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Fountain of Age: Stories
Nine new stories from a long-time star of the science fiction field including the Hugo Award winner "The Erdmann Nexus" and Nebula Award winner "The Fountain of Age." These stories have been reprinted in The Year's Best Science Fiction, Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of the Year, and Best of the Web.
Kress unpacks the future the way DNA investigators unravelled the double helix: one gene at a time. In many of these stories gene sculpting is illegal yet commonplace and the effects range between slow catastrophe (“End Game”), cosmic (“First Rites”), and tragic (“Safeguard”). Then there’s the morning when Rochester disappears and Jenny has to rely on “The Kindness of Strangers.” There’s Jill, who is kidnapped by aliens and trying to learn the “Laws of Survival.” And there’s Hope, whose Grandma is regretting the world built “By Fools Like Me.”
Table of Contents:
The Erdmann Nexus - (2008) - novella
The Kindness of Strangers - (2008) - shortstory
By Fools Like Me - (2007) - shortstory
First Rites - (2008) - novelette
End Game - (2007) - shortstory
Images of Anna - (2009) - shortstory
Laws of Survival - (2007) - novelette
Safeguard - (2007) - novelette
Fountain of Age - (2007) - novella
Kress unpacks the future the way DNA investigators unravelled the double helix: one gene at a time. In many of these stories gene sculpting is illegal yet commonplace and the effects range between slow catastrophe (“End Game”), cosmic (“First Rites”), and tragic (“Safeguard”). Then there’s the morning when Rochester disappears and Jenny has to rely on “The Kindness of Strangers.” There’s Jill, who is kidnapped by aliens and trying to learn the “Laws of Survival.” And there’s Hope, whose Grandma is regretting the world built “By Fools Like Me.”
Table of Contents:
The Erdmann Nexus - (2008) - novella
The Kindness of Strangers - (2008) - shortstory
By Fools Like Me - (2007) - shortstory
First Rites - (2008) - novelette
End Game - (2007) - shortstory
Images of Anna - (2009) - shortstory
Laws of Survival - (2007) - novelette
Safeguard - (2007) - novelette
Fountain of Age - (2007) - novella
303 pages, Paperback
First published May 8, 2012
22 people are currently reading
648 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Kress
453 books901 followersNancy Kress is an American science fiction writer. She began writing in 1976 but has achieved her greatest notice since the publication of her Hugo and Nebula-winning 1991 novella
Beggars in Spain
which was later expanded into a novel with the same title. In addition to her novels, Kress has written numerous short stories and is a regular columnist for Writer's Digest. She is a regular at Clarion writing workshops and at The Writers Center in Bethesda, Maryland. During the Winter of 2008/09, Nancy Kress is the Picador Guest Professor for Literature at the University of Leipzig's Institute for American Studies in Leipzig, Germany.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
Excerpted from Wikipedia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
March 25, 2019
I don’t think I’ve read this author before, just came across this book browsing our library’s online catalog’s limited and eclectic selections and it sounded interesting. And what an interesting read this turned out to be. Fountain of Age is a collection of short stories and novellas and as the clever title suggests many of the stories feature mature characters, which I really appreciated. Fountain of Youth might be the thing you’d like to drink from, but Fountain of Age in a way provides much more food for thought in the same way that most older people are considerably more interesting than most younger ones. I must say I didn’t get into this collection straight away, in fact the first novella (award winning as it might have been) didn’t really work for me. It was conceptually intriguing, but moved too slowly for my liking. Pacing actually continued to be a thing, but you do get used to it, even come to appreciate it. Kress’ seemingly leisurely approach to narrative actually does very well with getting the readers inside her imaginary world and establishing emotional attachments/engagements with their denizens. Yes, having that been said, I did enjoy the shorter stories of this collection more, but that might have also been just their subject matter. The first three were very much unoriginal, well done, but fairly standard science fiction scenarios, but then it really took off and there was plenty of originality to be had. Kress writes very smartly, something to really appreciate, her stories are clever, both dramatically and scientifically, your intelligence will be tested and catered to. These are character driven stories with minimal violence, no gore, not a lot of action. A very specific kind of writing, not exactly for the average whambam alien m’am kind of fan. This was very much what you’d consider literary science fiction. Actually, for me it was probably the case of intellectual appreciation over emotional one, which is to say I didn’t love the book, but liked it very much and thought it was very good. Maybe it was sedate for my mood at the time, not sure. But there were some really interesting stories in this book and the final novella (also an award winner) was pretty terrific. Kress does a great job of considering psychological and social ramifications of technology. Because as you might have noticed technology has been dramatically outpacing social advancements. Overall it was a very good introduction to a new author, one I would certainly consider reading again, especially now knowing the quality and thus being able to select it for an appropriate mood and mindset. It read slower than the average 300 page book, but then again the quality was above average, so it worked out. Recommended for science fiction fans who appreciate a serous slow simmering smart story.
May 20, 2012
5/16/12
This book magically appeared in my mail box so I will read it. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with the goodreads first-reads program and was sent to me in error when I won a different book (At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories). Still, when a science fiction book mysteriously arrives in a rural box served by a post office threatened with closure, it might be a sign of something. I'll keep you posted.
Update 5/19/12
I read a lot of science fiction when I was in high school but not much after that. I'm pretty sure I entered the goodreads first-reads contest for the book I expected because the cover caught my eye. Fountain of Age has a boring cover, so, though it appears it too was offered in first-reads, nothing pulled me in to enter to win it. Still, the book found me and I am glad. I enjoyed nearly every story, many of which deal in some way with aging. I must check out some other Nancy Kress books.
This book magically appeared in my mail box so I will read it. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion it has something to do with the goodreads first-reads program and was sent to me in error when I won a different book (At the Mouth of the River of Bees: Stories). Still, when a science fiction book mysteriously arrives in a rural box served by a post office threatened with closure, it might be a sign of something. I'll keep you posted.
Update 5/19/12
I read a lot of science fiction when I was in high school but not much after that. I'm pretty sure I entered the goodreads first-reads contest for the book I expected because the cover caught my eye. Fountain of Age has a boring cover, so, though it appears it too was offered in first-reads, nothing pulled me in to enter to win it. Still, the book found me and I am glad. I enjoyed nearly every story, many of which deal in some way with aging. I must check out some other Nancy Kress books.
March 5, 2012
I got this book directly from the publisher for no cost as part of the Goodreads First Reader Program.
Nancy Kress is a MASTER STORY TELLER.
Rather than explaining whatis going on she has the characters do what theydo and fills in any blanks that may arise. This is truly a skill she is very good at.
