This book is utterly incredible.

Formed from six distinct stories, the reader is carried in small hops and great leaps into a future of genetic manipulation, modification and enhancement. Each stepping stone is linked by certain thematic strands and a recurring character cameo forming a glittering metallic path as beautiful as it is terrifying.

Starting with ‘Matched Pair’ which is set ‘A few years from now…’ and eases us gently in by way of medical necessity, moral doubts and loving sacrifice we gradually move through modifications that become increasingly dramatic and decreasingly necessary, until we finally come full circle in ‘Curiosities’. This final story is set so far in the future that the boundaries of what it means to be human are unrecognisable from our vantage point here in 2019, taking our first baby steps in that direction.

The definition of humanity is a recurring theme, and another obvious theme is the moral and ethical basis on which such decisions are made and who, if anyone, has the right to make them. The spokesperson for both sides of this debate is the Reverend Tad Tadd, an American evangelist who is passionately against the idea of remaking God’s image, until forced to reconsider his stance by personal convenience and emotion.

Other less obvious themes are those of freedom and exploitation; and the one I found most pervasive and disturbing, which is inextricably linked to those, of consent. Or rather, lack of consent. Evan casually notes in the opening story that the hospital has a habit of conducting tests and procedures without notice or consent; Milla has her privacy invaded and Elsie, her personal choice removed; in ‘Eight Waded’ the protagonist is altered in utero, whilst in ‘California’ he is carved into an object of utility whilst adult but unaware. This insidious creeping erosion of choice culminates in ‘Curiosities’ where even the knowledge needed to make an informed decision is controlled, obscured and withheld. The subtlety of the shifts from one scenario to the next, worse, one makes this one of the most terribly, sickeningly plausible sci-fi novels I have read.

Overall, there are moments of exquisite beauty and joy, love and hope, but the sympathies of the author and therefore the reader tend to tilt towards the impact of the ‘advances’ being mostly negative. It was easy for me to pinpoint the moment I decided on which side of the argument I leaned, by checking where the ‘good’ Reverend’s moral compass was pointing at each stage and then adjusting my own correspondingly! 😉

Those who enjoy intricately crafted, entertaining and deeply emotive sci-fi – human and horrifying – will be transfixed by this dystopian gem.





I’m in my hospital room, but I’m sitting in a chair in the corner, because it’s dangerous to stay in the hospital bed, which can be wheeled away for CAT scans or blood draws or surgery, or whatever, so easily. You have the illusion of control if you’re sitting in a chair.
Julia is in the adjoining room. She’s on the bed, of course. And though I can hear our mother in there with her, she’s only saying a few quiet words to my sister, and my sister is not saying anything in reply.
“This is fortune smiling on us, Evan,” my father says, using what has become one of his favourite phrases. He looms over me, because I’m sitting down while he’s standing and also because he’s six foot five. “Years from now, you’re going to look back on these weeks and wonder why you ever hesitated. Julia would want her heart and yours to be joined.”

– Arwen Elys Dayton, Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful

Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog

Several intertwining stories progressing though time, with each one getting more and more obscure and twisted and warped. But who am i to say that non of it will pass. I really enjoyed the first coupe of stories, Closely to our own current worlds, as the book progressed the stories became stranger and my enjoyment diminished.
This was a really interesting twist usual apocolyptic reads, just a whole lot more scary and probable.

This is one novel, with six stories ranging from a couple of years in the future, to far in the future. They are all all looking at what life would be like with body modifications, which starts with the good intentions of medical applications, and diversifies from there.



These six stories have different characters in them, and set in different times, with no exact number of years between, but we're told it's 'a few more years' into the future.



Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful was an enjoyable sci-fi look at the applications people could find to being able to modify their bodies, and isn't being told to preach to you, just to give you the room to look at the idea, and how wrong it could go.



Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful was published on 4th December 2018, and is available on Amazon and Waterstones to order, and everywhere else you can find books! I've found a link to where you can search for local bookshops, including independent!



I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Harper Collins (the publishers) for this book.



Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!

Oh look, it’s another ARC that I got months ago and sort of forgot about. Oooops….
That’s confession number one.

I picked this up when it appeared on Netgalley because the marketing said it was perfect for fans of Black Mirror and WestWorld. Confession two is that I haven’t ever seen either of those shows. In my defence, I’ve always wanted to, but I think they might freak me out a bit, which is why I grabbed this because I thought it might be a way to ease me in gently. On the whole, this reminded me of Only Ever Yours and Uglies, so if you’ve also not seen Black Mirror, but have read either of those, then you might find this is right up your street.

