The Human Engineer

Unremembered

by Jessica Brody

Ever since Diotech Corporation released the first artificial womb—a safe and convenient new way to birth human babies— controversy for the cutting-edge product has risen as swiftly as the demand. For Rickar Hallix, however, the biomedical engineer who invented the womb, life has become steadily worse. When Rickar stumbles upon a possible defect in the latest batch of product, he suddenly finds himself thrust into the center of the endless, cut-throat battle between corporate greed and the security of human life.

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult

32 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 3, 2015

About the author

Jessica Brody is the author of more than 20 novels for teens, tweens, and adults including The Geography of Lost Things, The Chaos of Standing Still, Amelia Gray is Almost Okay, A Week of Mondays, 52 Reasons to Hate My Father, the Unremembered trilogy, and the System Divine trilogy which is a sci-fi reimagining of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, co-written with Joanne Rendell. She’s also the author of the #1 bestselling novel-writing guides, Save the Cat! Writes a Novel and Save the Cat! Writes a Young Adult Novel as well as several books based on popular Disney franchises like Descendants and LEGO Disney Princess. Jessica’s books have been translated and published in over 20 languages and several have been optioned for film and television. She’s the founder of the Writing Mastery Academy and lives with her husband and three dogs near Portland, OR.

Visit her online at JessicaBrody.com or WritingMastery.com. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram @JessicaBrody

Reviews

[Chelsea Moreen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I randomly came across this and really liked it, I'm not one for short stories normally so it was a nice surprise. I think that this could have benefited from being longer or having a little more of a back story for the character because his actions come across as melodramatic when not fully or even mostly understanding what leads him to his decision. The plot itself is rather simple, a near future where artificial wombs have been created and the greed of large corporations when mass production and money is involved, overall i'd give this a 3.5 stars.
Here is a link to read it :)
https://www.tor.com/2015/02/03/the-hu...

Also sidenote, this is one of the most beautiful book covers ever, I'd love to have it printed on my wall!

[Tez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read the novels in this series yet, but I think this short story works as a standalone. Focuses on an engineer who created synthetic womb technology, which he sold to a company. But now he's found a flaw that could kill newborn babies, unless he convinces the business to halt production - which may be more difficult that he anticipated.

[Jyanx · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, dark, story without a happy ending. Sad to say it doesn't seem all that far fetched to me.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read it here.

Artificial wombs? Artificial humans? Exploring the dangers of biotechnology? Count me in. Unfortunately, this short story has a good premise but is not deftly carried through, which is a shame. Coupled with too simplistic characters, it didn't make for a very pleasant reading experience.

On top of that, the ending feels rushed. I understand that this is part of a bigger universe from a scifi saga, but it shouldn't be necessary to know anything about it to enjoy this story, since it deals with a different part of the universe and different characters. And it isn't advertised in any way as a part of something else, dammit! This story definitely didn't entice me to read the rest of the books.

[Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short story I found on Tor.com. The science fiction aspect was great. A guy has invented an artificial womb, so rather than carrying your baby around in your belly, it grows in this womb and you get it when it has finished developing. The inventor is dealing with some personal problems when he discovers a flaw in the wombs.

As with many short stories, I found it to be a tad too short. There just wasn't enough meat on the bones. This could have easily been a novella and all the better for it. That's not to say it was bad...what was written was great. So much so that I was disappointed there was so little of it. It was too sort to answer any of the questions you may have, and I had a lot. The concept was brilliant.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever since Diotech Corporation released the first artificial womb, a safe and convenient new way to birth human babies, controversy for the cutting-edge product has risen as swiftly as the demand. For Rickar Hallix, however, the biomedical engineer who invented the womb, life has become steadily worse. When Rickar stumbles upon a possible defect in the latest batch of product, he suddenly finds himself thrust into the center of the endless, cut-throat battle between corporate greed and the security of human life.
I will not spoil the story, but I found the ending interesting and clever (and I seem to be the only one to think so, based on the other goodreads review). It suggests that love give us meaning and strength, even after it is lost and only pain is left behind.

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise of the story is very interesting, and I would have loved for it to be a bit longer.

The story felt quite strong almost all the way through, but then the ending was disappointing for me. It doesn't resolve anything. And I do understand that a story doesn't have to be explained from top to bottom, and that, as readers, we are not necessarily entitled to an ending which answers every single thing addressed in the story. But still, this fell short.

I think there is potential here for a longer, more detailed version of this. Maybe not a full novel, but definitely some sort of novella.

[Caleb Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Little disjointed and rambly; quite a contrast to the short sentences, but could be much worse. In a world where babies are created per se, not born anymore, I guess the premise can be forgiven. Besides, bio-medical engineering just screams for a sequel. Definitely not enough pay off, but it works. Like the doctor leading this creation.

Favorite quote: They moved ominously toward him, like darkness creeping into his vision, constantly approaching but never getting any closer. It was an optical illusion that even his engineer brain couldn’t comprehend.

Recommended if yearning for a Sci-Fi fix. 6.5/10

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for free here: http://www.tor.com/stories/2015/02/th...

This was engaging, but a little too tidy to really be interesting. Plus, I'm an engineer, and I didn't really buy the description of the engineer's work ... too much surface, not enough grit.

I am guessing this is a teaser for the author's Unremembered series, since it involves evil corporation Diotech, and a memory wipe.

[Nathanael · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise is interesting, but ultimately the plot didn't hold together for me. The antagonists weren't just evil, but also really stupid in a way that made it difficult to take the story seriously. I understand that the story is related to other short stories and novels, but I don't think I should have to read additional material in order for a short story's plot to be coherent.

[Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS was a fascinating look into the world of Unremembered and the goings-on inside Diotech. I have to say, it met my expectations in some ways, and surpassed them in others. If you want to learn more about what happens behind-the-scenes at Diotech, then I definitely recommend reading this short story (and probably best to read it either right before or after you read Unchanged).

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pretty big meh. The premise of artificial wombs and corporate corruption was super intriguing, but the short does nowhere with these issues. The focus is on the inventor, but he's characterization is too generic for me to care much about him. Alas, The Human Engineer did not make me want to read the rest of the story.

[Charli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great speculative fiction always makes you think about the consequences of playing god and this story is no different. Just because something can be done doesn't always mean it should be done. This story has a real punch of an ending, illustrating that perfectly.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Jason McDonald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like other reviewers, I wished this had been a little longer, giving the story more chances to unfold and deliver, but instead, being as short as it was, the ending felt rushed and too tidy.

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty cool story!

[Odo · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5.0

[Deckard Ra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The corporate side of inventing new technology in a nutshell.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

great read, just wish it was longer!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oooh, this was dark. But good. Would like to read more!