The nine stories involved cover rougue viruses, lost and rediscovered love, sentient non coporal entities, mind control and other interesting subjects.
They all have a slight twist and are not always what they appear to be when you fitrst start eading them. These are not High Tech or Space Opera type science fiction stories but rather what I would call soft or human based science fiction.
It is about the people in the stories, that is the prime motivator of the story arc. The fact that the story takes place in the future or involves future technology is just dessert for the main meal.
I really really enjoyed these 9 short stories (one I would call a novella)
Highly recommended
Nancy Kress is a MASTER STORY TELLER.
Rather than explaining whatis going on she has the characters do what theydo and fills in any blanks that may arise. This is truly a skill she is very good at.
The nine stories involved cover rougue viruses, lost and rediscovered love, sentient non coporal entities, mind control and other interesting subjects.
They all have a slight twist and are not always what they appear to be when you fitrst start eading them. These are not High Tech or Space Opera type science fiction stories but rather what I would call soft or human based science fiction.
It is about the people in the stories, that is the prime motivator of the story arc. The fact that the story takes place in the future or involves future technology is just dessert for the main meal.
I really really enjoyed these 9 short stories (one I would call a novella)
Highly recommended
January 5, 2013
A collection of sf stories by Nancy Kress. Usually collections are an uneven mix, but these stories not only flow together well, but each and every story is excellent. Many of the stories are about individual humans' reactions to technological leaps or apocalyptic events. Aliens appear in a few. And yet they are all believable, like what might actually, truly happen if these events come to pass. Kress has a solid scientific understanding and avid curiosity and imagination about future breakthroughs, and it makes her tales all the better.
March 21, 2021
"La Fontaine des Âges" de Nancy Kress m'a été envoyé par les éditions Le Bélial, que je remercie chaleureusement 😊 J'avais hâte de découvrir une de leurs parutions dans la collection Une Heure Lumière, et c'est maintenant chose faite. Ce fût une plutôt bonne lecture dans l'ensemble.
Dans cette novella (100 pages), nous suivons Max Reder, un homme immensément riche dans un futur pas si éloigné (mais upgradé de quelques androïdes et catastrophes climatiques). Max veut retrouver Daria, une prostituée avec laquelle il a eu une relation dans sa jeunesse, et qui l'a énormément marqué. Parallèlement, on découvre le passé de cet homme qui a vécu durant le développement d'un traitement contre la mortalité : le traitement D.
Je découvre avec ce livre la plume et le style de Nancy Kress, qui me plaît beaucoup. L'autrice décrit dans cette novella de sf un univers assez dystopique, très ancré dans notre réalité et bien expliquée. Cela rend le récit très accessible et facile à aborder, et cela a été un plus durant ma lecture (et aussi un joli tour de force vu le nombre de thèmes présentés dans ce récit : la mortalité, les inventions biologiques, le danger de la numérisation monétaire et j'en passe). L'histoire est très rythmée et on ne s'ennuie pas un seul instant. Je me rends compte que j'aime beaucoup cette sf plutôt "simple" (gros guillemets) qui se base principalement sur notre monde tel qu'on le connait, et qui développe certains éléments pour rendre le tout un peu plus "futuriste" (comme le fait dans un autre registre Ray Bradbury, par exemple).
Deux éléments font que je ressors de cette lecture sans avoir passé plus qu'un "bon moment".
Déjà, Max Reder est un personnage que j'ai très peu apprécié de par son caractère : c'est un homme très aigri, pénible, et qui y va toujours de sa réflexion désagréable. Un personnage compliqué à apprécier, du coup.
J'ai également trouvé cette histoire un peu "classique", bien que certains éléments soient tout de même assez originaux (la présence des Roms notamment).
Surtout, j'ai eu un problème avec la fin du récit. Je pense que c'est très personnel, et je ne trouve pas précisément pourquoi je n'ai pas apprécié celle-ci, mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé aussi bonne que le reste de la novella. Peut-être que le rythme s'accélère trop vers le dénouement, ou peut-être que les révélations ne valent pas toute la montée des 100 pages ; en tout cas, je sais simplement que je suis resté dans le flou une bonne demi-heure après avoir refermé le livre (je pense que c'est surtout un problème de compréhension de ma part, mais je serais curieux d'avoir votre ressenti quant à cet fin).
Ça a donc été un bon moment de lecture, mais sans plus pour moi. Je vous recommande "La Fontaine des Âges" si vous n'avez jamais lu de récit sf ; celui-ci est très accessible. J'ai beaucoup apprécié découvrir la plume et l'univers de l'autrice, et j'ai hâte de lire un autre de ses romans plus longs, avec peut-être plus de densité ; ce qui m'a sans doute le plus manqué dans cette novella. Affaire à suivre donc...
Dans cette novella (100 pages), nous suivons Max Reder, un homme immensément riche dans un futur pas si éloigné (mais upgradé de quelques androïdes et catastrophes climatiques). Max veut retrouver Daria, une prostituée avec laquelle il a eu une relation dans sa jeunesse, et qui l'a énormément marqué. Parallèlement, on découvre le passé de cet homme qui a vécu durant le développement d'un traitement contre la mortalité : le traitement D.
Je découvre avec ce livre la plume et le style de Nancy Kress, qui me plaît beaucoup. L'autrice décrit dans cette novella de sf un univers assez dystopique, très ancré dans notre réalité et bien expliquée. Cela rend le récit très accessible et facile à aborder, et cela a été un plus durant ma lecture (et aussi un joli tour de force vu le nombre de thèmes présentés dans ce récit : la mortalité, les inventions biologiques, le danger de la numérisation monétaire et j'en passe). L'histoire est très rythmée et on ne s'ennuie pas un seul instant. Je me rends compte que j'aime beaucoup cette sf plutôt "simple" (gros guillemets) qui se base principalement sur notre monde tel qu'on le connait, et qui développe certains éléments pour rendre le tout un peu plus "futuriste" (comme le fait dans un autre registre Ray Bradbury, par exemple).
Deux éléments font que je ressors de cette lecture sans avoir passé plus qu'un "bon moment".
Déjà, Max Reder est un personnage que j'ai très peu apprécié de par son caractère : c'est un homme très aigri, pénible, et qui y va toujours de sa réflexion désagréable. Un personnage compliqué à apprécier, du coup.
J'ai également trouvé cette histoire un peu "classique", bien que certains éléments soient tout de même assez originaux (la présence des Roms notamment).
