Michael Wu - The Future is Scarychy

The Future is Scarychy (Review of The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future)

            You know, I used to not care much for science fiction, which is surprising since I love space, but I’ve always been more into the factual side of things. Now that I’m reading more sci-fi, I’m really starting to appreciate the genre for all that it has to offer, and it has A LOT to offer. Pretty much any story that takes place in the future can be called science fiction, and the best part about writing about the future is that nobody can call you out for being incorrect. Its only when your prediction is correct that people start paying attention, but not in a good way. Anyway, you’re allowed a lot of creative liberty with sci-fi. So how does an author choose one plotpoint to write about? It’s easy: they don’t.     

            The End and Other Beginnings: Stories from the Future is a collection of sci-fi stories written by Veronica Roth, author of Divergent and Carve the Mark. The book contains six short stories, all set an indeterminate number of years in the future. The stories don’t necessarily take place in the same universe, but they all have something in common, in that they’re all based around some future event or piece of technology to drive the plot forward.

·       In “Inertia,” a new medical procedure allows dying patients to relive their best memories in a simulation and bring someone along with them. Two friends, Claire and Matt, share a few moments together after one of them gets into an accident and is nearing death.

·       In “The Spinners,” Atleigh, a bounty hunter, and her sister Lacy are on the lookout for humans infected by a mind-controlling alien species. A sudden misunderstanding puts their relationship in jeopardy.

·       In ”Hearkeners,” a special operation can make people able to hear the life or death of humans in the form of music. Darya is ready to make her decision: to hear life, or death? She makes her choice partly off of her mixed feelings about her alcoholic mother.

·       In “Vim and Vigor,” a protoype of a new machine allows the user to simulate different possible futures. A high school girl, Edie, asks her friend Kate, the daughter of the scientist who built the machine, to use the simulator. The two have been distant ever since they experienced a mutual loss, and Kate thinks that Edie is here to reconnect. Everything changes when Kate finds out that Edie took advantage of her and used the simulator for a superficial question.

·       “Armored Ones,” which is actually a two parter, is set in the same universe as Veronica Roth’s Carve the Mark, where people each can have their own special power, or “currentgift.” On a distant planet in the land of Shotet, Teka is on a mission to kill Cyra Noavek, the sister of the oppressive ruling figurehead, Ryzek Noavek, who executed Teka’s brother. Meanwhile, Akos, a prisoner of Shotet training with the army, takes on the “Rite of Armor,” in which he must defeat an armored one, the deadlist animal on the planet. But when the time comes, Akos discovers that his currentgift gives him a special influence on the creatures, and he uses the opportunity to claim some respect among the other soldiers.

·       In “The Transformationist,” which also takes place within Carve the Mark, but on a different planet. Otho is in prison for a crime that he supposedly didn’t want to commit. His currentgift allows him to control others with his will, which lead him to commit a dangerous act. A simple explanation could get him out of jail, but he can’t get any words out during his trial. A short visit to his hometown gives him the strength to testify.

What I find interesting about all these stories is the fact that, although they make use of these crazy powers, mind reading devices, or alien creatures, the core conflicts are still rooted in human nature. The sci-fi elements are just there to kickstart the narrative, but the real meat of the story comes from the subsequent human interactions, relationships, and dynamics that we can identify in current society. Science fiction may be an endless canvas, but in the end we usually just gravitate to what we see in each other today. But that’s okay, The End and Other Beginnings was a very enjoyable experience. I’d recommend it to anyone remotely interested in sci-fi, or anyone looking for a quick read. Each story is only about 50 pages long, but there is a lot you can absorb from each one.

I give it a 6 out of 6.5 short stories.

(6.5 because “Armored Ones” decided to become “Armored Twos.”)

Michael Wu