Ohhh, I really liked this one!! It was interesting and I liked the format. We have teens narrating what happens to the human race as science and technology advance. We also have a few characters that keep popping up in others stories. They were thought-provoking and terrifying but so intriguing at the same time. Dayton tries to answer the question "What does it mean to be human?" in this book.

If you are a fan of dark science fiction (this book is being marketed to fans of the TV series, Black Mirror, I think you'll enjoy it!

I love the subject of genetics and all the possibilities that go along with the ability to modify our genes. I was a little hesitant at the mention of six interconnected stories because I generally do not like shorter stories but I really loved this book! The division in the book between the genetically modified humans and the ones that have never been altered was well done and also brought to light a whole host of ethical questions. The book makes you question where we are headed with scientific advances and what is really ethical. If you are at all interested in genetics and the ethics of genetic modification then this would be a fantastic read for you!

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 fascinating! You 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!

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is the kind of book that is so realistic that it’s frightening. These six short stories discuss human modification, and they are each very believable. The last story is especially engaging. For those interested in the future of humanity, this is a great read.

This book is made up of six short stories about human modification, with each one more futuristic than the last. While the technologies in the last few stories are pretty wild, the entire book is actually believable all the way through because it builds off of our capabilities today and keeps on growing. I am not usually a fan of short stories like this, but for me, the shortness in length was the perfect thing to capture my interest and prevent me from getting bored.

My favourite of the stories had to be the final one. In this story, humans and inhumans are split up, and they are unable to interact. Since a lot of the book describes the pros of modification, I enjoyed how this one highlights the cons and brings up some ethical issues. For me, the story is a perfect conclusion, and it drives the message home and shows how scary the future for us may become.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a shocking anthology about the benefits and consequences of human modification. I loved how realistic each story is, and the last one in particular does a good job wrapping everything up. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of the sci-fi genre.

An enjoyable and interesting collection of stories. Although each story is independent of each other, each progresses into the future in the same alternate world. A world where humans can modify their DNA so much they can give themselves wings, or turn people into robot-human blends for tough jobs like mining on asteroids. These stories were really thought-provoking and I can see all of these futures come to pass as humans learn more and more to manipulate DNA. I think the last story was my favorite.

*FOR THE PURPOSES OF A BLOG TOUR, I WAS PROVIDED WITH AN E-ARC. THIS DOES NOT CHANGE MY HONEST OPINION*

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful has definitely opened eyes to certain challenges of what “perfect” people would be like.

This book challenges religion, morals, society, and so many other factors. I was actually pretty disturbed by some things—which is a good thing, especially when on the topic of “righting” the flaws of humanity, such as diseases and near-death experiences.

Dayton made the reader think by providing different POVs and situations. It made me, for certain, think about how I would feel if our society were to turn and rely so heavily on medical advancements like “perfecting,” and I use this word due to the nature of this book.

The stories of these people were raw. They were emotional, they were challenging, and they were real—and by real, I mean that they could be imagined in a different perspective.

Milla’s story hit me hard. As a high schooler, I understand that our time in school is difficult as is already. Adding a car accident and replacement body parts and organs is like telling us “prepare for the storm.” I could understand why things happened the way they did, and I could understand the choices she made. While I was surprised by the happenings, I could see why they were important to use.

This book brought out a lot of questions, but it also made me realize where our world may be going. My only question for you is, would you be able to live in this society?

I rate this book 4/5 stars. I do suggest you pick it up and give it a chance, and I do hope that you also see the things I did.

I'm not even really sure what to think about this book. It was well written and SUPER creepy. It's one of those books that make you squirm in discomfort because it could be real?! With the advances in medicine and tinkering with DNA, the world in which this book is set doesn't seem so far fetched.

So if you're looking for something disturbing and unique that will make you reflect on our own society and where we're headed, you'll love this book. It makes you ask yourself where moral boundaries should be drawn, what is acceptable, and what it really means to be human.

Content: Fairly descriptive sex, language (including f-bombs), bullying, and violence.

Source: NetGalley.

This was a really neat look at genetic modification and manipulation, things that are becoming closer and closer to being reality. Especially with the recent news of a scientist in China who supposedly modified the genes of twins before they were born so that they would be immune to AIDS. All of the different stories had their definite importance to the overall story. However a few I liked better than the others. When I first started the book, I was reminded a bit of the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. As that is one of my favorite series, that is a good thing.