Surtout, j'ai eu un problème avec la fin du récit. Je pense que c'est très personnel, et je ne trouve pas précisément pourquoi je n'ai pas apprécié celle-ci, mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé aussi bonne que le reste de la novella. Peut-être que le rythme s'accélère trop vers le dénouement, ou peut-être que les révélations ne valent pas toute la montée des 100 pages ; en tout cas, je sais simplement que je suis resté dans le flou une bonne demi-heure après avoir refermé le livre (je pense que c'est surtout un problème de compréhension de ma part, mais je serais curieux d'avoir votre ressenti quant à cet fin).
Ça a donc été un bon moment de lecture, mais sans plus pour moi. Je vous recommande "La Fontaine des Âges" si vous n'avez jamais lu de récit sf ; celui-ci est très accessible. J'ai beaucoup apprécié découvrir la plume et l'univers de l'autrice, et j'ai hâte de lire un autre de ses romans plus longs, avec peut-être plus de densité ; ce qui m'a sans doute le plus manqué dans cette novella. Affaire à suivre donc...
April 12, 2022
J'aurais aimé lui mettre 3.5 étoiles.
Il est fluide, il se lit très bien et il est moins sombre que les autres livres de la collection.
J'ai trouvé les thèmes abordés intéressants : le vieillissement et la recherche de l'éternelle jeunesse, mais surtout, la vieillesse et la recherche d'un sens à donner à sa vie.
Par contre le personnage principal est absolument antipathique... c'est voulu, mais bon, je préfère suivre des personnages auxquels on s'attache plus 😅
Et je n'ai pas aimé la fin que j'ai trouvé trop facile 👀
Il est fluide, il se lit très bien et il est moins sombre que les autres livres de la collection.
J'ai trouvé les thèmes abordés intéressants : le vieillissement et la recherche de l'éternelle jeunesse, mais surtout, la vieillesse et la recherche d'un sens à donner à sa vie.
Par contre le personnage principal est absolument antipathique... c'est voulu, mais bon, je préfère suivre des personnages auxquels on s'attache plus 😅
Et je n'ai pas aimé la fin que j'ai trouvé trop facile 👀
December 22, 2022
Idea fantascientifica non innovativa ma romanzo strutturato molto bene. Scritto in modo essenziale ma efficace. Comunque un protagonista 86enne è una cosa che mi mancava
October 11, 2016
Nancy Kress's short story collection Fountain Of Age collects short stories and novellas published between 2007 and 2009 in print and on-line venues such as Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, Jim Baen's Universe, and Fantasy Magazine. The collection includes two award winning novellas - "Fountain of Age" which won the Nebula, and "The Erdmann Nexus" won the Hugo. It also includes the short story "Images of Anna", which was a WSFA Small Press Award finalist, and many of the stories in the collection have been reprinted in various Year's Best collections. In short, if you have any interest in the short fiction Nancy Kress has been writing in the 21st century, you will want to buy this collection published by Small Beer Press.
"The Erdmann Nexus", the longest story in the collection at 78 pages, involves a group of over-eighty seniors in an assisted living facility who seem to be developing a collective consciousness, with sometimes disastrous results. The story is an interesting meditation on identity and relationships as some people choose to join the collective consciousness and leave the Earth as a newly evolved being and others do not, preferring to remain themselves rather than be subsumed into something bigger and alien.
In a similar vein, "First Rites" also involves a greater consciousness. Cixin is a genetically modified boy, a botched attempt by rogue scientists to create supersoldiers, who may or may not be connected to some universal consciousness when he is in what his guardian thinks is a petit mal fugue state. The story is somewhat bittersweet, as Cixin does not lead a particularly happy life, nor did his late mother, and his adoptive father and distant cousin is not really able to relate to him or other people. On the other hand, the Earth is saved from destruction by massive solar flares when Cixin shuffles off his mortal coil to happily join the collective consciousness of the universe, a state of affairs his guardian is unable to accept as anything other than Cixin dying.
In "Safeguard", children who were successfully modified to be weapons of mass destruction are kept in a carefully controlled, domed environment and visited daily by their caretaker, Dr. Katherine Taney. Although they are weapons, they are still children and killing them would be morally problematic. Unfortunately, there's an earthquake and the dome cracks. When Dr. Taney doesn't come, the children go out in the world to find her, unintentionally killing the kind strangers who aid them in their search.
In "The Kindness of Strangers", aliens decide we have gotten too numerous and too violent and destroy the majority of cities on the planet. In the aftermath, the aliens provide limited help to the survivors as people gather together in groups and also start to help each other. At the edges of what's left of Rochester, NY, Jenny deals with survivor guilt, the end of her relationship with her boyfriend and the question of how to reach her surviving relatives. Eventually, she is able to ask the aliens why they did it, and the aliens explain that it was an act of kindness to reverse the course we were on of overpopulation and environmental disaster and ever more destructive wars. The aliens blithely assure her that things will be much better in a couple of generations and that humans will ultimately come to appreciate their intervention. However, it seems pretty clear by the end of the story that the aliens may have miscalculated when it comes to human nature.
In "Laws of Survival", Jill has somewhat better luck in her alien encounter. Humanity has seriously wrecked the earth in a massive war, after which aliens landed their spaceships and built domes from which they never come out. Jill is living at the dump on the outskirts of Raleigh, surviving alone as best she can. A chance encounter with a robot from the Dome leads Jill to be taken inside the Dome to train dogs for the alien's robot for some unspecified purpose.
The collection ends with the title story, the Nebula Award winning "Fountain of Age". Max Feder is in an old age home waiting to die. Treatments are available to extend his life, but he does not see the point. Then his son and grandsons visit and his grandsons manage to destroy the one possession he values above all else, a ring containing the hair and a kiss of his one true love Daria. Suddenly, Max has a reason to live, as he becomes determined to get another kiss and token from Daria. As a result, Max is soon involved in an adventure involving federal agents, corporate intrigue, and terrorist conspiracies. It's a story in which people commit acts of incredible cruelty and kindness out of anger but mostly out of love and friendship.
The nine stories in this collection are all excellent examples of Kress's writing. Fountain Of Age should be a 'must buy' both for fans of Kress's work and for those readers who are just discovering her writing. Highly recommended.
"The Erdmann Nexus", the longest story in the collection at 78 pages, involves a group of over-eighty seniors in an assisted living facility who seem to be developing a collective consciousness, with sometimes disastrous results. The story is an interesting meditation on identity and relationships as some people choose to join the collective consciousness and leave the Earth as a newly evolved being and others do not, preferring to remain themselves rather than be subsumed into something bigger and alien.
