Dreams Before the Start of Time

Description

In a near-future London, Millie Dack places her hand on her belly to feel her baby kick, resolute in her decision to be a single parent. Across town, her closest friend-a hungover Toni Munroe-steps into the shower and places her hand on a medic console. The diagnosis is devastating. In this stunning, bittersweet family saga, Millie and Toni experience the aftershocks of human progress as their children and grandchildren embrace new ways of making babies. When infertility is a thing of the past, a man can create a child without a woman, a woman can create a child without a man, and artificial wombs eliminate the struggles of pregnancy. But what does it mean to be a parent? A child? A family? Through a series of interconnected vignettes that spans five generations and three continents, this emotionally taut story explores the anxieties that arise when the science of fertility claims to deliver all the answers.

Anne Charnock's writing career began in journalism. Her articles appeared in the Guardian, New Scientist, International Herald Tribune, and Geographical. Her debut novel, A Calculated Life, was a finalist for the 2013 Philip K. Dick Award and the 2013 Kitschies Golden Tentacle Award. Her second novel, Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind, was included in the Guardian's "Best science fiction and fantasy books of 2015." Learn more at www.annecharnock.com, on Twitter @annecharnock, and on Pinterest at www.pinterest.com/annecharnock.

"Charnock pulls hard on the parent's universal worry-that no matter what we do and how much we want the best for our children, somehow we aren't doing it right-in a skillfully executed multigenerational saga that explores a potential future driven by rapid development of reproductive technologies...A story that feels personal and intimate." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Philip K. Dick Award finalist Charnock follows the progression of reproductive science across people in five generations...The reader will experience not only the changing views of society at large, but also the progression of the characters' views as new opportunities arise for the next wave of parents. None of the technology seems far-fetched, leaving the reader to wonder whether this is predictive fiction." -Booklist "highly enjoyable and thought-provoking...The willingness to experiment with viewpoint through time, as well as present a human agenda (what little science fiction these days can say that), make the novel very worthwhile....The futuristic technology depicted is extremely likely-in development as we speak-making the novel groundbreaking." -Speculiction "Reminiscent of Cloud Atlas...This is a novel about the evolution of family and humanity and how inextricably they're tied together. It's a unique, challenging, and immensely successful story." -Tor.com "Charnock explores what the family of the future will look like, as well as how society and pregnancy will change. Deceptively intimate, this is big-idea SF reminiscent of the societal changes mapped across generational sagas like [Asimov's] Foundation or [Robinson's] Mars trilogy." -LOCUS Magazine "Not a sequel to Charnock's previous novel, Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind so much as its organic successor, Dreams Before the Start of Time is a luminous, deftly crafted and occasionally disturbing portrait of the future we may be entering. A novel that explores the notion of family in all its myriad permutations, Dreams Before the Start of Time is science fiction at its most contemplative, asking intriguing questions about human reproduction, gender identity and interpersonal relationships and providing thought-provoking answers on a human scale. Anne Charnock's third novel leaves the reader in no doubt of her evolving talent, and showcases all that is most imaginative and forward-thinking in British science fiction right now."-Nina Allan, author of The Race "Charnock's third novel is a beautifully nuanced exploration of future developments in fertility science. The science underpinning the narrative is subtle and unobtrusive, allowing the novel to shine on the neuroses of its large, three-generational cast of characters as they struggle to come to terms with the decisions of their parents. As with her previous novels, Charnock is marvellous at communicating a huge amount in a short space." -E.J. Swift, author of The Osiris Project series "Charnock's interest is always in the human aspect first: her characters are real, living, breathing individuals; lost in some ways, directive in others....With Dreams Before the Start of Time already on my Best SF of 2017 list, Anne Charnock is now solidified as one of my favorite SF authors." -From Couch to Moon "This is an excellent novel, and a worthy successor to the very wonderful Sleeping Embers of an Ordinary Mind." -Adam Roberts, author of The Thing Itself