These stories were quite good. Liked the variety and imagination. Many were very short but still worked.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Warning: the following review is going to be more subjective than usual. Read at your own risk.

In the past ten years, I have read a staggering amount of fiction (probably more than is healthy), and there are times I feel I’ve encountered it all—short, long, experimental, retro, modern, post-modern, meta-modern, epistolary, framed, second-person, and on and on and on. But for whatever reason, I’ve only read one or two pieces of flash fiction. Something that is relatively new in the taxonomy of story types, with Stephen Oram’s 2019 science fiction collection Biohacked & Begging I was struck head on by it.

Biohacked & Begging is short as a whole (+/- 150 pages) but seems it should be much longer given it contains 25 stories. One story is thirty pages and another literally a paragraph, but the rest need only about five-seven minutes to read, each. I normally stick to content in my reviews (and I will get to it shortly), but story-length is such an important aspect of the collection that it should be mentioned at the outset as it has a strong impact on the reading experience, particularly if the reader is looking for fully unpacked story ideas, well-developed characters, and other aspects of lengthier fiction. Like a box of chocolates, the reader is best off tasting a few of Oram’s tales and coming back the next day lest they devour half the box and become nauseated.


As stated in Christine Aicardi’s foreword, the stories in Biohacked & Begging are intended to be launch pads for conversation. The majority spinning humanity one, two, or three major directions from 2019’s Sunday, Oram disrupts our view of the present by adding various futuristic elements—technology, medicine, economic transformation, political change, etc.—to see what happens. The stories in fact more vignettes, the futures are painted in brief, simple, workaday language which leaves a character or characters at some impasse, pushing the reader to continue the stories’ line of thought in their own head. In “Mr. Enhancement”, a street busker dissembles his mostly artificial body piece by piece. In “Reconned”, a man buys a health drone to monitor and protect his children but has disastrous results. In “Modified Manhood”, people are considered legally adults in society only if they are fertile. In “Happy Forever Day”, euthanasia is available in a pill, and becomes all the more enticing when people’s lives are significantly extended.

Largely doom and gloom, there are few points of light in Biohacked & Begging. Like many writers before him, Oram mostly extrapolates negative futures from current trends. At some level, this would seem a counter-point to the collection’s intention. Balanced perspectives providing the greatest opportunities for open-minded discussions, Oram’s stories most often bias discussion before it even begins due to their underlying negativity about humanity’s future. In “Pumped Up Presidents”, for example, it’s tough to argue the positive side of our socio-political future when the descendants of Trump and Putin are in the spotlight. In “The Envoy of the Ultimate Observer” a classic science fiction trope is deployed: an alien visits Earth and is asked to report back to the mother ship on the state of life there. Oram using the opportunity to find the many holes in humanity’s dyke, it’s the reader themselves who must come up with the value of our lives in most scenarios. One would hope the author would offer more of a spectrum if an objective discussion is to result.

All that being said, there is an argument for making problems known in order to confront them, take action (i.e. the classic AA roadmap) and push conversation in a certain direction. And from that perspective, Oram indeed highlights many potential issues. As mentioned, nearly all the stories gloss over some potential symptom or negative characteristic of humanity’s “drinking problem” that warrants further discussion. But again, this is where I fear the collection is not comprehensive in its intentions; Oram has perhaps looked too far ahead, extrapolated too much to be fully relevant to 2019. Instead of a drinking problem, it’s most often a problem with a drug that hasn’t and may never be invented. Most stories containing two, three, or more leaps in technological, sociological, political, etc. evolution, there is a clear divorce between then and now; it feels mostly like futuristic science fiction rather than near-future sf (not to mention, such leaps are a lot for five or six pages of story to bear). Curmudgeonly I know, but I have the same issue with human hive minds scattered across space and other such sf ideas. Present day humanity is technologically so far away from such a situation that any resulting discussion is only one step removed from: would Darth Vader beat Yoda in a lightsaber duel?