The first story was a good one, kind of gave the beginnings of how this all could start, or has started, and it was twins, one ended up with parts of the other one in order to live. The second story was one I really liked how it went. It was a great story of how teens would deal with a situation like that. The way it would feel to get revenge, and then the way the person you got revenge on, getting it. I really liked that story and how it ended. The third story was about the Reverend who was what you'd call the religious figure fighting the genetic manipulation. But his story, wow, just what a big shocker. And then to have him fit into all the stories afterwards perfectly. However the fourth story, while interesting, and unique, still had a little too much that kept me from quite connecting with the main character. The next story started out a little boring, but then when we got the Russian back story it clicked and got to where it fit and I enjoyed it more.

The final story really wrapped the whole thing up in a perfect way. It had parts that tied in to today's social issues. As I read, the science teacher in me kept needing some reason for why the people with genetic modifications were having the issues. And the way that the author fit that in, it was just, well, to use the same word I've already used, it was perfect! I liked all the different ways the author took each little idea with genetic modifications and how she saw things could maybe go. Some may have seemed a little out there, but who knows what could actually happen? That is what science fiction is for. Not once did the story get preachy about genetic modification being bad, in fact all the stories really brought up the reasons for why it can be a good thing, and I liked that a lot.

I've already put this on my list to buy for my school library, hoping that my students will really enjoy it as well, and that it will make them think, just like it did for me.

A very thought-provoking collection of stories about where exactly genetic modification could take us, from life-saving medical research to vanity, all why asking exactly what it means to be human. Both the good and bad sides of humanity is explored, and where religion intersects with our tinkering.

The six stories are linked by the overall theme, and the recurring (and sometimes central) character of Tad Tadd. These stories vary in length from ten pages to seventy, each a jump further in the future.

My favourite story was the first - a very short one that felt the closest to reality. A boy is in hospital getting organs from his twin to save his life (the twin being in a coma she can't wake from). It was a great start, setting the stage with technology and ideas already around. About halfway through, Tad Tadd is introduced, and the ideas of what is humanity kick off.

The six voices are well differentiated, the writing pulling you along into these snapshots of possible futures. They act almost like cautionary tales of what human folly could bring. Despite this, there is a hopeful (if almost overly confident) assertion that humanity will find away - one I don't share. This collection leaves you with questions long after you've finished. To my mind, this is the true purpose of sci-fi.

This is a strong set of stories, I mean when you are dealing with a book of short stories there are always ones that you like and ones that you either aren’t that fussed on or just aren’t your thing, however in this set even the ones that I found harder to digest were engaging and asked relevant questions.

I think what works really well for these stories is that they are all connected in some way, by a character that is mentioned or even just from an idea that has evolved from the story before. This shows the passage of time really well as there is a pinpoint on each one that you can relate back to the other, it also helps with the evolution of the world within the stories, having something introduced in the story before means you don’t need to go over it in the story you’re in so you already have the impression of the world without having to be told.

The characters are strong, I think the author has captured the human condition well, the need for control and power on a much grander scale, and how each person looks at their life and their place in the world. I liked that it wasn’t centred in one place as well, it was set in different parts of the world and around people with varying degrees of modifications, it made it more compelling having the views from different countries.

Even though the stories are set in an unknown time for us the author still manages to make you connect with the work through the characters, showing you the little details that you can relate to. It is based on things that most people will have dealt with, family politics, the struggle to fit in, loss of control and how the characters deal with the hand they’ve been given.

There was also a message to each story, a cross between a fable and a cautionary tale, one that you can take away from the book and wonder how it applies to your own life and it certainly made me think about the ways in which our world is getting darker.

I liked that some of the stories were left open-ended, you weren’t given the answer you had to imagine what would happen next, which I thought worked oddly well when each new story brought a new kind problem. I would think back to characters as more information unfolded and wonder how this would affect them, whether they managed to get to where they needed to be.

My favourite stories in the book were St. Ludmilla because I could relate to being in that situation, and Curiosities because the story essentially comes full circle and I like that there was the glimmer of hope. I did find three of the stories harder to read than the rest, the first few were only dealing with a few necessary modifications, but as the stories went on and it became people pushing these modifications onto others that I found it uncomfortable to read.