In a similar vein, "First Rites" also involves a greater consciousness. Cixin is a genetically modified boy, a botched attempt by rogue scientists to create supersoldiers, who may or may not be connected to some universal consciousness when he is in what his guardian thinks is a petit mal fugue state. The story is somewhat bittersweet, as Cixin does not lead a particularly happy life, nor did his late mother, and his adoptive father and distant cousin is not really able to relate to him or other people. On the other hand, the Earth is saved from destruction by massive solar flares when Cixin shuffles off his mortal coil to happily join the collective consciousness of the universe, a state of affairs his guardian is unable to accept as anything other than Cixin dying.
In "Safeguard", children who were successfully modified to be weapons of mass destruction are kept in a carefully controlled, domed environment and visited daily by their caretaker, Dr. Katherine Taney. Although they are weapons, they are still children and killing them would be morally problematic. Unfortunately, there's an earthquake and the dome cracks. When Dr. Taney doesn't come, the children go out in the world to find her, unintentionally killing the kind strangers who aid them in their search.
In "The Kindness of Strangers", aliens decide we have gotten too numerous and too violent and destroy the majority of cities on the planet. In the aftermath, the aliens provide limited help to the survivors as people gather together in groups and also start to help each other. At the edges of what's left of Rochester, NY, Jenny deals with survivor guilt, the end of her relationship with her boyfriend and the question of how to reach her surviving relatives. Eventually, she is able to ask the aliens why they did it, and the aliens explain that it was an act of kindness to reverse the course we were on of overpopulation and environmental disaster and ever more destructive wars. The aliens blithely assure her that things will be much better in a couple of generations and that humans will ultimately come to appreciate their intervention. However, it seems pretty clear by the end of the story that the aliens may have miscalculated when it comes to human nature.
In "Laws of Survival", Jill has somewhat better luck in her alien encounter. Humanity has seriously wrecked the earth in a massive war, after which aliens landed their spaceships and built domes from which they never come out. Jill is living at the dump on the outskirts of Raleigh, surviving alone as best she can. A chance encounter with a robot from the Dome leads Jill to be taken inside the Dome to train dogs for the alien's robot for some unspecified purpose.
The collection ends with the title story, the Nebula Award winning "Fountain of Age". Max Feder is in an old age home waiting to die. Treatments are available to extend his life, but he does not see the point. Then his son and grandsons visit and his grandsons manage to destroy the one possession he values above all else, a ring containing the hair and a kiss of his one true love Daria. Suddenly, Max has a reason to live, as he becomes determined to get another kiss and token from Daria. As a result, Max is soon involved in an adventure involving federal agents, corporate intrigue, and terrorist conspiracies. It's a story in which people commit acts of incredible cruelty and kindness out of anger but mostly out of love and friendship.
The nine stories in this collection are all excellent examples of Kress's writing. Fountain Of Age should be a 'must buy' both for fans of Kress's work and for those readers who are just discovering her writing. Highly recommended.
March 3, 2023
Seconde lecture de Nancy Kress dans la super collection du Belial.
Novella très réussie, je continue d'apprécier ce format d'une centaine de pages qui permet de déployer une histoire, un monde et une atmosphère en cherchant l'économie de moyens et donc de mots.
Cette nouvelle histoire de cette autrice me donne envie de lire le recueil sorti l'an dernier !
Novella très réussie, je continue d'apprécier ce format d'une centaine de pages qui permet de déployer une histoire, un monde et une atmosphère en cherchant l'économie de moyens et donc de mots.
Cette nouvelle histoire de cette autrice me donne envie de lire le recueil sorti l'an dernier !
June 15, 2021
Bon, on va commencer par une banalité quand il s'agit de parler d'un titre de la collection Une heure lumière : malgré sa brièveté, cet texte est très bien.
Voilà, maintenant qu'on a énoncé une évidence, parlons un peu de cette novella.
Le récit tourne beaucoup autour des regrets, de la nostalgie et de la mémoire. On y suit un vieil homme, au seuil de la mort, qui décide brusquement de quitter sa maison de retraite suite à la perte d'un objet auquel il était sentimentalement attaché. Je ne veux pas trop en dire, étant donné que le texte est assez court et que si je révèle la nature de l'objet et de son lien affectif, cela m'obligerait à beaucoup trop divulgâcher le roman.
Le texte est très plaisant, et arrive à brasser beaucoup de thèmes et ambiances différentes, ce qui n'est déjà pas une mince affaire, mais il s'offre en plus le luxe d'être très touchant. En plus, c'est rafraichissant, pour une fois, de ne pas avoir un héros fringant ou surpuissant, ou hautement moral.
C'est un vieil homme, au passé fort peu reluisant et pas spécialement quelqu'un dont on dirait qu'il est une "belle personne". Et pourtant, malgré tous ses défauts, on s'y attache et on apprend à l'apprécier.
Un joli texte, dont je ne peux qu'encourager la lecture.
June 1, 2017
It took me a little while to get into it (the first story, The Erdmann Nexus, was a slow starter), but this was a great collection of science fiction. The underlying thread is a connection to genes, evolution and age rather than spaceships and aliens and standard sci-fi tropes. The premise for the stories are bizarre - they include a woman who's life depends on her ability to retrain dogs, and the merging consciousness of the inhabitants of an old people's home - but I found them refreshingly original, with smartly written characters and satisfying conclusions.
March 17, 2012
The Erdmann Nexus
A very interesting and suspenseful story. I don't usually read these types of stories and genre and found it a bit hard to get into in the beginning but I am glad that I continued reading. At first I was confused with what was happening and it didn't make sense to me. In a way it was that, that pushed me to keep reading. The suspense was what kept me interested.
It was a really great story. Like I said I don't usually read scientific books/novels but this one was different. The story was unlike anything I have ever read of could have thought about. It was very realistic, I could see this happening in real life. The facts that Nancy Kress choreographed into the story was astonishing. It was what made it so believable. The stone cold, hard facts intertwined into the story was life like, like reading a documentary, but with someone telling it as a story.
It was interesting and very knowledgeable, and I admired that. I have never been one for Science, but I enjoyed this.
The Kindness of Strangers
This story, although very short, was very inspiring. The message was very meaningful and clear. That even if you do not look for it, and even if it is in the most unlikely of places, kindness from strangers can be found everywhere, even if you do not looks for it.
This story was very real, and very realistic. It is something that could happen since our population is drastically rising, and out climate is drastically changing. In this time and age, many people disapprove of aliens, "ET", or anything paranormal that science or religion cannot explain. This story teaches us that many things happen that science nor religion cannot explain. That there are so many life forms that have gone undiscovered for humans to know everything. And our knowledge of outer space is very limited.
In this day and age most children grow up with their parents telling them, "Do not talk to strangers! Or "Do not talk or trust anyone you don't know. But the truth is, we were all strangers once. All our friends were once strangers. We all have to start somewhere. This is where this story takes us.
