Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful
Author: Arwen Elys Dayton
Pub. Date: December 4, 2018
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, audiobook
Pages: 384
Find it: Goodreads, Amazon, Audible, B&N, iBooks, TBD
Synopsis: 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.
PRAISE FOR STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL
“Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful will send shivers down your spine.” —Teen Vogue
“Powerful, poignant, and action-packed, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is an exciting sci-fi adventure firmly rooted in the realities of our present day that fans of Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series will love.” —Bustle
★ “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.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred
★ “Compelling and terrifying, this volume is science fiction at its finest.”
—School Library Journal, Starred
★ “This speculative, thought-provoking novel will take readers on a frightening, remarkable journey through humanity’s past, present, and possible future.” —Booklist, Starred
★ “Imaginative and incisive.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“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.’ Dayton’s newest is imagination at its best and most terrifying. I devoured this book.” —Kiersten White, New York Times bestselling author of And I Darken
“A work of unforgettable vision and imagination. This book is everything I love about science fiction.”
—Jay Kristoff, New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Illuminae Files
“Haunting, challenging and provocative—this is an extraordinary book. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
—Amie Kaufman, New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Illuminae Files
“A deep and suddenly necessary exploration of the beautiful and terrible futures we face.
Every story leaves you desperate for more.”
—Hank Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
“Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a remarkable book, visionary and very hard to put down.”
—Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Between the Stars
“Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful—fast-paced, tightly plotted, and engaging from the first page—puts a human face on the prosperity or catastrophe that is waiting just around the corner.”
—David Friedberg, founder of Climate Corporation
“Arwen Elys Dayton explores the next era of humanity with astonishing heart.”
—Peter H. Diamandis, MD, founder of XPRIZE and Singularity University and author of the New York Times bestsellers Abundance and Bold
When I read about this book, I was expecting it to be good, but I wasn’t expecting to love it as much as I did!
I started reading this book when my back decided to flare up (thanks, Degenerative Disc Disease), and I was stuck in bed for four days. Needless to say, I finished this in record time because I didn’t really have much else I could do but sleep, plus it was just so amazingly well written, exciting, and overall wonderfully put together!
First off, this book has such an amazing story line. I haven’t watched Black Mirror, but I have heard some really great things about it, and I intend to sit down and watch it one of these days! The comparison really made me curious, though, plus I really love that cover (it’s so different!), and the synopsis just roped me in from the beginning paragraph.
This book kind of reminds me of The Twilight Zone episode “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” (I never have been able to get enough science fiction, and The Twilight Zone is my favorite). Because that was always one of my favorite episodes, I really fell in love with this book, and I was so thrilled. It definitely was like something you would have seen on that show!
The six interconnecting stories in the book were a bit intimidating at first – I usually don’t go for books with so many points of view or stories, but in this book, I found everything to be written in a way that wasn’t confusing or anything; it was actually amazingly put together and really gave the characters their own voices. We got to know each and every one of them through the course of the novel.
If you like science fiction, Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is definitely something you will want to pick up. The writing is wonderful, and it really pulled me into the story and had me hooked. I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next in all the characters’ lives, and this was the first book that I’ve read in a long time that I completely devoured it and instantly wanted to read it again!
Note: I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
ARWEN ELYS DAYTON is the author of the Seeker series—Seeker, Traveler, and Disruptor and the e-novella The Young Dread—and the science-fiction thriller Resurrection. Arwen lives with her husband and their three children on the West Coast of the United States. You can visit her at arwendayton.com and follow @arwenelysdayton on Twitter and Instagram.
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3 winners will receive finished copies of STRONGER, FASTER, AND MORE BEAUTIFUL, US only.
Week One:
12/3/2018- Kait Plus Books– Review
12/4/2018- Novel Novice– Excerpt
12/5/2018- Rhythmicbooktrovert– Review
12/6/2018- Sifa Elizabeth Writes– Review
12/7/2018- The Pages In-Between– Review
Week Two:
12/10/2018- Dani Reviews Things– Review
12/11/2018- Book-Keeping– Review
12/12/2018- A Dream Within A Dream– Review
12/13/2018- Here’s to Happy Endings– Review
12/14/2018- Rainy Day Reviews– Excerpt
Week Three:
12/17/2018- A Gingerly Review– Review
12/18/2018- Always Me – Review
12/19/2018- Sincerely Karen Jo Blog– Excerpt
12/20/2018- Devouring Books– Review
12/21/2018- BookHounds YA– Review
Week Four:
12/24/2018- My Books-My World– Excerpt
12/25/2018- Books of Teacups– Review
12/26/2018- Lifestyle of Me– Review
12/27/2018- Wishful Endings– Excerpt
12/28/2018- Eli to the nth– Review
Week Five:
12/31/2018- Oh Hey! Books.– Review
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