I suppose though that there is some poignant insight in that, sometimes you have to face up to things even if it makes you uncomfortable, maybe it’s just my drawing on my own thoughts about recent news stories but it does make you reflect on our world and how we behave toward each other. I don’t know if this is what the author intended but it is certainly a fascinating by-product of her stories.

This is a very thought-provoking set of stories, with a relevant message and I would recommend giving it a read.

A look at what the future holds. Or does it? That is the beauty behind this collection of short stories by Arwen Elys Dayton. It will make you think and debate about a topic that is very real. Are we meant for modification? Where do we draw the line in the sand? Are humans capable of playing God?

This is not an anthology, but it is a series of short stories. This novel is a timeline of human evolution. Each story revolves around a character experiencing our transition from human to something evolved. Their stories are relative. Through Reverend Tadd, we even get to see how the human reaction evolves.

This book will seriously make you think about our future. It lays the foundation for conversations that are being had now in the scientific community but will be had around the kitchen table soon.

At first, I was a little off with the short story chapter style. I really got involved with the characters and their part of the human equation when their story would be over. Every chapter has a conclusion to the individual voice with little bridge to the next chapter. It was a little jarring. However, each short story is beautifully built, and I really appreciated the short story format by the end of the book.

You will be able to get your copy Tuesday, December 4. Head here to pre-order your very own copy. You won't be disappointed.

There are so many new technological advances nowadays that are allowing humans to accomplish feats straight out of a science fiction magazine. As amazing as technology can be, a very pressing question comes to mind: what will happen in the future?



Arwen Elys Dayton's latest work Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful answers this question through six individual narratives that span through time. These narratives chronicles the different stages of humanity's technological advances and bioengineering from merging two twin hearts to the creation of a chimera.

Sronger, Faster, and More Beautiful delved into how insatiable the human condition is and how humanity is always striving to achieve the impossible. Dayton's novel uses the six narrative individuals who all have firsthand experiences with humanities quest to surpass the restraints of our human condition. These six stories are utterly stimulating because they are brutal at times yet they entirely captivate you because of the characters' compelling voices that inevitably make readers reflect on our future as a society.



I really enjoyed the different personalities within the story that conveyed an accurate reflection to all the great feats humans can accomplish; this went hand in hand with the foreboding of everything that could go wrong and a glimpse to what may lead to humanity's downfall. Similar reads that came to mind were Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series and Masamune Shirow's Ghost in the Shell.



Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful was such a compelling portrayal of all the technological advances that are all well within our reach that I absorbed every word until the final tale. Dayton's portrait of the future is so convincing because of its precision and foundation on realism. I felt the story became more fact than fiction in the same fashion as George Orwell's 1984 because both Dayton and Orwell presented readers with an unforgettable window to the all that may come to pass.





*Without any spoilers*


The fourth story with Alexios, the chimera, had to be my favorite. Alexios's narrative showed an entirely new perspective to what can be achieved with bioengineering. This was the story that was especially thought provoking because of how blurred the lines of human and other became.



I'd like to finish by saying:



Welcome to a future that will both enthrall and horrify.

Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful has been one of the most technologically advanced world I had this year! It is alternately subtle and outrageously stunning with each story introduced. What draws me more is the how it was all different yet is clinging on a thin thread that solidifies these stories together.

And I meant it that good. There are six short stories in the book, yes, six! It all pans out with such different dilemma with different teen characters that would rise up to the challenge of their modern world. The set-up was superb, it takes us in six different worlds set in the same one.

With each featuring story, there is a different quandary, that each character is facing, the details of the advancement they are in are both enchanting, literally like a scientific accident that you can’t take your eyes off from looking and horrifying in levels of belief. Taking it into today’s world way of societal thinking and moral structure. It is scary-possible. It could happen, my mind is provoked now. At the same time, it is addictingly entertaining.

What I did like is that, it is a sci-fi read but it is not as heavy as one would expect from, the jargons through the story is light but heavy on the ethical structure in society. There was technological advancement in skin grafting, genetic structures, and human modifications. From the first short story, there is a-um (I said earlier…) subtle but outrageous development that you’ll be inhaling through. The stories pace were fast and told in a different manner, nothing recycled nor repetitive.