I enjoyed this story very much. It inspired me and got me thinking. What if this were to really happen? For this story had a very good point! "You humans have a talent for self-destruction, you know. You cause a lot of your own suffering." Which is 100% true. In most cases isn't our own fault that we got ourselves into a bad situation or a state of being? There are many cases that which this sentence is true. Take global warming for an example. At this time... even with out efforts.... it is too little too late.
The story really got me thinking. With what happened to the characters in the story, and how they got so absorbed in their concentration after losing the static – that I hope to never achieve that state of mind. I wonder if it is even possible. But the logic behind it is like a fact. It is so real, so scientific that it is hard to think of it like anything else.
By Fools Like Me
This story really starts to get you thinking about what our future will hold, and what will cease to exist if Global warming gets any worse than it already is.
This story tells of a future without machines, without the daily luxuries of buying food and doing nothing for ourselves in the way of survival. It shows us sins. That so many things (little things that we would never suspect or think of as sinning) is a sin. We cut down trees for paper, books, and other supplies. That is a sin.
"Then God said, "I give you every plant and every tree on the whole Earth. They will be food for you. Wail, oh pine tree, for the cedar has fallen, the stately trees are ruined! Wail oaks of Bashan, the dense forest has been cut down! And they were told - told!- not to harm the grass of Earth or any plant or tree."
To us now, our kind as humans has progressed in such a way that there are not many of us left who care about the Earth and its state of being. Not too many of us are brought up to care about our environment anymore. Children are brought up with Laptops, I-pods, Flat screen TV's. Our survival isn't instinctual as it used to be. We don't go on living as if everyday is a fight for survival. Everything we need is in grocery stores that we can just pick up and continue out day. But no, in this story it tells of a life where just reading a book is a sin. For the trees that were cut down to make it is a sin.
First Rites
This is a really good story. Although I don't think the title suits the story. I don't think "First Rites" has anything to do with the story that is told.
Like the other stories in this book, its all about Science. About what is possible and what can be done, and what isn't possible and can't be done. It's a very interesting concept. There are so many things in this story that are just unbelievable, that I can't imagine happening, but can happen.
I really liked this one. It had romance, and a bit of humor, but was very serious and its message was very clear. I liked how the story mixed romance into the story of Science of Quantum physics and consiouness. The story had a really good point. Some people say that they hear voices speaking to them. They say that its "God" some say its "Satan". Take Joan of Arc for an example, she heared voices and said it was God telling her - guiding her. And that it was happenes to the main character in this book, Cixin.
End Game
The story was very interesting, albeit short. The story and plot was very well thought out. It amazes me that such a topic and consciousness that it speaks about, makes me more aware of what I am doing.
The story talks about “Static”. How even though we are concentrated on one thing, our mind is thinking about millions of different things in that moment. We are never thinking about just one thing at a time – indifferently. Our minds jump from one though to another, never lingering or thinking about one subject. That is what static is. And the character in the story, Allen, tries to figure out a way to stop the Static – permanently. So that we can concentrate on only one subject without the distraction of thoughts about anything else or losing concentration, even being able to be distracted is out of the equation.
Images of Anna
This story wasn’t like the others. It wasn’t about science or physics or anything like that. At first I got the impression that this was a story about fashion and the model industry, but that wasn’t the case. The story ended up to be very mystical and paranormal. Its background didn’t have anything to do with science, or could even be solved by it. There was no explanation for how what happened could possibly happen.
The story tells of a woman, named Anna, who goes to a photo-shoot at Glamorous You to have her picture taken as a gift for her online boyfriend. Ben, Anna’s photographer takes photos of her as usual with his other clients. While developing the negatives, he comes upon a real shock. The photos he took of Anna, are not of Anna! But of people who she is thinking of, Ben took a picture of her, and captured what was going on in her mind at that moment.
At that part I expected it to be a paranormal story where they investigated what was going on, and how Ben could possibly do that. But it wasn’t like that. It ended up being about a very important top that maybe everyone goes through at least once in their life, or thinks about it at least. How much should you change for the one you love? the answer should be, “Not at all!” for the person you love should love you unconditionally, and for who you are. Anna changes for the one she loves, and it makes not only her world, but his world, brighter.
The story is about going after your happiness. Chasing after your dreams, and maybe, just maybe, changing who you are. You shouldn’t have to change, but if it makes you happy then what did you really lose?
Laws of Survival
Since the dawn of movies and science-fiction, and imagination in general, there has been scepticism about aliens and extraterrestrial beings from outer space. But where did the idea come from? Where did humans get that thought from? It had to start somewhere.
In this story Nancy Kress weaves a fantastic tale of aliens inhabiting Earth in dome-like ships. To the people of Earth - there hasn’t been any sign of what the aliens look like or what they are there for. Until a woman looking for food in the garbage dump finds a puppy in the next to the dome and an alien robot steps out and offers her and the puppy food.
As the story unveils itself and the reason for the aliens being there is revealed, the unlikeliest of that is so profound that I hope that if one day aliens do come to earth it is for this reason! The aliens are looking for love. Love from an animal. And what animal is so loyal, that it was dubbed, “Mans best friend”? Of course, dogs!
Safeguard
When I first started reading it didn't quite make sense to me. I got the image that this was when the world was just starting to evolve and these four children were the first on earth, or something along those lines. But then soon after I thought that a woman, Taney, comes in wearing a “covering” which I later found out was a suit.
Four children live in this world-like dome that they think is a world - the only world. There were a lot of confusing bits in the beginning that didn’t cover enough ground for me to understand what was going on. I didn’t fully understand things until the very end of the story where it started to explain things in more detail.
There were several things about the four children, mainly a little girl named Kim, that I couldn’t understand. In the beginning it says Kim, in numerous settings, that she constantly goes around licking peoples faces. Since it didn’t describe her, only that her name was Kim, I thought she was a dog. I didn’t find out until half way through that she was indeed a child, a human child and not a dog. There were little details like that, that were left out that would have helped the understanding of the whole thing a whole lot easier to understand.
Fountain of Age
I really like the concept and the idea of "carrying around a piece of a person with you" in an object. Not so much as physical, but spiritual and emotional. Having a piece of something that belongs to them, makingthem feel as though a part of them is always with you. Like the way you give your child something of thier parents to make them feel safe and comforted. I really liked this approach to the story.
The beginning of the story was beautiful. The story was developing a very beautiful story line and plot. The only thing to me in the story was that Max went through all that trouble to find Daria again then he leaves her!?! It didn't quite fit. I don't quite understand why he went through all that trouble to find the desirable woman that he has been lusting - desiring - after for 40 years then just leaves after seeing her. Quite harshly too, I must say.