To use an example from Biohacked & Begging, the title story features a technology called Unified Sentience that has made the world a more empathetic place. This in itself is an interesting idea if introduced properly, but the manner in which the story thrusts itself upon the reader in a page, not to mention adds background bits of technology that likewise change and influence the social formula at work in the fiction, makes the whole feel too far removed from where we stand today, or too simplistic in detail, for the reader to be able to offer a relevant response. There are so many ifs that any relationship to the contemporary state of affairs is stretched to the point the reader is largely unable to offer any valid ideas that could counter-act or positively evolve the issues presented. A rabbit hole quickly opens, something like “Well, if Unified Sentience technology exists, and if society has been regulated as such, then we could tweak the technology to be able to…But wait, how does the tech work? We’d need to know the details, and if we knew that then we could… Or maybe we could remove it altogether? But what would the effect be if we don’t know how the other systems are integrated?” Near irrelevant speculation…

Does all of this mean there is not an audience for Biohacked & Begging? Absolutely not. For readers looking for quick, bite-sized pieces of science fiction that sparkle for a moment, the collection is likely for you. (And if there is a type of fiction ideal for flash fiction it is sf.) Zero beating around the bush, each story is as concise as can be, focuses on socio-technological change in the human context, and leaves the reader thinking about the implications. It’s only when moving beyond this to look at the details, e.g. lack of story depth, unsparkling prose, rehashed sci-fi ideas, and lack of relevancy that I personally fall flat with the collection. At my most cynical I feel the collection is: fiction for a millennial’s attention span, idea-slinging to see what sticks, or homework assignments rushed out the door at the last minute. (I did warn you this review was subjective.) At my least cynical, the collection is a thought-provoker for the vein of readers who like to gas on and speculate about the future, or the potential negative effects of technology. Just because this is not up my alley does not mean it isn’t up yours.

Everything about this book is aesthetically pleasing to me. The cover, title, and summary.
Very happy that Netgalley let me snag this.

Anyone that is a fan of Cyber Punk is going to enjoy this.

This novel is a collection of science fiction short stories set in the future. Each story has the characters interacting and playing with futuristic technology that we can only dream of today. Some of the stories also feature social commentary on today's society, whether it's the way we treat the elderly or the sick. A few of my favorite stories were Biohacked & Begging, ReConned, and Capitalist Crumbs.

Beautiful cover that fits nicely with a great, well written novel.

<b>Biohacked & Begging</b> ★★★★★
What would happen if empathy was forced onto people? The best story in the anthology as it makes you think about the secrets and feelings humanity hides.

<b>Mr. Enhancement</b> ★★
A man with weird enhancements at a show/circus. Wasn't sure what the purpose of the enchancements were.

<b>Dormant Status</b> ★★★★
Alexia is no longer the most popular person on the internet and is determined to fix that. I know how the story would end, just not the particulars.

<b>Pumped-Up Presidents</b> ★★
President Putin and President Trump (descendants of the current ones) fight for resources on a live internet stream. Felt far, far too American and political of a story.

<b>I Am Blue</b> ★★★
Only half a page long. Cute story but too short to have substance.

<b>The Envoy of the Ultimate Observer</b> ★★★★★
Interesting story that follows an alien living on Earth appraising humanity and their worthiness for continual survival. I love the commentary on humans: additive substances, body modifications and the hieracy of species (all lifeforms on Earth).

<b>Effort Less</b> ★★★★
Great story that takes place in the future about a man unhappy at work. It can definitely be seen as a reflection of today's society.

<b>ReConned</b> ★★★★
Great story about the dangers of technology.

<b>Syrup and Cigarettes</b> ★★★
An addict gets in trouble with his dealer. I liked the story except the abrupt and incomplete ending.

<b>Capitalist Crumbs</b> ★★★★★
Great story about corporation war and its affects on the citizens.

<b>The Queen's Heart</b> ★★
The Queen is dying of caner and needs radical new therapy to survive. I couldn't get into the story as I found it boring and the characters were uninteresting.

<b>Zygosity Saves the Day</b> ★★★★
An aunt and her niece try to save Beatrice from an old age home. Loved the detail and description of the medical system in the future.

<b>Modified Manhood</b> ★★★★
Story was king of dull until the twist ending which was surprising and amazing.

<b>Kept Apart</b> ★★★
Two kids try to find and get into a club. Not sure why it was so difficult as I am not sure what was wrong with them.

<b>From Dust to Digital and Back</b> ★★★
Strange story that I'm not sure what it was about. Something digital, maybe a person's impact on the internet or the impact of the internet on an individual?

<b>The Cathedral of Crows</b> ★★★★
A strange tale featuring a Cult that worships cows and technology. It could be an allegory of humanities over dependence on technology.

<b>Zenith</b> ★★★
Story features a group arguing with an A.I.

