Andrew Barrer

This was an impromptu read after listening to a podcast interview with the author (of whom I had never previously heard) this morning. It is the first of a trilogy of novellas sent in a dystopian near future where climate change has caused a lot more damage and affected lives more thoroughly than heretofore. There has been a medical discovery that being injected with the blood plasma of young, healthy people increases the lifespan of older people. A corporation sets up "farms" to harvest show more this young blood, under the cover of paying off student loans and providing a life of hedonism, distracting from the problems of the outside world. An interesting scenario, though the execution wasn't as good as it might have been, I thought, with the point of view changing very regularly between two of the young people involved, and a scientist behind the scheme. It reminded me somewhat of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, though lacked the atmosphere of that more famous work. That said, I will read the succeeding novellas when they are published in a couple of weeks time. show less

Set just a few years in the future, Gen Z has little to look forward to, as America has become so crowded that there are food shortages and not enough jobs. Natural disasters have made affordable living options impossible. Into this situation comes a corporation that becomes a life-line to many young people. Not only will the young participant have their student loan forgiven, they will be given a condo, all the food and alcohol they want, along with endless lifestyle classes teaching craft show more brewing, yoga, glass-blowing, book clubs, and a dating app that allows for responsibility-free hook-ups. In return, all the new resident has to do is have some blood drawn each week, as the corporation has discovered that when young blood is given to older people, they live a lot longer.
A dystopian story featuring very realistic characters in both the young hipsters and the older scientist. It delivers a good twist. show less

An interesting premise but an uninspiring execution. The most interesting character was the evil scientist and even he ended up being a boring cliche. Our “heroes” were heroes as much as someone wearing a bargain bin Superman Halloween costume. I’m almost angry I finished this.

A badly written version of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, with irritating characters. In the right hands - say Stephen King - this could have been made into something quite interesting with a more developed back story, better characterization and just all round better writing.