The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay

 In my opinion, this is one of the best stories in the futuristic Forward collection.

When a man wakes up in terrible pain with no knowledge of who he is, where he is, or how he got there, and only the disconnected voice of Dr. Anne Kuhn to help him, he panics. It's Anne's job to help him emotionally, physically, and psychologically, and to do that she must gain his trust. And trust is something in short supply with this patient. Anne has all the answers but we the readers learn the truths along with the patient.

I do enjoy Paul Tremblay's books and this novella is an excellent addition to his catalog. He leads us on a twisty path of discovery all to answer Anne's final question: do you consent to the treatment? The answer does not disappoint. 4.5 stars.

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Amazon | Forward Collection

Randomize by Andy Weir

 Once again Andy Weir wows in this novella about supercomputing and the gambling industry.

A new supercomputer has just been developed that will help the Babylon Casino ensure that the random numbers generated for their keno game are truly random and thwart any attempt at gaming the system. But can inside knowledge be the downfall of the number generator?

There is a great cast of characters in this story--from the IT guy, the head of the casino, and the computer salesman and his wife. I was often scratching my head trying to figure out who was good and who wasn't. Some of the technology explanations were way over my head but that didn't make it any less of an entertaining story. Another winner from Weir. 4.5 stars.

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Amazon | Forward Collection

You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles

I was somewhat surprised to see Amor Towles contributing to a futuristic story collection; it's nice to see writers stepping outside their known genres.

In the near future, Sam and his wife are relying on a fertility lab to help them decide not just the sex of their child, but its personality traits as well. Not only that, they are given a preview of what will become of the three different personality types they have selected--and it's not always a rosy picture. In exploring their future child, Sam is also confronted with his own life choices--again, not always rosy. What to do? What to do?

This is an often disquieting story billed as nature versus nurture--throw in the cold-blooded scientific approach and it is very unsettling at best. Another good story by an excellent storyteller. 4.5 stars.

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Amazon | Forward Collection

Emergency Skin by N.K. Jemisin

 N.K. Jemisin's contribution to this six-story collection is an interesting look at humanity.

The supposed best and brightest have left a climate-ravaged Earth and built their own society on another world. Centuries later they send back a soldier to collect a much-needed compound known to exist on Earth. Expecting destruction, the soldier is surprised to find the planet flourishing and the natives friendly and willing to give away the sought-after compound. Perplexed, the soldier vacillates between wanting to know more about Earth and following orders.

Having an AI voice directing the soldier was interesting but also confusing at times: the multiple dialogues contrasted the self-will of the soldier versus its directive which was often at odds. We learn what the off-shoot culture became and how mankind pulled together to save Earth. A bit preachy at times, but it's still an entertaining story. 2.5 stars.

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Summer Frost by Blake Crouch

 Blake Crouch is the driving force behind this futuristic story collection and should be applauded for the contributions made by so many well-known authors.

Riley is working on a game when one of the minor characters, who is supposed to die, suddenly decides not to die. What's with that? Maxine begins exploring the boundaries of the game and Riley begins interacting with her trying to figure out what has happened. Years pass as Riley works with the AI character Max and he experiments with her becoming more sentient. No lines are drawn as to how far Riley can evolve Max and the more self-aware she becomes the more questions arise as to what constitutes being human.

This is a timely story with the recent controversies over AI and its use. It is thought-provoking and well worth the read. 4 stars.

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Ark by Veronica Roth

 In this first novella of sci-fi and futuristic fiction by collected authors, Earth is on the eve of being destroyed by an asteroid. Most inhabitants have been evacuated; only a few dedicated scientists remain, busily cataloging specimens before they, too, board the Ark. Samantha, a botanist, has formed a tie with reclusive scientist Hagen and bonded over their love of flowers. Hagen has decided to stay and now Samantha is also rethinking if she should evacuate.

This is an interesting story and deals with our fear of the unknown. Even though this is a novella, I still wish more had gone into Samantha's reasoning for staying and dying versus a possible lifetime searching for a new habitat. 3.5 stars.

For more information:

Amazon | Forward Collection