For fans of television shows Black Mirror and Westworld, this compelling, mind-bending novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.
Set in our world, spanning the near to distant futures, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a novel made up of six interconnected stories that ask how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimens, and how hard that will push the definition of “human.”
This extraordinary work explores the amazing possibilities of genetic manipulation and life extension, as well as the ethical quandaries that will arise with these advances. The results range from the heavenly to the monstrous. Deeply thoughtful, poignant, horrifying, and action-packed, Arwen Elys Dayton’s Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is groundbreaking in both form and substance.

This is a quick and fairly easy read about major medical advancements told in six short stories that are all interconnected. It’s the kind of sci fi I don’t read enough of, the sort that has enough real world grounding to it to make it actually plausable… Which is exactly the reason people keep recommending Black Mirror to me!

Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful is an interesting study on humanity and the morals and ethics surrounding these kinds of surgeries… Is it a bit… Playing God? Each of the stories tackle this question and feature several interesting protagonists, from the evangelical preacher with some incredibly extreme views to the twins that kick this whole thing off and all the families in between. I actually wanted this to be longer and while I loved each of the stories, I do kind of wish this were a full novel so it could go a bit further in its explorations.

Ultimately this reminded me of the Uglies series (which I really want to revist it at some point) because its about genetic modification and medical advancement, it is also about people and that’s what I loved most about it.

This came out in December, so if you are a Black Mirror fan or someone who liked the Uglies series, be sure to grab a copy and let me know what you think!

Normally I love a mosaic novel.  They can be a great way of telling a single story from multiple view points and they are excellent for stories that have to span multiple time periods.  But they are incredibly tricky things to pull off.  You have to weave together the narratives otherwise the reader is left with what feels like little more than a loosely connected collection of short stories shoved together to make a book.  And you are at risk of getting the reader engaged with a set of characters before moving away from them never to return.  Unfortunately, Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton (review copy from Harper Voyager) is in the category of mosaic novels that don't succeed. 

The premise is a great one.  Dayton is exploring the idea that humanity is capable of incredible scientific progress when it comes to genetic manipulation and body modification, but they are equally and simultaneously capable of using these new technologies in ways that mess things up royally.  The novel follows the stories of various generations of people living with the new technologies.  As time passes they become more advanced and more radical changes and transformations are possible, but that just increases the ways in which these technologies can be misused.  

Each piece works well as an individual story exploring the different issues raised by this technology: ie all the ways humanity can mess things up through greed, bigotry, selfishness and general inhumanity towards other people.  But they don't hang together well as a novel.  The equivocal nature of the technologies concerned ironically gets in the way of the work cohering.  And the pieces vary in quality.  Some are superb, but others are much weaker.  Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful is an ambitious book, but Dayton doesn't quite manage to pull it off for me.

Goodreads rating: 2*

I am sorry to say I could not get into this book at all and found is a little disturbing and quite difficult to read. I guess it is not my sort of book but i did choose it as the title was intriguing as well as the art work on the front. I am sorry to the author for not being able to give positive feedback. Again not my type of read but I am sure it will appeal to many readers

I really wanted to review this book but had serious issues with the ADE / eReader crossover. I imagine the book is great, I just couldn't do anything about it.

Are you ready for the future?

Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful is the latest offering from Arwen Elys Dayton, and is so, so different to anything I have read. An anthology of 6 intertwined short stories, Dayton imagines a future where genetic modification is the norm, pushed beyond the boundaries of our current scientific abilities.

These stories take us on a journey from the not-too-distant future, even further forward in time as she explores what it means to be human. Can there be anything too awful in fusing together the hearts of dying twins so that one may live? If that can be imagined, where could we go next - robotics to replace severed and irreparably damaged limbs, vanity modifications for our children, segregation between the modified and the natural... Dayton deeply explores the ethics and potential outcomes of playing ‘God’ with her anthology, each story connected by the Reverend Tadd, a staunch activist against scientific interference turned campaigner for modification, and an eventual Idol for the new breed of ‘humans’.

I finished this in a day, not simply because of the manner of the book (short stories had an end point, to which it’s easier to keep reading), but also the delicate storytelling by Dayton and my desire to see this imaginary future through to its full-circle conclusion. For anyone who is a fan of Sci-Fi, fantasy and has an interest in the limits - or beyond - of scientific capability, this is a definite must-read!

I was given a copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is a collection of short stories that look into a future where humankind has pushed medical boundaries to the extreme, modifying and altering our bodies in search of the perfect human specimen. The earlier stories, where characters have had modifications due to life changing injuries, were compelling, as the world they were set in was still recognisable and the characters often faced prejudice for their differences. But I lost interest as the stories went further into the future and became more fantastical. I think there was a lot that could have been explored earlier on, in the ways that people reacted to the initial changes, but by the end it just felt a bit like more general sci fi. A really interesting idea, though.