And the character’s well, character. Presented by the decisions they took and made. They are not perfect they are flawed. Each is driven with whatever it takes to lead, to do the right, the opposite. The slice of life present in these pages as human beings, interaction amongst lands on the grayness. Leaving with more questions and light speed thoughts. They weren’t wrong associating it with Black Mirror. And I can’t believe that had the opportunity to be part of it earlier on its release!

I have my bets on Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful as the kind of read that even non-science-fiction would have a hard time to put down and be not be intrigued with its intricate futuristic world taking.

It will leave a heavy portrayal of the future in each reader’s mind, what of us, what will be of humanity, morality, technology, and the standing environment fast-forwarding to a hundred years from the present.

Also, I see a wide range possibility that there could be another anthology or maybe a full-on novel with one of the stories featured in Stronger, Faster and More Beautiful.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a fast-paced collection of six individual stories pertaining to the future and the pursuit of human perfection. This is a fascinating look at a potential future, while also having that frightening aspect that show Black Mirror leaves us with. The book makes you think, but it also is easy to get lost in the entertainment of it all. Fans of Black Mirror and Westworld will enjoy this YA sci-fi short story collection.

I was a little hesitant at first with this book because I really don't generally care for anthologies. However, that all disappeared after reading the first two stories. Not only was I fascinated by the author's take on the future, I found they aligned quite well with some things I had written and I was eager to get another perspective on the same thing. It felt like the fleshing out of a realistically coming science fiction world. Towards the end of the book, things get a little more abstract and require you to be able to make that jump with Arwen Elys Dayton. (Don't worry. You can!)
While I suppose I could have run through this book rather quickly, I preferred it read a short story each week or so. It gave me time to really think about the stories. I enjoy that sort of thing. I talked to people about the stories, got their thoughts, and even sparked their interest in reading the book themselves just by discussing the subject matter.
Unlike anything I've read before, "Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful" will make you think about technology, science, the medical field, and how we decide right and wrong.

(Reviews on both my blog and Instagram will be posted on Dec. 3rd as part of a blog tour)

Thanks to Delacorte Press and The Fantastic Flying Book Club for the Advanced e-Copy and a chance to be a part of this blog tour!
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful is a book that is way beyond our time, but also one of the most relevant books that I’ve read recently. This book takes the concept of the recent studies of gene modifications to eradicate disease and then thought “what if?”. I loved this book because it made you think, really think, about the expansion of science and the stories that we could one day hear of and see right before our eyes.
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful, written by Arwen Elys Dayton, is broken up into six parts. Each increasingly furthers the thought of modifications within the human body. In the first, we meet a pair of twins with a genetic disorder that hinders their organs growth in comparison with their bodies. The solution is to join the organs in one of the twins in order to save at least one of them. The second follows a girl who had been in a terrible car accident. To save her, the doctors had used machinery and artificial skin. Due to growing hatred of the practice based on a radio preacher, she has told no one her secret due to ridicule until a date gone wrong threatens to spill everything she tried to hide. The third follows the radio preacher himself, Tad Tadd. While in Africa to protest against modifications that include disease annihilation after being thrown out of his church for the growing differences of philosophies, his family is attacked and his wife and son are killed. Immediately after their death, he realizes that maybe he has been the wrong the entire time and makes a choice for himself and his daughter that holds consequences for millions and for the following years to come. The fourth part follows a young boy whose parents thought that the modifications they made to their son’s intelligence were not up to par for their liking. In return, they have handed him over to a company that not only has modified him further but has also put him in charge of keeping their treasure safe, manatee chimeras full of extra organs for humans. After a history lesson where he learns what’s really happening above the surface, he makes a choice that could change his life. In part five, we meet a boy from California that was out of time. Years before, he found out that he had cancer. With his parent's agreement, he froze himself in a warehouse in Estonia until a cure for his cancer had been found. Years later we see him and hear his story as he’s on the run and has been turned into something that he never asked for. In part six, we’re years and years ahead in the future and on a reservation where those who have been modified have preserved a small portion of natural genes. The story follows a girl who happened to see the beginning of the end for modified humans. As she and others leave the reservation for the first time, they search for what this means for them and for future generations.
I am in awe of these stories that Dayton has written. They are detailed, well thought out, well planned, and well executed. Each builds upon the story before and heightens the depths of what we can do scientifically and medically. But she also creates a story of its downfall. I’m in love with how all of these stories turned and built off each other. Dayton has truly written something that seems impossible now, but with the advances that we already have scientifically, there’s no reason to doubt that something like what she has written could take place in some near or far future.
This book also makes you think of what it really means to be human. Is it what we look like, our features, our organs, our brains? Is it what we value or model? Is it what we change or think is more appealing? Is it what makes us tick or helps us survive? Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful truly makes you think about what you value and what you value as "human". Not everything in this book is possible currently, but if it was, would that change your view? If you could keep a loved one living by becoming a piece of them, would you? If you could recreate someone with the assets that you need in order for them to do your bidding, would you? If you could get your revenge on someone knowing that in the end, they’d still live just not fully, would you? If you could live just as you are, and know that you were wholly well and alive and forever free, would you?
For me, regarding this subject and reading about it is interesting. I fully believe that all are made in the image of God. That we’re all created in his likeness and that there is nothing wrong with the way each of us look. Many of the stories in this book, don’t necessarily follow to that guideline. A few of these stories, quite a few actually, what happened to the main character wasn’t by choice, but it was the card that they were dealt. I really thought about what this would mean for them and in light of my views. Even though this book is fiction, I was glad that I got a chance to think about what this would mean for my views and what views I would hold if this were a reality.
If you’ve read the Unwind dystology by Neal Shusterman, you’ll love reading this book. This takes the science to heights that probably haven't even been thought of yet. Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful was thought-provoking and insightful. It was everything that I had hoped it would be and more. I’ve been anticipating this book since I first heard about it a few months ago and I was not disappointed.

