Forward

I think that the whole Amazon original stories edition idea is awesome. I figured I would love this collection, however, it got my feelings mixed. I haven't read from all of these authors so I used this to see if I could pick up some of them, and tough luck.
According to the best invention ever, the calculator, my average rating for this would be 3.5833333333333⭐

RANDOMIZE, by Andy Weir - 3.5 ⭐
ARK, by Veronica Roth - 2 ⭐
SUMMER FROST, by Blake Crouch - 3 ⭐
EMERGENCY SKIN, by N. K. Jemisin - 5 ⭐
YOU HAVE ARRIVED AT YOUR DESTINATION, by Amor Towles - 3 ⭐
THE LAST CONVERSATION, by Paul Tremblay - 5 ⭐

The Forward Collection curated by Blake Crouch. This is a short story collection available from prime reading for free on kindle or audible. I found this while looking for Blake Crouch books and decided to give them all a read. I’m glad I did. I have seen pictures of a collected book online, but haven’t found one myself, so I’m guessing it’s not released in the US. I did audio for all six, and the casting was pretty wild. 1. Ark by Veronica Roth. (Narrated by Evan Rachel Wood). 4/5* This is my first experience with the author, and I enjoyed it. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible! Two weeks before an asteroid destroys all of earth, a group of scientists are still dealing with the small stuff. And by that I mean seeds and plants. Most of earth is already evacuated, but this group is taxed with cataloguing samples for humanity’s long journey to somewhere new. Somewhere in the growing panic, Samantha finds a new species, and with that, a new lease on hope. This was a well done short about what it means to be human, and what ties us to our humanity. In the event that we’d need to leave earth, would you be able to willingly give up your home? Personally a 4/5*. Narration from Evan Rachel Wood was great! 2. Summer Frost by Blake Crouch. (Narrated by Rosa Salazar). 5/5* I truly feel as if Blake Crouch is not respected enough as a writer, researcher, and creator. Everything scifi that he releases is so incredibly detailed and researched to the point where you don’t even have to question if it’s real or not. It doesn’t feel like it needs debating. This one even broke down how many hours of HGTV would fit into the amount of stored data needed. I thought it was a great touch. This is a short about an NPC going rogue, breaking from its programming, and then becoming sentient. All while its creator becomes deeply obsessed with it. It reads like a mix of Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller’s ‘Otherworld’ and Alex Garland’s ‘Ex Machina’ as Crouch navigates the future of VR interfacing and gaming, and the nature of what it means to be human. Genuinely gripping, and one hell of a ride for such a short story. Personally a 5/5*, and the narration by Rosa Salazar was very good! 3. Emergency Skin by N. K. Jemisin. (Narrated by Jason Isaacs). 4/5* This is my first experience with the author outside of The Broken Earth trilogy, and honestly it read kind of the same. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible! When earth is finally damaged beyond repair, a group of the best human specimen head off in search of a new home, but in time it leaves them in need of materials to survive, which they get by sending people back. They never planned on those sent back having a reason to think for themselves, to want to stay. As this author tends to do, this story heavily played into the idea of race. Not only as a whole, but the idea that even in a future where things are falling apart, those in charge will still feel like they’re better. The new world is scientifically generated down to skin and build. There are no women with them, as they were part of the problem. It was in a sense, harsh, but this author tends to offer you the truth with no amount of sugar coating. Personally a 4/5*. I enjoyed reading this one. The general idea that if the favored few didn’t hoard, we’d be far better off sang true. Also, really loved the description of the birthing/body bags, gave me very Blade Runner feels. 4. You Have Arrived at Your Destination by Amor Towles. (Narrated by David Harbour). 5/5* This is my first experience with the author, and as I believe they mostly write historical fiction, this kind of fit right in for them as a futuristic version of history. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible! Imagine in the future that gene altering has gotten to the point where you can literally choose the directional beats your child’s life would go down. Fertility companies can do more than just pregnancies, they can give you glimpses of the life your child may lead, give you options, and let you even choose which you’d prefer. But would you be able to watch a programmed sample of 30 years of their life and just accept that you chose it all for them? This one was deeply thought provoking, challenging the reader to think about their own lives, or that of their children (future or existing). How would you feel taking the steering wheel for someone else? Or finding out that it had been taken from you? I’ll be thinking about this one for quite a while. Personally a 5/5*. Chilling in its near future feels. 5. The Last Conversation by Paul Tremblay. (Narrated by Steven Strait) 5/5* This is my first experience with the author, and I enjoyed that he brought his usual genre of horror into the mix. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible! What would you do if there was a global pandemic where so few of us survived? What if you lost the one you cared about the most? If our technology allowed for you to clone them, to in a sense, bring them back, would you do it? More importantly, would they want you to? I enjoyed this one. Parts of it were very eerie, with elements that felt like Blade Runner, Ex Machina, and even I am Legend. The idea that even a clone would be just as predisposed to the pandemic as it’s forebear was a really cool idea. As if the genetic makeup couldn’t be altered enough by technology to save them. Personally a 5/5*. A deep dive into what it means to be human, and what one would do to their humanity to not be alone. To regain the one they love. 6. Randomize by Andy Weir. (Narrated by Janina Gavankar). 3/5* I loved The Martian and really liked Artemis. This kind of fits right in for them as a futuristic science story. These are available through prime for free on kindle or audible! This one is very straight forward. It deals with a new super computer that would allow for the gambling scene to be entirely ripped off. Pseudo-number randomizers can be hacked through this new process, allowing the cheating to appear like genuine wins, indistinguishable. When an IT guy catching this, saving his casino millions, it’s too bad that not everyone is as clean. This was perhaps my least favorite of the Forward Collection if I’m honest. The short story features a total of perhaps three scenes, and they are all very simple. Two of which are very similar. I did like that Weir uses his signature style of heavily delivering on the science though. It just felt a little flat. Personally a 3/5*, just not as deep or hard hitting as the others. —— The math tells me this collection was a 4.33/5* for me and that seriously ain’t bad! Totally worth it for free honestly. Give it a shot.