Dreams Before the Start of Time
Set in a near future where artificial wombs and genetic technologies have become ordinary, this science-fiction novel follows choices made across generations and families. In a restrained style, it explores how changes in reproduction, parenthood, bodies, and memory alter human connection and self-understanding.
Work Information
In a future shaped by reproductive technology, the question of what family means continues to shift across generations.
Winner of the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award. While imagining a future in which reproduction is reorganized by medical technology and markets, the novel focuses less on systems and devices than on the emotions of people who choose to have, not have, or raise children. As a quiet future history, it traces how technology changes the shape of family.
Review Summaries
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The novel is valued for treating major technological change not as spectacle but through family and relationships. Some readers find the characters somewhat conceptual, while others respond to the story's intimate, personal scale.
Book Information
- Publisher
- 47North
- Published
- 2017-04-18
- Pages
- 224 pages
- Language
- 英語
- Size
- 13.97 x 2.54 x 20.96 cm
- ISBN-13
- 9781503934726
- ISBN-10
- 9781503934726
- Price
- 2420 JPY
- Category
- 洋書/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Family Saga
Winner of the Arthur C. Clarke Award. In a near-future London, Millie Dack places her hand on her belly to feel her baby kick, resolute in her decision to be a single parent. Across town, her closest friend―a hungover Toni Munroe―steps into the shower and places her hand on a medic console. The diagnosis is devastating. In this stunning, bittersweet family saga, Millie and Toni experience the aftershocks of human progress as their children and grandchildren embrace new ways of making babies. When infertility is a thing of the past, a man can create a child without a woman, a woman can create a child without a man, and artificial wombs eliminate the struggles of pregnancy. But what does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family? Through a series of interconnected vignettes that spans five generations and three continents, this emotionally taut story explores the anxieties that arise when the science of fertility claims to deliver all the answers.
Anne Charnock's writing career began in journalism. Her articles appeared in the Guardian , New Scientist , International Herald Tribune , and Geographical . Her debut novel, A Calculated Life , was a finalist for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award and the 2013 Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award. Her second novel, Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind , was included in the Guardian's "Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015." Learn more at www.annecharnock.com, on Twitter @annecharnock, and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/annecharnock.
Reviews
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Science Fiction
An interesting book, but the characters need to be more developed.
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Fascinating Look at Childbirth and Families in The Future
I obtained this book from a Goodreads Giveaway. I found the concept of this book unusual and fascinating. How would we have our children in the future? In this story if a woman carries her child through birth, she is looked down upon and considered lower class, yet one of the characters chooses to do this for her first child. It is fundamentally the story of two female friends, Toni and Millie, their children and families. The characters are engaging and I enjoyed following how the different generations lived their lives with conveniences and innovations in health care that we don't have. But families are the same no matter how far in the future they live. It's a great book to read around Mother's Day!
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Intriguing story that is beautifully written
I really enjoyed this. The science of conception and childbirth is still very much in it's infancy so any fiction taking a look at what we have and the possible directions it can take is intriguing. The science explored here is entirely plausible and human impact of the choices the technology opens up is all too believable. The characters are all well written, three dimensional and authentic. I didn't necessarily like all of them but their choices and actions all made sense. The true beauty of this book is in the prose itself. Anne has an economy of language that forces you to stop and think. Every word feels chosen for a reason and that skill can only be admired. I've already bought another book by Anne and I can't wait to read it.
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Very slow
There are so many characters it’s difficult to remember them all. The writing is eloquent but I could not find a purpose to the story. I’m just not sure what it was trying to convey. An easy read but not one that was satisfying
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Sadly, I just didn't get it and I wanted to
***I won this book via the Goodreads Giveaway program. This has not influenced my opinion.*** I have no idea what this book was about. I do not see a relationship between the title and the story. I did enjoy the writing with it's ease of flow. There are several parts, all taking place in different future time periods. It seems that in the future, people do not feel it's necessary to marry but it absolutely necessary to be a parent. Pregnancy inside a woman is frowned upon, so most individuals create designer babies. A man can have his sperm broken down to create an egg that will then mate with his own sperm. A woman can use sperm donors. It was strange to read about a world where having a child is more valued than marriage. It was also strange to read about individuals creating children in a way that is most convenient to them with many options for the DNA makeup of that child. One part examines the individuals and explains their personal choices. The next part examines the children of these parents and how their choices have impacted their lives. The last part examines grandchildren and how they are connected to their parents and grandparents. What I don't understand is why? What was the point/message/moral of all of this storytelling? Most of the time I just wanted to stop reading because I couldn't connect to the stories or the characters. I read a lot of books and feel I am fairly good at reaching the deeper meaning. But I really failed in this book. That was disappointing.