Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

Starred review from October 15, 2018
These six linked tales delve into the question of ethics in scientific and medical human modification. Along the way, they loosely follow the life, career, and afterlife of Tad Tadd, a reverend who popularizes a movement against changing corporeal forms and then, after a family tragedy, wholeheartedly embraces people’s right to modify their bodies as they choose. The book begins with semi-identical twins Julia and Evan, whose organs are not growing fast enough to keep either alive; when Julia goes into a vegetative state, doctors advise the twins’ parents to harvest Julia’s organs for Evan, and Tadd pays a visit to the family in the hospital, calling the boy “a life-devouring creature.” Another section follows a teen, significantly modified following a car accident, who hears Tadd’s message on the radio. As the stories move further into the future, Dayton (Seeker) explores how each generation slowly blurs the lines between human, machine, and animal. Part cautionary tale and part ode to the inventive human spirit, Dayton’s brilliant collection of stories is best described as a scientific Twilight Zone. Ages 14–up. Agent: Jodi Reamer, Writers House.

This sci-fi story narrated by six narrators will certainly win over a wide audience. Six characters share their stories about the science and art of human perfection in a world in which genetic manipulation has become common. Thematically, the stories ask how far people will go to play God and the ethical questions around modifying human life itself. All the narrators--Michael Crouch, Karissa Vacker, Brittany Pressley, Christopher Gebauer, Ari Fliakos, and Rebecca Lowman-- expertly deliver, creating an atmosphere as eerie as an episode of "Black Mirror" or "The Twilight Zone." The characters narrate their own stand-alone stories, but eventually they all connect. Which one will be your favorite? G.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award � AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine