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"The twenty-first century, it's often remarked, will transform our knowledge of biology, in the same way that the twentieth century transformed physics. With knowledge of course, comes application. And with the application of all we are learning about genetic engineering come social and ethical questions, some of them knotty. This is where science fiction enters, stage left. Scientific laboratories are where the new technologies are rehearsed. Science fiction rehearses the implications of those technologies. What might we eventually do with out new-found power? Should we do it? Who should do it? Who will be affected? How? Is that a good thing or not? For whom? Of the thirteen stories in this book, eight of them are concerned with what might come out of the beakers and test tubes and gene sequencers of microbiology. Not everything in these stories will come to pass. Possibly nothing in them will; fiction is not prediction. But I hope the stories at least raise questions about the world rushing in onus at the speed--not of light--but of thought." -- Nancy Kress from her introduction… (more)
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Which is not to deny that there are several decent stories here, including the memorably strange "Feigenbaum Number," the only story in the collection that wasn't new to me. Overall, my favorite was "Unto the Daughters," a feminist take on the Garden of Eden story. The biggest disappointments were "Ars Longa," in which teacher dearest robs the world of the genius of Walt Disney, and "Dancing on Air," a story about genetically enhanced dogs and ballerinas.
In her introduction Kress acknowledges the fact that it is significant that these stories were written in the 1990s. She says"...strange and wondrous things are happening in science labs around the world." She mentions cloning and pharming and genetic engineering. Eight of the stories are "concerned with what might come out of the beakers and test tubes and gene sequencers of microbiology." She also says "The twenty-first century...will transform our knowledge of biology in the same way that the twentieth century transformed physics." I would say she was remarkably prescient; genetics has almost become mainstream and there are still over 80 years to go in this century.
I don't know that I have a favourite story in this collection because they are all good but the last story "Dancing on Air" will probably be the one that stays with me longest. It deals with how genetic engineering could transform ballet dancers; but then is it still an art form if performance is dependent upon who has the best doctors?
I love the way Kress writes. Note to self: read more of her work.