Book Reviews

Book Blurb

In the year 2525, Samekh Taw designation #65572—aka “Sam”—is a Companion. A cloned human—a lab creation made specifically to order to serve any and all of the needs of Max Absolom III.

Max is the one man who never wanted a Companion in the first place, only agreeing to the whole uncomfortable situation because his social standing demanded it.

When it becomes clear that Sam is flawed and he seeks to end his existence before he is erased, it is up to Max to convince Sam to hold his secrets close and that love isn’t just for one day.

 

NOTE: Originally a story in the anthology Never Say Never, published 14 Februay 2011 from Silver Publishing. This is re-edited and amended.

 

Book Review

This is a great short story about human nature, and the triumph of love. It's sweet, and made me smile, and had quite a bit of angst in it as well. With a slow build to introduce us to this future world, it then suddenly accelerates for a sucker-punch final stretch before the thankfully very happy ending. The back story and world history is well developed, especially for such a short piece, and definitely has potential for more!

Max is the narrator of the story, and his world view is interesting. He is a historian and tries to decipher some of the leftover documents and artifacts - watch out for the "flat, black rectangle with a gleaming surface that gleams in the light". He is still required to take a Companion, a human cloned and genetically engineered to be his perfect match. As it turns out, that is even closer to the truth than Max could have ever imagined.

Sam wants to be a good Companion, but there are early hints that he is not exactly what Max expected. Sam seems to come with a few extra features , and has no idea how to deal with them. He thinks he is defective and wants to end his life before the officials come to take him away. He doesn’t want to be recycled, and who can blame him?

In the old discussion of what makes us human, this story points a very clear finger at what is right, never mind the legalese or official opinion, or the original intent. The answer in this short book is clear: love is what makes the difference. Of course, being the romantic I am, I totally adored that. If you like futuristic tales that show technology may evolve, but human nature is likely to be pretty stable and unchanging, if you enjoy reading about men and what gives them the right to be free, and if you're looking for a story that will touch your heart, then you will probably like this one. I think it’s adorable and hope their will be a sequel! Sam and Max have a lot of adventures ahead of them, and I'd like to find out exactly what they find out as they go and explore!

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Love Lane Books for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook
Length	Short Story, 29 pages/9100 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	13-February-2013
Price	$0.99 ebook
Buy Link	https://www.lovelanebooks.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=19&products_id=30