<b>Connections Count</b> ★★★★
A super complex story about a girl unhappy with her future. I liked the idea of colours representing your value, even if it has been done numerous times in literature. The concept would make a good dystopian novella.

<b>The Never-Ending Nanobot Nectar</b> ★★★
Sasika is having trouble with black market nanobots. Interesting story about nanobots that work too well.

<b>The Potential</b> ★★
No idea why he was so mad about hr having an ex show up.

<b>Happy Forever Day</b> ★★★★
A super short story about a family's disagreement regarding aging and treatment. Good overall with a funny uncle.

<b>Mr. Lindberg</b> ★★★★
The MC makes a living by visiting people and interacting with them face to face. Perhaps this story is a commentary of today's society.

<b>The Blockchain Blues</b> ★★★
Story features a weird, new government. It was interesting but I didn't find it plausible.

<b>Come Closer, Come Under My Skin</b> ★★★★
This features four stories the feature numerous characters experimenting with new technology. The technology is for sex, TV/food, communications and dating. I really enjoyed them all but my favorite was the family and community stories. I can related to the guy and how horrible it would be, but also feel his life could have been easier had he been a good father and helped out.

<b>Placodermi Protection</b> ★★★★
A story that evolves around society's attempts to take care of and protect the dying coral. Interesting idea but it didn't feel realistic.

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC.

Biohacked & Begging is the second volume of flash fiction shorts in the Nudge the Future series which is a selection of speculative stories that push the realms of possibility. It depicts a dystopian future that is both frightening and intriguing and is intensely thought-provoking giving the reader food for thought about whether we can live alongside advanced technology or whether we are doomed to be enslaved by AI creations. There are some fantastic ideas here and the worlds created in each instance are profoundly imaginative, although of course, it's subjective when it comes to which you find most entertaining and enjoyable.

This is a must-read for speculative fiction fans and those with an interest in cutting edge science and technology but it touches on issues of our existence, too. I loved it and will be seeking out more work of Mr Oram's in the future.

Many thanks to Cameron Publicity & Marketing Ltd for an ARC.

Lots of short stories, some very short, most containing a single idea. Some of these are goofy ideas, but not all. I like the title story, for instance, and wish it were longer.

An intriguing collection of shorts, some even flash fiction short, exploring a future of nano-bots, implants,and more. It's a future that is dystopian in feel, oft-putting, uncomfortable, treacherous, one where perhaps we are all unsure what all this advanced technology has bought us. Are we better off enhanced, implanted, nano-botted? Or are we just as insecure, nervous, and unsure. Some real gems here among others that didn't fascinate entirely.

Received a copy via Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Science fiction is not about the future, as some generally assume, but stories that are meant to provoke, discuss, and debate deep sociological perspectives of humans in an all- scientific and technologically altered society.

In Biohacked and Begging from author Stephen Oram, the reader will find an amazing, funny, and at times moralising set of short stories. In here examples of ‘worlds’ in which humans are genetically altered, individuals are categorised in colours when reaching adulthood, in which man is genetically enhanced with bio chips, in which marriage vows is a one way trip to hell, in which some can dislocate and rip off limbs for fun, where finding a sexual partner is computer engineered for better success; worlds in which automated accounts are illegal, skins turn grey, in which social stars shy away from public, and where global wars are decided quite different, and where the promise to protect the coral at all costs is taken a bit too literal…
Some flash fiction in this collection as well, I enjoyed the story about the envoy who has to decide the future of mankind best. A wonderful collection of thoughtful and inspirational stories about what it means to be human, and what’ll happen when technology will have the better part of us. Loved it!
Blown away by this inspirational collection, I hope to be able to read more from Stephen Oram.
Highly recommended!



Stories:
- Biohacked and begging
- Mr Enhancement
- Dormant Status
- Pumped up Presidents
- I am Blue
- The Envoy of the Ultimate Observer
- Effortless
- Reconned
- Capitalist Crumbs
- Zygosity Saves the Day
- Modified Manhood
- Keep Apart
- The Cathedral of Cows
- Plasmodermi Protection

ARC Copy...it was an intriguing yet frightening portrayal + speculation of ideas of what biotechnology can actually do for humans as a whole and the possibilities/futures it could open up. Designer food, drugs and so forth has never been so interesting and scary at same time.

This book was very good !!! It kept me interested till the end. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read it early.