Sapience: A Collection of Science Fiction Short Stories by Alexis LantgenMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This collection of short sci-fi stories was a brilliant surprise for me. I was an enthusiastic fan of Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Isaac Azimov, John Wyndham, et al for many years when younger, and felt that their original and intriguing concepts were most unlikely to ever be equalled, never mind bettered. I have read many other sci-fi novels since then and enjoyed them but nothing has really grabbed my emotions and imagination. However, Alexis Lantgen’s book of 10 science fiction tales had me gripped from the first page of each and every one. Here are her imaginative ideas that quickly encapsulate the potential problems (maybe some are known, while others are still not considered by society) involved with AI, plague viruses, nanobots, totalitarianism, and species extinction.
There is a very personal perspective and point of view in each story, from each of the main protagonists that often caused me to re-think. By that I mean I re-considered what my own view was about society, technology, the world, and its many foibles, not an easy thing to do. Coming from a science based training and background there were times when I wanted to question the survival of some individual characters, when they were part of a colony of humans living on a different planet or a moon of Jupiter, like breathing Europa’s atmosphere for example. It was a just a little bit too convenient for me when the author seemed to skip those details, probably so as not to slow down the pace of the plotline. Nevertheless, Lantgen is to be congratulated for tackling societal issues, like prejudice in ‘Earth is for Earthers’, and cosmetic plastic surgery in ‘Remade’, within her amazing, if not sometimes dystopian, group of incisive tales. It is highly recommended to all readers, and not just those fans of the science fiction genre.
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