It got more and more confusing after that. Not so much the story - just how it was setting off and how the story was going. While the book was telling the story of Max in a retirement home after talking to his son, it then switches back to the past before his wife and son were even born. Very confusing. It kept switching and I never knew whether thr story was telling of the past or the future, or even the present. It wasn't very specific with the flashback in the time periods. Very good story telling, very interesting and informative, just a little hard to follow along.
I really like how the stories were organized in this book. From one story talking about a certain topic and that issue mixed in with the other stories - although all completly unrelated and different - throughout the book in each tale. I especially liked how the last story of the book was the title of the book itself. Like the saying goes, "Save the best for last." And it truly was a great ending. This story had a very meaningful message that just goes straight to the heart. It was a very symbolic, beautiful thing. An amazing story. All of them.
A very interesting and suspenseful story. I don't usually read these types of stories and genre and found it a bit hard to get into in the beginning but I am glad that I continued reading. At first I was confused with what was happening and it didn't make sense to me. In a way it was that, that pushed me to keep reading. The suspense was what kept me interested.
It was a really great story. Like I said I don't usually read scientific books/novels but this one was different. The story was unlike anything I have ever read of could have thought about. It was very realistic, I could see this happening in real life. The facts that Nancy Kress choreographed into the story was astonishing. It was what made it so believable. The stone cold, hard facts intertwined into the story was life like, like reading a documentary, but with someone telling it as a story.
It was interesting and very knowledgeable, and I admired that. I have never been one for Science, but I enjoyed this.
The Kindness of Strangers
This story, although very short, was very inspiring. The message was very meaningful and clear. That even if you do not look for it, and even if it is in the most unlikely of places, kindness from strangers can be found everywhere, even if you do not looks for it.
This story was very real, and very realistic. It is something that could happen since our population is drastically rising, and out climate is drastically changing. In this time and age, many people disapprove of aliens, "ET", or anything paranormal that science or religion cannot explain. This story teaches us that many things happen that science nor religion cannot explain. That there are so many life forms that have gone undiscovered for humans to know everything. And our knowledge of outer space is very limited.
In this day and age most children grow up with their parents telling them, "Do not talk to strangers! Or "Do not talk or trust anyone you don't know. But the truth is, we were all strangers once. All our friends were once strangers. We all have to start somewhere. This is where this story takes us.
I enjoyed this story very much. It inspired me and got me thinking. What if this were to really happen? For this story had a very good point! "You humans have a talent for self-destruction, you know. You cause a lot of your own suffering." Which is 100% true. In most cases isn't our own fault that we got ourselves into a bad situation or a state of being? There are many cases that which this sentence is true. Take global warming for an example. At this time... even with out efforts.... it is too little too late.
The story really got me thinking. With what happened to the characters in the story, and how they got so absorbed in their concentration after losing the static – that I hope to never achieve that state of mind. I wonder if it is even possible. But the logic behind it is like a fact. It is so real, so scientific that it is hard to think of it like anything else.
By Fools Like Me
This story really starts to get you thinking about what our future will hold, and what will cease to exist if Global warming gets any worse than it already is.
This story tells of a future without machines, without the daily luxuries of buying food and doing nothing for ourselves in the way of survival. It shows us sins. That so many things (little things that we would never suspect or think of as sinning) is a sin. We cut down trees for paper, books, and other supplies. That is a sin.
"Then God said, "I give you every plant and every tree on the whole Earth. They will be food for you. Wail, oh pine tree, for the cedar has fallen, the stately trees are ruined! Wail oaks of Bashan, the dense forest has been cut down! And they were told - told!- not to harm the grass of Earth or any plant or tree."
To us now, our kind as humans has progressed in such a way that there are not many of us left who care about the Earth and its state of being. Not too many of us are brought up to care about our environment anymore. Children are brought up with Laptops, I-pods, Flat screen TV's. Our survival isn't instinctual as it used to be. We don't go on living as if everyday is a fight for survival. Everything we need is in grocery stores that we can just pick up and continue out day. But no, in this story it tells of a life where just reading a book is a sin. For the trees that were cut down to make it is a sin.
First Rites
This is a really good story. Although I don't think the title suits the story. I don't think "First Rites" has anything to do with the story that is told.
Like the other stories in this book, its all about Science. About what is possible and what can be done, and what isn't possible and can't be done. It's a very interesting concept. There are so many things in this story that are just unbelievable, that I can't imagine happening, but can happen.
I really liked this one. It had romance, and a bit of humor, but was very serious and its message was very clear. I liked how the story mixed romance into the story of Science of Quantum physics and consiouness. The story had a really good point. Some people say that they hear voices speaking to them. They say that its "God" some say its "Satan". Take Joan of Arc for an example, she heared voices and said it was God telling her - guiding her. And that it was happenes to the main character in this book, Cixin.
End Game
The story was very interesting, albeit short. The story and plot was very well thought out. It amazes me that such a topic and consciousness that it speaks about, makes me more aware of what I am doing.
The story talks about “Static”. How even though we are concentrated on one thing, our mind is thinking about millions of different things in that moment. We are never thinking about just one thing at a time – indifferently. Our minds jump from one though to another, never lingering or thinking about one subject. That is what static is. And the character in the story, Allen, tries to figure out a way to stop the Static – permanently. So that we can concentrate on only one subject without the distraction of thoughts about anything else or losing concentration, even being able to be distracted is out of the equation.
Images of Anna
This story wasn’t like the others. It wasn’t about science or physics or anything like that. At first I got the impression that this was a story about fashion and the model industry, but that wasn’t the case. The story ended up to be very mystical and paranormal. Its background didn’t have anything to do with science, or could even be solved by it. There was no explanation for how what happened could possibly happen.
The story tells of a woman, named Anna, who goes to a photo-shoot at Glamorous You to have her picture taken as a gift for her online boyfriend. Ben, Anna’s photographer takes photos of her as usual with his other clients. While developing the negatives, he comes upon a real shock. The photos he took of Anna, are not of Anna! But of people who she is thinking of, Ben took a picture of her, and captured what was going on in her mind at that moment.
At that part I expected it to be a paranormal story where they investigated what was going on, and how Ben could possibly do that. But it wasn’t like that. It ended up being about a very important top that maybe everyone goes through at least once in their life, or thinks about it at least. How much should you change for the one you love? the answer should be, “Not at all!” for the person you love should love you unconditionally, and for who you are. Anna changes for the one she loves, and it makes not only her world, but his world, brighter.