This was a one day read for me, which doesn’t happen often. This book is a compilation of 6 individual stories revolving around the idea of what humanity could be like if and when we start changing genetics to cure disease and reverse disability. It’s actually pretty eye opening. As the author says, It’s such an awesome idea that we will surely screw it up.

This book was really good. I honestly didn't expect it to have six parts (and six points of view). Each one was interesting and each story takes place in the future. I was hooked from the very beginning and even though some stories marked me more than others, I ended up being very impressed with this book!

In this sci-fi book, we get to see how the world could evolve and to be honest, it's f*cking scary. It gives you a possible outcome and you get to see how things can go horribly wrong. Overall, it was a really captivating read that will stay in my mind for a while!

(I received an ARC to read and review via Netgalley)

There are so many brilliant things to say about Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful. While this collection is six separate stories, they are interwoven throughout a common thread. We can appreciate the distance between the stories, as well as the similarities. It never felt disjointed, just like separate parts of this immense gorgeous robotic machine working in harmony. What I adored is how unique this book feels. Everything from the format to the ideas.

My little nerd heart was geeking out so hard for this book. Because a book where the author thinks about what humanity will be in the future will hook me every time. It's, hands down, the best thing I love about science fiction. And what I write about when I write my own geeky thesises. I love the questioning of what we will be in the future. Will we be even more than we ever thought?

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful asks us just this. It asks us where we will take our stand. What we will define as humanity as we move forwards? As our technology advances so much that we can cure what plagued us, what limited us, what defined us. Where will humanity, as we know it, take it's last stand?

How will advances in medicine and technology affect humanity of the future? Could it literally affect their humanity? This collection of six interconnected short stories explores how scientific advances from DNA alteration to extreme body modification may shape our future--for better or for worse. Some of the stories explore the possibility of better life-saving procedures juxtaposed with extreme religious prejudice against those who chose to use it while others consider how some of these procedures might go horribly wrong.

This collection definitely shifted from the more hopeful stories to the much darker possibilities. I thought that was a really great was to show off the extremes, though I wish we'd seen a little more hopefulness and exploration of the amazing possibilities before the shift to how badly these things could be misused. Overall, I thought this was a really interesting collection. I liked the interconnected short story format-- this story really couldn't have been told as effectively any other way. It does get bogged down occasionally and some of the stories are more engaging that others. But definitely a fascinating imagining of what a transhumanist future might look like-- though I certainly hope it wouldn't turn out exactly like in these stories.

I think this one will really appeal to fans of Black Mirror.