The Future Collection by Beth Revis
Release Date: January 13, 2015
Publisher: Scripturient Books
Genre: Young Adult Sci-fi
Source: Bought
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This collection of short stories by NY Times bestselling author Beth Revis features science fiction tales about the future.
DOCTOR-PATIENT CONFIDENTIALITY: A young woman wakes up in a cryomed ward of a hospital. As she recalls what led to her confinement, she starts to realize just what the consequences of her actions were, and how much time has passed since she was injured.
THE MOST PRECIOUS MEMORY: In a world where memories can be bought and sold as highly addictive drugs, one transaction takes an unusual turn. *Note*: this story was previously published in the Soothe The Savage Beast anthology.
THE GIRL AND THE MACHINE: A man has limited abilities to travel through time, but a cute girl pops up in his life, informing him that her time machine can open the door to far greater powers. But there’s something ominous about it… *Note*: This story is available as an individual short in Amazon.
LAG: A reporter had been chasing down a lead…but after a malfunction in the teleporter she used, she’s forgotten what the lead was. Now she’s searching for clues in her own life to discover what it was she’s missing.
THE TURING TEST: A college student participates in a turing test to see if she can distinguish which of the two subjects is human and which is an android. *Note:* A version of this story is a part of the Special Edition of THE BODY ELECTRIC novel and was previously published in Lightspeed Magazine.
AS THEY SLIP AWAY: A group of artists on a generation space ship that reviles art is given a unique assignment, one that draws one young lady far too close to a possessive man protected by the ship’s government. *Note:* This short story is available free online and is linked to the ACROSS THE UNIVERSE world.
Also included in this collection are end notes, describing the inspiration behind each short story and hidden clues and allusions to sci fi classics.
I’m not typically one for short stories but after reading and enjoying The Turing Test so much when it released, I knew I was in for reading a collection of Beth’s short stories when this collection was announced. The Turing Test is probably one of my favorite short stories ever. So I was excited to start this short story collection which includes The Turing Test. It’s so smart and so compelling. I love it. I love how stable yet disorienting each of the stories are. I really did love them all.
If you enjoyed Beth’s Across the Universe trilogy, you’ll love As They Slip Away which is set in the same world (and is seemingly the longest short story of this collection!) as well as the first short story, Doctor-Patient Confidentiality which is not set in that world but has similar elements. If you liked the memory centric “The Entire History of You” episode of Black Mirror, the movie In Time, or The Bodies We Wear by Jeyn Roberts, you’ll enjoy the short story, The Most Precious Memory. I felt elements from all of the above there and loved every bit of it. More time/memory centered plus teleportation is Lag which I enjoyed very much as well. But that’s not all. Time travel fans, Doctor Who fans, The Time Traveler’s Wife fans, The Girl and the Machine is for you!
Basically, I really enjoyed seeing Beth’s vision of some of the most mind bending ideas in sci fi. The Turing Test remains my favorite of the short stories though I don’t feel comfortable ranking them because they are all remarkable and stand out for different reasons that all lead to amazing. These short stories have great characters, wonderful pacing, and fantastic storytelling. The stories are smart and sharp and exciting and have me hoping that this is the first of many short story collections from Beth Revis. So when you’ve got two hours to lose yourself in this collection, take a seat and enjoy the ride.
The Future Collection by Beth Revis is available today.