The story is about going after your happiness. Chasing after your dreams, and maybe, just maybe, changing who you are. You shouldn’t have to change, but if it makes you happy then what did you really lose?
Laws of Survival
Since the dawn of movies and science-fiction, and imagination in general, there has been scepticism about aliens and extraterrestrial beings from outer space. But where did the idea come from? Where did humans get that thought from? It had to start somewhere.
In this story Nancy Kress weaves a fantastic tale of aliens inhabiting Earth in dome-like ships. To the people of Earth - there hasn’t been any sign of what the aliens look like or what they are there for. Until a woman looking for food in the garbage dump finds a puppy in the next to the dome and an alien robot steps out and offers her and the puppy food.
As the story unveils itself and the reason for the aliens being there is revealed, the unlikeliest of that is so profound that I hope that if one day aliens do come to earth it is for this reason! The aliens are looking for love. Love from an animal. And what animal is so loyal, that it was dubbed, “Mans best friend”? Of course, dogs!
Safeguard
When I first started reading it didn't quite make sense to me. I got the image that this was when the world was just starting to evolve and these four children were the first on earth, or something along those lines. But then soon after I thought that a woman, Taney, comes in wearing a “covering” which I later found out was a suit.
Four children live in this world-like dome that they think is a world - the only world. There were a lot of confusing bits in the beginning that didn’t cover enough ground for me to understand what was going on. I didn’t fully understand things until the very end of the story where it started to explain things in more detail.
There were several things about the four children, mainly a little girl named Kim, that I couldn’t understand. In the beginning it says Kim, in numerous settings, that she constantly goes around licking peoples faces. Since it didn’t describe her, only that her name was Kim, I thought she was a dog. I didn’t find out until half way through that she was indeed a child, a human child and not a dog. There were little details like that, that were left out that would have helped the understanding of the whole thing a whole lot easier to understand.
Fountain of Age
I really like the concept and the idea of "carrying around a piece of a person with you" in an object. Not so much as physical, but spiritual and emotional. Having a piece of something that belongs to them, makingthem feel as though a part of them is always with you. Like the way you give your child something of thier parents to make them feel safe and comforted. I really liked this approach to the story.
The beginning of the story was beautiful. The story was developing a very beautiful story line and plot. The only thing to me in the story was that Max went through all that trouble to find Daria again then he leaves her!?! It didn't quite fit. I don't quite understand why he went through all that trouble to find the desirable woman that he has been lusting - desiring - after for 40 years then just leaves after seeing her. Quite harshly too, I must say.
It got more and more confusing after that. Not so much the story - just how it was setting off and how the story was going. While the book was telling the story of Max in a retirement home after talking to his son, it then switches back to the past before his wife and son were even born. Very confusing. It kept switching and I never knew whether thr story was telling of the past or the future, or even the present. It wasn't very specific with the flashback in the time periods. Very good story telling, very interesting and informative, just a little hard to follow along.
I really like how the stories were organized in this book. From one story talking about a certain topic and that issue mixed in with the other stories - although all completly unrelated and different - throughout the book in each tale. I especially liked how the last story of the book was the title of the book itself. Like the saying goes, "Save the best for last." And it truly was a great ending. This story had a very meaningful message that just goes straight to the heart. It was a very symbolic, beautiful thing. An amazing story. All of them.
March 18, 2017
Nine stories from Nancy Kress from 2007-2009 period roughly. Unfortunately the collection was a disappointment. Of the nine, only three were what I consider good or great. The rest were very average or mediocre. Normally collections are supposed to be the best works of an author and did not include inferior published works. I get the sense the editor who put this one together just grabbed a bunch from a three year period.
The best story is the last one, Fountain of the Ages. It takes place in the future, told from the perspective of a man who desires to find his lost love from years past, a whore he met in Cyprus. The infatuation is so powerful he goes through hell to find her and trying to recapture the feeling and connection he had all those years ago. In a twist of fate, she is the first to receive a breakthrough treatment that ceases aging. She looks nineteen for the rest of her life, exactly as she was when he knew her.
A great story and twist on anti-aging technology, as well as some other neat tech. This one will capture your imagination for sure.
End Game is about a man who discovers a treatment that allows you to focus your concentration on one thing and filter out all other thoughts, distractions, or static. The treatment inevitably turns people into hyper-geniuses at one thing, but otherwise severely autistic and unconnected with anyone or anything else. Neat take on genius/crazy parallel.
Law of Survival is about a young girl after some sort of alien invasion apocalypse, rummaging through garbage to survive. She has her own rules until she is brought into one of the alien domes that cover the Earth. In a bizarre twist, the alien robot inside commands her to train dogs. As weird as it sounds, the girl inevitably finds purpose and her numbness to the world fades.
The other six are pretty average and a little predictable. The Kindness of Strangers is a Malthusian fantasy of aliens coming in to thin out the overpopulated Earth. The rest of the stories are more twilight zone style than insightful science fiction. I can see their appeal to some readers but they did not appeal to me.
Overall, I was disappointed in Fountain of Age and am not sure I can recommend it. If you love Kress, then you should pick this up. If you like stories of genetics and twilight zone twists, then you might like it. Otherwise, I'd pass.
The best story is the last one, Fountain of the Ages. It takes place in the future, told from the perspective of a man who desires to find his lost love from years past, a whore he met in Cyprus. The infatuation is so powerful he goes through hell to find her and trying to recapture the feeling and connection he had all those years ago. In a twist of fate, she is the first to receive a breakthrough treatment that ceases aging. She looks nineteen for the rest of her life, exactly as she was when he knew her.
A great story and twist on anti-aging technology, as well as some other neat tech. This one will capture your imagination for sure.
End Game is about a man who discovers a treatment that allows you to focus your concentration on one thing and filter out all other thoughts, distractions, or static. The treatment inevitably turns people into hyper-geniuses at one thing, but otherwise severely autistic and unconnected with anyone or anything else. Neat take on genius/crazy parallel.
Law of Survival is about a young girl after some sort of alien invasion apocalypse, rummaging through garbage to survive. She has her own rules until she is brought into one of the alien domes that cover the Earth. In a bizarre twist, the alien robot inside commands her to train dogs. As weird as it sounds, the girl inevitably finds purpose and her numbness to the world fades.
The other six are pretty average and a little predictable. The Kindness of Strangers is a Malthusian fantasy of aliens coming in to thin out the overpopulated Earth. The rest of the stories are more twilight zone style than insightful science fiction. I can see their appeal to some readers but they did not appeal to me.
Overall, I was disappointed in Fountain of Age and am not sure I can recommend it. If you love Kress, then you should pick this up. If you like stories of genetics and twilight zone twists, then you might like it. Otherwise, I'd pass.
