Description
You can’t take the human element out of war, but try telling that to the corporate thinktank that handed guns to gengineered attack dogs. In these two SF short stories from the world of San Iadras, find out what happens when the cloned supersoldiers of the future are emancipated, integrated into society, and treated like human beings — whether they like it or not.
War Dog: Eschowitz Estian, a genetically engineered dog-soldier, is unleashed on the world… but he’s only seven years old. Martial training is abruptly replaced with family life when he’s freed and emancipated, but being expected to act like a normal child isn’t something his training has prepared him for. In a world where he can become anyone except the soldier he was born to be, growing up and finding his place will be a war, but not the one he was designed for. (~15 000 words)
Marginalized Populations: Scheuen Estian’s adoptive parents always called him ‘Shaun’, because they couldn’t fit his real name into their lives. They couldn’t fit his real nature into their lives, either. But he can make a place for himself, in the society of his clone brethren, and in societies broken by repression rocked by a crowdfunded civil war that need him to be exactly what he was made to be: a soldier. (~6 500 words)
Author: Malcolm Cross
Style: Literary Work
Content: Short stories
Parental Rating: PG-13 – some violence, adult discussions
Publication Date: July 2013
sturmeinlagen (verified owner) –
A great and interesting take on a future world where animal people are manufactured as mere tools, and then inserted into the human society as persons. We watch as they fail and try to learn what being a person is and what it should do.
There is a good social commentary, world-building is realistic, sci-fi elements are subtle and not interfering with the story. Author’s specialty is portraying stark contrasts and dystopian worlds, and they played out excellent here. Recommended read!
KG (verified owner) –
I picked out this book while at work, looking for something to read to pass my shift faster, and this scratched an itch in a genre I didn’t know I’d enjoy so much! The worldbuilding was always interesting to read about, and I enjoyed the different perspectives on adjusting to a brand new life and the consequences of ignoring or hiding one’s past, influencing their future later on. Definitely going to read more from this author, and look forward to their future works!