Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Dayton

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful

by Arwen Dayton

“If you love Black Mirror, this…will send shivers down your spine.”—Teen Vogue

"Appealing to fans of Black Mirror and Westworld, it’s a thrilling read that explores an exciting and terrifying near-future." —Paste

"[An] extraordinary work...groundbreaking in both form and substance." —Hypable 

This “powerful, poignant, and action-packed” (Bustle) novel is a twisted look into the future, exploring the lengths we'll go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimen and what it means to be human at all.


The future is curious.

STRONGER

Today our bodies define us. We color our hair; tattoo our skin; pierce our ears, brows, noses. We lift weights, run miles, break records. We are flesh and blood and bone.

FASTER

Tomorrow has different rules. The future is no longer about who we are--it's about who we want to be. If you can dream it, you can be it. Science will make us smarter, healthier, flawless in every way. Our future is boundless.

MORE BEAUTIFUL

This is a story that begins tomorrow. It's a story about us. It's a story about who comes after us. And it's a story about perfection. Because perfection has a way of getting ugly.
 
A WALL STREET JOURNAL BEST SCIENCE FICTION BOOK OF 2018
A KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST BOOK OF 2018

5 STARRED REVIEWS!

"A deep and suddenly necessary exploration of the beautiful and terrible futures we face. Every story leaves you desperate for more. Somehow, the further from today Dayton travels, the more real it becomes." --Hank Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

"An alternately charming and horrifying exploration of what it means to be human and how far we'll go in pursuit of personal and societal 'perfection.' I devoured this book." --Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken and The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein

Reviewed by shannonmiz on

5 of 5 stars

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You can find the full review and all the fancy and/or randomness that accompanies it at It Starts at Midnight

Where oh where to begin? Well, let's start with how fabulous this was, and then actually, let's just never stop. In fact, when trying to write about it, all I can come up with are things that make me want to shove this into your hands immediately, so let's just go with that, yeah? Great.

Reasons to grab thyself a copy ASAP:

  • •It is terrifyingly plausible how human beings would do both the most amazing and most awful things with medical science. Ah, we humans are a fun bunch, no? We can be giving and caring to a fault; we can be cruel and selfish just as easily. Add messing with actual biology to it? Oh you know that is going to be a trip. We as a species rarely have the self awareness to realize that we're crossing lines or going too far. And this book showcases it all- the good, the bad, the morally gray. And there's nothing I love better than the morally gray!


  • •The format is fun! It's actually not one story, but six separate stories artfully tied together. They all connect, but they're all their own entities. It's extremely well done, too. I have read books like this before that didn't quite hit the mark in this regard- the stories either felt too disconnected or too similar- but the author truly does this format justice. I knew I was in the same world, the same overall novel, but each story seemed new and exciting. (Incidentally, my favorites are the first and last- they're kind of perfect.)


  • •I had many feelings, so many feelings. Obviously this book is thought provoking, but more than that, it's emotive. Which is no small feat considering the stories were all separate. No matter, I cared about each one of them.


  • •There was honestly nothing I didn't like. Like okay, guys. There were bird people in this book and I didn't hate them! Do you understand the significance? It is real.


  • •The science stuff was so freaking fascinatingYou can tell that the author really did her homework, because wow, it was handled well. Also, there's an interesting twin scenario that sent me down a very long Wikipedia hole and I have zero regrets. Nothing ever seemed too simplistic, nor too hard to follow.


  • •I was basically unable to put the thing down. I so, so badly needed to know what was going to be the next bonkers thing that human beings did, that I kept "one more chapter"-ing it. And at the same time, I wanted it to go on forever because frankly, I could have read 100 stories about this world, especially the way the author made me care about the characters so quickly!


P.S.- If you weren't necessarily the biggest fan of Seeker, but this sounds up your alley, I urge you to try it! I was a little hesitant but I am so, so glad that I did! One of the best books of the year for me!

Bottom Line: Oh for goodness sake, just read the thing. If you like sci-fi, or futuristic stuff, or just find human behavior interesting, this is absolutely a book you don’t want to miss!

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  • 3 December, 2018: Reviewed