June 25, 2021
J’aime bien la collection une heure lumière des éditions Le Bélial, qui permet en peu de pages de découvrir le plus souvent un monde original, de se poser des questions ou d’émouvoir, ou tout cela à la fois. Leur dernière parution, La fontaine des âges de Nancy Kress ne déroge pas à cette règle.
Le mythe de La fontaine de Jouvence réinterprété à la sauce génie génétique est intéressant tout comme la manière qu’a eu l’autrice de ne le rendre… qu’à moitié miraculeux.
Nancy Kress nous propose un récit sur deux lignes temporelles, avec des personnages particulièrement marquants à défaut d’être sympathiques. Ce texte pourrait être sentimental mais il est plutôt incisif et un poil pessimiste. Il y a beaucoup en toile de fond de cette novella : problèmes éthiques liés aux biotechnologies, dérèglement climatique, disparités sociales. C’est dense et bien rythmé, un bon cru de la collection et, je pense, une bonne entrée dans l’univers de l’autrice.
Le mythe de La fontaine de Jouvence réinterprété à la sauce génie génétique est intéressant tout comme la manière qu’a eu l’autrice de ne le rendre… qu’à moitié miraculeux.
Nancy Kress nous propose un récit sur deux lignes temporelles, avec des personnages particulièrement marquants à défaut d’être sympathiques. Ce texte pourrait être sentimental mais il est plutôt incisif et un poil pessimiste. Il y a beaucoup en toile de fond de cette novella : problèmes éthiques liés aux biotechnologies, dérèglement climatique, disparités sociales. C’est dense et bien rythmé, un bon cru de la collection et, je pense, une bonne entrée dans l’univers de l’autrice.
May 25, 2021
Un récit de science-fiction qui met en lumière l'amour, ou du moins l'idée que l'on se fait des êtres aimés, et du temps qui passe. Un retour aux sources pour un vieil escroc qui veut revoir son grand amour à tout prix. Personnellement, j'ai lu un peu cette oeuvre comme une métaphore de la maladie d'Alzheimer qui vous prend vos plus précieux souvenirs, déraille la réalité présente et éloigne les familles par des réminescences de temps révolus. Toute la question des traitements de prolongement de la vie vient ajouter une couche éthique à cette lecture très riche. Le seul petit hic ici est l'absence d'action, et presque de réactions, du personnage principal.
July 24, 2019
I was familiar with Ms. Kress' novel Beggars in Spain, and thought I'd give this collection of short stories a try. I don't remember being especially taken by the Beggars novel, one way or the other.
But man, can she write short stories! Every one of them was good or great. Loved her style, the themes, the pacing, the characterizations, everything! For me, one of the stories -- End Game -- was absolutely terrific.
Recommended. Totally.
But man, can she write short stories! Every one of them was good or great. Loved her style, the themes, the pacing, the characterizations, everything! For me, one of the stories -- End Game -- was absolutely terrific.
Recommended. Totally.
August 30, 2025
It was...fine. Unmemorable, mostly. I thought that story about the cast of 'Cocoon' ascending or whatever was intriguing, but it's the peripheral characters who were more interesting. Some sharp dialogue here, too. I loved 'The Kindness of Strangers' for just how profoundly creepy it was. The rest? For the life of me, the details are elusive, I just remember the occasional sense of discomfort, and boredom.
July 25, 2017
A couple of interesting not so complicated short stories in the general theme scifi, youth and aging. I would place it in the simple summer book category. Still the author is a talented storyteller so it does become quite a pageturner. It requires some skill to engage the reader with the first couple of pages of every story. Worthwile and a good read.
February 17, 2018
Fascinating collection of stories looking at humanity's reaction to the way that technology and medical advances change the face of society and culture. I love stories which share what feel like realistic behaviours in the face of future changes, so I really enjoyed these, though some are certainly a little depressing in nature, they are collectively a great read.
July 28, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this collection of short stories. In fact, I enjoyed them so much that I read several of them twice.
I do not consider myself to be a huge fan of Science Fiction, at least, not in recent years; however I am so glad I read this book as it compelled me to think outside the proverbial box of realism and explore a few of the outer limits of my imagination.
This was the first time, I’ve ever read anything by Nancy Kress but I am absolutely certain that it will not be the last.
Mark
I do not consider myself to be a huge fan of Science Fiction, at least, not in recent years; however I am so glad I read this book as it compelled me to think outside the proverbial box of realism and explore a few of the outer limits of my imagination.
This was the first time, I’ve ever read anything by Nancy Kress but I am absolutely certain that it will not be the last.
Mark
July 17, 2019
fantastic good stories.
The 4 stars are only because the settings are always a bit too gloomy for my taste (I actually started this stories collection 3 years ago, and had to put it down at the time...)
but, fair is fair, we, Humans, don't do anything to improve our future, so any of the future Nancy Kress describes could happen.
The 4 stars are only because the settings are always a bit too gloomy for my taste (I actually started this stories collection 3 years ago, and had to put it down at the time...)
but, fair is fair, we, Humans, don't do anything to improve our future, so any of the future Nancy Kress describes could happen.
August 8, 2020
Masterful story telling collection from one of science fiction's best writers.Although these stories concern "hard Science" subjects the author never looses sight of the protagonists involved.Includes the wonderful award winning novella Fountain of Age.Very recommended.
November 23, 2020
I got started reading the Probability trilogy and really liked it. This the first book of short stories by her although I have read a few single stories here and there. She is now one of my favorite hard science fiction authors.
July 30, 2017
Highly enjoyable stories.
October 21, 2017
was a really good set of short stories. some a little on the sad side, but well varied and with great characters
November 21, 2017
Heck, normally I would enjoy this but the first 3 stories were so depressing I'll try another time.
November 16, 2020
Short stories are not my favorite format, but these are decent.
June 1, 2021
Ne casse pas 3 pates à un canard... la fin est bof et j'ai eu beaucoup de mal à accroché.
July 28, 2021
Encore une belle découverte de la collection Une heure-lumière chez le Bélial. Beau récit de SF mêlé de rapports interpersonnels crédibles, avec un intérêt croissant pour l'histoire.
April 13, 2022
2.5⭐
J'ai ni aimé ni détesté. Le sujet de la génétique et du fait d'allonger la vie est intéressant mais trop survolés. Je n'ai pas du tout accroché au perso principal. Rien de transcendant.
J'ai ni aimé ni détesté. Le sujet de la génétique et du fait d'allonger la vie est intéressant mais trop survolés. Je n'ai pas du tout accroché au perso principal. Rien de transcendant.
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