Whenever I see that a book has been compared to Black Mirror I think "yea right". But this book is deserving of the comparison. It's human, hopeful, and a disturbing look at the future.
This book is several short stories but they are all connected and they are all from the same future timeline. Each story starts off by immersing the reader in the world of the character, and then details unfold as to what is really going on. These mini-twists are disturbing and they show the situation in a new light. Each of the stories is dark and twisted, but they each have hopeful endings, which makes the book a wonderful mix of dark sci-fi and human perseverance.
There are a lot of ethical, religious, and political issues brought up but it never feels preachy or like the author is bashing the reader over the head with morality. The ethics and political standpoints within the stories are there to immerse us in the world, instead of to lecture us.
There are times when parts of some stories drag a little, but overall, the tales are interesting and compelling to read. The author takes us from the USA to Russia, to an asteroid belt to the ocean, with human drama and adventures along the way. As the book progresses, we move further into the future and into the realms of cyborgs and flying people, but at the heart each story has a human thread that transcends time and place; family, friendship, romantic love, revenge, or a desire for freedom.

This was not what I was expecting at all, but in the very best possible way. The book contains six linked short stories/ novellas set in an uncomfortable sci-fi future. Each story stands well on its own but definitely enhances the whole. And running through the book as a constant theme, is power. The refusal to yield power, power misused, power applied in the right way. The stories are each about genetic engineering aside from that and about values of beauty and excellence, as well as meditating on what makes us human. Is perfect the enemy of good? In structure the book reminded me of David Mitchell’s The Bone Clocks although the subject matter is completely different. Thoroughly enjoyed this collection.

Certainly thought-provoking and, without labouring the point, the author poses numerous moral dilemmas linked to bio-engineering and how far we can push both medicine and genetic engineering. Delivered through series of characters, from almost the present day into an unrecognisable dystopia future the author charts a believable path. Interesting, but I felt each character was just left which was a shame. In particular the ending was rather abrupt. Some of the plot lines were more confused than others in terms of their descriptions and seeing through what motivated each of the secondary characters but in general a thought-provoking read.

Fascinating, thought provoking peek into what the future could hold. The book comprises of a number of short stories that follows the potential path of human progress in the biotechnology field. I loved the creative and sometimes brilliant thought processes, with great attention detail in creating these futuristic worlds. I wasn't expecting separate stories and found it disconcerting and disjointed. Each story ended too soon for me and then I had to start again with a whole new world and characters. Only on reflecting at the end, did the progression of stories make more sense., And the greatest triumph is that the book stays in your thoughts long after the last page. Very brave, very creative effort from a new writer.

Enjoyable, if a little frustrating. Billed as a novel 'Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful' is more a compendium of short stories set in the same universe. Each story ended just as I wanted to know more, which is why I was frustrated.

Despite that I enjoyed it, and I'm certain it'll stay with me for a while.

I enjoyed this book, after the first 6 or 7 pages I wasn't sure I'd writing that as I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy it but as I settled in to the author's style I found myself being drawn into the world she'd created.

When I started the second story and I was momentarily bemused as it was 'different' to the first but yet not really. The stories share a theme, genetic modification, and there is a thread connecting them, in some the thread is much looser than others. The other commonality I found was that all six stories had moments that made me pause to think about what I had just read, often part-way through a paragraph.

In light of the recent news coming out of China about the scientist who adjusted the DNA of twin embryos you realise the scary thing about the stories contained is how not so far-fetched they are. I could certainly imagine 50 years from now some, hopefully not all, of the practices becoming possible.

If I have any criticism it's the final story, it just didn't feel as complete as the others, perhaps because it was trying to say too much and in the end felt like it wasn't saying enough.

I would have rated it 3.5/5 if I could have as a 4 is perhaps a little too generous but it's deserving of more than a 3. It has encouraged me to try one of the author's other titles to see what a complete novel is like.

Firstly I have to say that I love this book cover as it matches the stories inside perfectly. Set a few years from now human's are evolving faster than natural evolution with the help of advanced science techniques. The whole story is made up from 6 smaller segments that fit together at different times in the book. I won't say they are chapters because each one has its own worth and can stand on its own.
The stories are really based on how far will humans push for perfection. Will it end when every part of the human body, inside and out, can be replaced with genetic engineering to extend life indefinitely? When then do we stop being human and are just machines or a combination of both? When plastic surgery was first under taken I believe that it was to repair the horrific damage and disfigured features of war victims that had terrible injuries to try to give them some sort of quality of life back. Now it is used to give its patients younger and more beautiful bodies and faces.
The stories range from life or death situations to transformations of beings that are a combination of organic and machine creations through choice. It isn't just a matter of extending life, it is the quality or lack of it too. The first and last stories seem to come full circle on each other. The decision to sacrifice one life to save another, very clever, one that plays with your mind. Like everything else too it is different to make judgement on people when you aren't emotionally involved but as the priest in this story knows it isn't that easy when it is personal.
One of the most heart breaking stories for me was what do you do with the ones that go wrong? We trust governments and doctors when we are told this will give your child the chance of a better life, go ahead and have this vaccine. How many children and families have suffered from the times when the ones to be trusted have got it wrong? Would you trust them to put it right?
The stories revolve round people who are sort of pioneers for this technology to begin with but it just doesn't centre on the genetic changes, the stories are how it affects them emotionally and socially. This book would make a brilliant discussion debate for schools, book clubs and such like. A brilliant read for YA or adult.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Oh my.... I hasten to add that this book is not the genre I normally read so it was WAY out of my comfort zone.

