What will life be like in the future? A number of books have been written about possible futures. Various television shows and movies have depicted what their writers believe future life will be like.
The stories in this anthology contain the author’s view of possible ways the future could turn out. Below are my six favorite works from this anthology along with a few words about each story.
“The First” – Is a truly equal society even possible? This is one woman’s attempt to find out.
“The Detective” – This story takes place in the future but isn’t an end-of-the-world tale. Crime has been eradicated, no one has to die, and permission from the government must be obtained to have children. In this crime-free future, one of the last detectives, close to retirement, is accused of committing two murders.
“Forever Fluffy” – A cat talks about his adventures he has had in each of his nine lives. Each time he died, he was reborn as a kitten.
Why cats are said to have 9 lives, pets-wiki
Since eight spoiled cats share my home with me, this has to be one of my favorite stories. One of the collective nouns for cats is brought to light in this sentence: I became the leader of what soon would become a destruction of cats, but it would take more than just us to supplant humans.
“Judgement Day” – In this creepy story. A man is on trial for the murder of his wife. The judge, the jurors, the lawyers, and the witnesses all wear masks. As the mood changes, so do their masks. The last sentence in the story is one that will send chills down your spine. This is a truly awesome story, Mr. Michaels.
“Awoken” – In this thrilling spy story, a man is brought back to life as a robot and sent to Earth as a secret agent. Robots have taken over the planet, and the humans that remain on Earth are their slaves.
“Pleasure Island” – Until graduation, the Creches live underground. It is their job to replenish the population. Once they graduate, they will be assigned jobs and sent to the surface. But when Jimmy quits taking the stimulants they are given and removes the chip from his neck, he discovers that all is not what he and the others have been told.
I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. If you would like your own copy, I’ve provided an Amazon link below.
Amazon Link: Future’s Ending: A Science Fiction Short Story Anthology
dark imagination, pixabay
Favorite Sentences:
The corpse sat frozen, with both eyes open in the terror of rigor mortis.
An illusion of complete safety was a necessity to keep society’s profile pure white.
The courtroom audience looked like it was dressed for a jungle masquerade, with the men wearing their Sunday best and the ladies in long dressed, hats, and gloves.
I had been a corpsicle, and now I was to become an indentured servant.
The world was more twisted than I could have imagined.
wickerman, deviantart
New Words Learned:
aberration – a deviation from what is typical or normal
egalitarian – affirming, promoting, or characterized by belief in equal political, economic, social, and civil rights for all people.
algal – like algae
borscht – a Russian beet soup, served either hot or cold, usually with sour cream
hubris – arrogance or excessive pride
wicker man – a giant effigy of a man, allegedly used in Celtic rituals involving human sacrifice
From the Author, Gene Michaels:
I wrote this collection of short stories as a way to work through the many thoughts swirling through my mind. We all read and see the sensationalist headlines. The world seems to be heading towards one disaster after another.
The population is constantly growing. Technology is advancing. People, though, aren’t necessarily getting better or more moral. The tools for our own destruction are more easily accessible than ever.
Now, a group of technology billionaires, from Sergei Brin to Peter Thiel, have decided to spend their fortunes to “cure” death.
What would be the consequence of us being able to live forever? Without a change in human behavior, are we setting ourselves up for disaster?
This book is the consequence of my thinking through these issues. I’ve always enjoyed short stories as a quick and easy way to escape reality. I hope it entertains and provides a little food for thought.
