve that. Gender fluidity, surrogacy and "bottle babies" all bring their own challenges and opportunities, and attitudes evolve too. It would have been nice to spend more time with these characters and dig deeper into the consequences and impact of their decisions.
But as it went on I became a little frustrated, as it didn't seem to have any particular point or purpose in mind, but just ambled along until it stopped.
But as it went on I became a little frustrated, as it didn't seem to have any particular point or purpose in mind, but just ambled along until it stopped.
December 29, 2019
A lovely story. At times it was difficult to keep the family lines straight but by the end everyone felt like old friends.
A really cool examination of how a future technology could potentially affect family life and relationships.
A really cool examination of how a future technology could potentially affect family life and relationships.
April 6, 2020
Disappointing. This is basically just an extended family drama that flirts a little bit with the ramifications of extended life and artificial wombs. The story is slow and the writing has a dreamy quality which is nice and probably right up someone’s ally. In fact if you don’t think you like science fiction but are curious how reproductive technology shapes family dynamics in a very small scale then this would be a great book for you.
October 31, 2021
See raamat oli justkui minu jaoks kirjutatud - ulmekas, milles on inimsuhteid, reproduktiivtervist, ilu ja poeesiat.
Jep, täiega meeldis. Vahelduseks oli tore lugeda ka naiskirjaniku poolt kirjutatud ulmekat.
Jep, täiega meeldis. Vahelduseks oli tore lugeda ka naiskirjaniku poolt kirjutatud ulmekat.
June 27, 2021
Not my normal style, but I found this very compelling.
October 31, 2018
A big ole nothing of a book.
April 4, 2019
Dreams Before the Start of Time looks at a series of inter-related families across five generations as reproductive technology improves changing the shape of family and child-birth. What I really liked about this was that it wasn't a dystopia, like so many stories of future technology seem to be, nor was it blindly idealistic. Instead, the author didn't condescend to tell you what to think. She simply asked questions, provoking thought on childbirth, genetics, unborn life, family, unconventional marriages, etc. While I felt the book kind of lost its steam about half-way through, its still very much worth reading.
April 3, 2022
DNF 52%. No continuity of interest. No main characters.
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