The premise of human enhancements and stepping in where God has stopped is a new premise for me and I was intrigued by the idea. This book is a collection of short stories (unknown to me at the time) and I liked the first two books. After that it started to go down a road that never traveled before.

I must say I wasn’t overly impressed, I didn’t connect to any other stories, as I stated I liked the first two. Since I liked them that is the only reason it got three stars from me-I feel like that’s quite generous as well. I cringe at the thought of leaving it but I have to- I also think that the fact that I actually finished it counts for something.

It is a thought provoking theme of humans playing god and what would you do if you found yourself in the characters shoes. If the “what if’s” of human behaviour is your thing then this book is for you .

Now I am decidedly not a fan of shows like Westworld or Black Mirror because I am a fraidy cat who hates being scared. But what I did love were the first two books in Emily Suvada's This Mortal Coil series and I figured this had similar enough themes and sounded fascinating so it was probably worth a shot. I ended up binge reading this book in one day and, I won't say absolutely loving it, because it's deeply uncomfortable at some points, but I did find it very interesting to say the least.

I got a feel of World War Z when I read this (the book not the film) in the sense that this book chooses to tell the stories of various individuals who have something to do with the theme (in this case genetic modification - to be overly simplistic) as opposed to following the narrative of one character. What's different about Stronger, Faster and more Beautiful is the fact that between each story, each vignette, is a fairly significant time jump, taking the reader into the quite distant future through the course of the book. It's almost a sci-fi exploration of that idea of the butterfly effect, the story of one twin being saved through the organs of the other leads on and on up until the story of two genetically modified slaves being forced to mine an asteroid by the Russians - but because you get those links, those touchstones along the route, it all kind of makes sense. 

Since this book isn't exactly plot-heavy, I think it would be too spoiler-filled to go into more detail about specific stories, you'll have to read them for yourself, but my personal favourites were the first and last stories. 

I will say that this book gets incredibly uncomfortable at times, I don't have trigger warnings because I think I'd have to get very specific and we might be here for a while, but if you're a particularly sensitive reader I might suggest asking about certain things and maybe reading this a little slowly. I found some parts quite tricky to process and I'm reasonably robust as a reader, just something to consider. 

I thought there were some things that this book neglected to mention, I would have liked some mention of the trans community, and the intersex community, in this mix (obviously well-researched and sensitively handled), in a world where your body can be whatever you want, it seemed interesting that there was no mention whatsoever. 

Overall, I thought this book was incredibly cool to read. I've not read anything that truly captures this quite odd tone before. I will say it is quite short but to me, it was exactly the right length. It has the narrative that it needs to convey and there aren't a lot of bells and whistles. It's something new, much like the humanity it describes. Too disjointed to be called a novel, too cohesive to be called a compilation - this is a cool book and if you're looking for something to stir your mind and cleanse your palette then I would highly recommend giving it a go - but maybe not letting it give you any ideas about gaining manatee hands...

My rating 4/5 stars 

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, but before that, I had read it as a library book. All opinions are my own.

What a cleverly thought out novel.

If you are a fan of the show Black Mirror then this book is definitely for you!

It's quite scary to read in the sense that what is written could quite easily come true in the future.

Technology is changing at a rapid rate and what this book does is highlight just how far we might be willing to take it.

The question is will it be used for good?

As the saying goes, the best laid plans .....

A MUST READ

This linked series of six short stories give a frightening insight into the world of genetics, the genome and modification of humans and animals.
The stories very cleverly gradually take us into the future, where disease can be eradicated together with any illness inherited via DNA.
I found myself thinking whilst reading ‘this cannot be allowed’. Politics, mixed with religion, mixed with imagination make this an uncomfortable read at times, however, it is very well written and does not flinch from probing into uncomfortable areas.
With echoes of ‘Never Let me go’, this could well be a warning for the future, and something which will be discussed for many years to.
The author leaves us with a question. What next?