Lynnie 
Amy 
short story collection, science fiction
Amazon's Forward Collection, all
based on the theme of where our discoveries could take us into the future, can be read in any order. Here are our reviews of each with the heart rating for each individual story below. Our ratings of the collection as a whole are above.
3/5 hearts - Lynnie
Two weeks before an asteroid destroys the Earth, most humans have been evacuated, but Samantha has stayed behind with a small crew to continue to catalog plants. While there are plans for her to evacuate at the last minute, along with those who remain with her, Samantha plans to stay behind as a witness to the end. While this was my least favorite of the collection, I still enjoyed the idea behind it and the story it told. It was a somber story with a slow pace, but I found myself enchanted by the descriptions of the plants and curious about the future for Samantha and for those who had fled the Earth. 3/5 hearts - Amy I gladly skimmed over all the flower/plant detail about which I did not care. The story was based on an interesting idea of how things are handled when the Earth is nearing its demise and I liked getting to know these characters in the brief time available.
Two weeks before an asteroid destroys the Earth, most humans have been evacuated, but Samantha has stayed behind with a small crew to continue to catalog plants. While there are plans for her to evacuate at the last minute, along with those who remain with her, Samantha plans to stay behind as a witness to the end. While this was my least favorite of the collection, I still enjoyed the idea behind it and the story it told. It was a somber story with a slow pace, but I found myself enchanted by the descriptions of the plants and curious about the future for Samantha and for those who had fled the Earth. 3/5 hearts - Amy I gladly skimmed over all the flower/plant detail about which I did not care. The story was based on an interesting idea of how things are handled when the Earth is nearing its demise and I liked getting to know these characters in the brief time available.
5/5 hearts - Lynnie
A fan of Crouch’s Dark Matter, I was not surprised by how much I enjoyed his contribution to this collection. Riley is a video game creator and Max is a non-playable character in one of her games. When Max begins to veer from the script of the video game however, Riley is intrigued and works to bring Max out of the game and into the world, helping Max to grow and learn as an independent AI. Even though I could predict the outcome (because it’s everything we all fear about AI) it was still amazing to watch how it would unfold. I loved every second of it!
3/5 hearts - Amy
I might have given this a higher rating except it feels like I've read or seen or heard a close version(s) of this story before where Artificial Intelligence gets too smart. I did enjoy the way Crouch set the scene and kept it moving and got inside the main character.
3/5 hearts - Amy
I might have given this a higher rating except it feels like I've read or seen or heard a close version(s) of this story before where Artificial Intelligence gets too smart. I did enjoy the way Crouch set the scene and kept it moving and got inside the main character.
4/5 hearts - Lynnie
Having not enjoyed Jemisin’s The Fifth Season, I was surprised how much I liked this short story. The Earth has been destroyed by climate change and a descendant of those who fled the chaos has returned to get information about what (and who) has been left behind and to get samples to take back to his new home. He’s equipped with an AI implant in his mind (which narrates and talks to him constantly) and the promise of a “skin” when he successfully returns back to his homeworld. And yet, in this short novella we learn about hope, human nature, prejudice, assumption, and the ability to overcome those things that hold us back from being our best selves.
4/5 hearts - Amy
This was the best of the collection. It was the most creative and had the most interesting character. I was pleasantly surprised by this since I had not liked the only novel I've read of Jemisin's. Again, she wrote in the second person. This had bothered me in the novel but it was perfect for this story about a being returning to its planet of origin in order to get life-saving materials. I also enjoyed some of the political commentary in her story.
4/5 hearts - Amy
This was the best of the collection. It was the most creative and had the most interesting character. I was pleasantly surprised by this since I had not liked the only novel I've read of Jemisin's. Again, she wrote in the second person. This had bothered me in the novel but it was perfect for this story about a being returning to its planet of origin in order to get life-saving materials. I also enjoyed some of the political commentary in her story.
3/5 hearts - Lynnie
Sam and his wife are trying to have children in a future where fertility clinics can do much more than mate sperm and egg. Towles asks the question, what would you do if you could provide your child with the best chance possible for a successful future- however you see that future unfolding? Does nurture even matter or is everything predetermined by the genetic materials that make up a person? I was fascinated by so much of this story and found myself thinking about the implications of the idea long after I finished reading. That said however, I found the ending a bit unsatisfying.
3/5 hearts - Amy
A future where technology has made scary things possible and a psychological profile of Americans that is less than flattering makes this an uncomfortable read. The descriptions of the settings were great and the picture of the future was believable.
3/5 hearts - Amy
A future where technology has made scary things possible and a psychological profile of Americans that is less than flattering makes this an uncomfortable read. The descriptions of the settings were great and the picture of the future was believable.
4/5 hearts - Lynnie
Tremblay is the only author in this collection whose work I haven’t read before so I had no idea what to expect, and I have to say that I LOVED it. It was just creepy enough, but not so creepy that I didn’t want to continue. Instead, I was fascinated by the small clues that dropped throughout the story as it unfolds in front of your eyes. This is a story about identity- what if you woke up with no idea where or who you are? There is a doctor who will help you remember your life, regain your mobility, and answer your questions… except that she doesn’t. How long are you willing to wait and what will you do to learn the truth? The story can get a bit tedious at times, but it was worth it to discover the truth.
3-1/2 / 5 hearts - Amy
This story about someone emerging from unconsciousness and slowly remembering the past had great forward movement and kept me interested throughout. I was intrigued by the mystery of it, wanting to find out what had happened in this person's pat and why Anne was treating him in such a strange manner. I had never heard of this author but I enjoyed his story crafting.
3-1/2 / 5 hearts - Amy
This story about someone emerging from unconsciousness and slowly remembering the past had great forward movement and kept me interested throughout. I was intrigued by the mystery of it, wanting to find out what had happened in this person's pat and why Anne was treating him in such a strange manner. I had never heard of this author but I enjoyed his story crafting.
3/5 hearts - Lynnie
I’m not surprised that Weir wrote a story about quantum physics and high stakes Vegas thievery. I have no doubt that the science was accurate (like other Weir books, I couldn’t check his homework if I wanted to), but more importantly I enjoyed the interplay between the people in the story. Which is more powerful when it comes to playing the odds- the computer or the human brain? In this story, you have to wait until the end to truly find out. Like The Last Conversation, there were times that the story was tedious, but the payoff was worth it in the end.
2-1/2 / 5 hearts - Amy
As with The Martian, Weir tends to provide way too much mathematical detail and I skimmed over it. I did not need all that detail to get the gist of the thoughts/intentions behind the characters' schemes. The topic of gambling always turns me off and I did not care for the characters. Glad it was short.
2-1/2 / 5 hearts - Amy
As with The Martian, Weir tends to provide way too much mathematical detail and I skimmed over it. I did not need all that detail to get the gist of the thoughts/intentions behind the characters' schemes. The topic of gambling always turns me off and I did not care for the characters. Glad it was short.
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