Book Review: The Forward Collection curated by Blake Crouch

The Forward Collection curated by Blake Crouch

Today’s book review post is a little different. Rather than reviewing one book, or even a double review as I’ve done a couple of times in the past, this review covers a whole collection of works. 

Forward is a series of six original science fiction stories from Amazon. Amazon calls them “short reads” and they would traditionally be considered short stories or novelettes. They are available individually from Amazon, and in the US are priced at $1.99 each. Amazon Prime members will find these works available for free in their Prime Reading accounts, and can download them to their Kindles or listen to them on Audible at no charge.

While they may be short reads, these six stories are written by some of the best authors writing today. Not only that, but the Audible books are voiced by well known actors from such sci fi staples as Stranger Things, Star Trek: Discovery, The Expanse and more. So, if you are a science fiction fan these stories are well worth your time. And if you are already an Amazon Prime member, the price can’t be beat.

Blake Crouch, whose Dark Matters I reviewed last year, wrote the longest of the six stories, and is credited with gathering these writers and challenging them to write stories around the general theme of technological change – how new discoveries change the world for good or ill.

I read and reviewed Crouch’s story as a standalone review in January. Recently I read the remaining five stories back to back and really enjoyed doing it that way. It was like picking up a copy of Amazing Stories from the 1970s or 80s.

Below are summary reviews of all six Forward stories. Links to the Amazon stories are embedded in the titles, and links to the author’s web presence are embedded in their names.