Matthew, what can I say, this is a marvelous, insightful review that demonstrates deep engagement with Peco's novel. Thank you so much for sharing it with your readers and selecting it as your book of the year! I hope that it may prompt some more people to discover this gem :)
Matthew, I particularly like the connections you’ve made, some far from obvious, between your book of thr year and other books. Thank you for this intellectually vigorous and attentive review.
Matthew, thank you again for this wonderful review! And I’m so glad you emphasized the technological themes that connect it to our current moment. Just to give an example, the novel depicts people scrolling through the equivalent of smartphone apps to review multiple baby embryos they’ve created and genetically analyzed, in order to pick their preferred embryo to bring into the world. This sounds like science fiction, and two years ago when I published my novel, it was. But now companies are starting to do what the novel describes.
One company promises to genetically sequence up to 20 embryos, and allows you to look at each one, reviewing the future baby’s eye color, hair color, height, and IQ, as well as disease risks. Some call it eugenics (which it seems to me it is), while others call it “risk reduction”. This will be a growing moral conversation, and I thank you for bringing attention to it through your review.
BTW here is a news-story link to the company I mentioned above:
Peco, you are welcome. I have always thought that science-fiction was actually more of science-prophecy because those authors, like yourself, who tackle these technological topics are often quite prescient about the future of science. I am not surprised to see this prediction come true. Thanks for sharing the article.
This is a first-rate, in-depth review, Matthew. How rare it is to come across a single work - a novel, no less - that seems to do it all: to engage the reader deeply in story and lesson, raise questions so pertinent to where we are and where we're headed, offer new perspectives on technology's costs to humans, and offer you as reader the opportunity to discern its direct relationship to your own life. That any one book can do these things as well as you describe them is quite an achievement for an author.
Thanks Maureen. I appreciate your kind comments. I spent a lot of time on this as the book made such an impact on me. That is not often something I expect from genre fiction. However, I think these past few years have been a learning process for me as I mature as a reader and learn to glean more from what I am reading.
Great stuff, Matthew. Interesting that you mention some other writers (like Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, and Kim Stanley Robinson) because it anticipated where my mind was going. I often have Bradbury and Huxley and Orwell on my brain, worrying about the dominance of screens and the general decline in reading books. But as prescient as those writers are, there are times when reading them that I can't help but be aware that their books are now quite old. So interesting to hear that Gaskovski brings that contemporary stance to what are some old worries. I wasn't familiar with the book or the author but great to learn about it and add it to my reading list. Thanks!
Michael, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Science-fiction has been one of the mainstays of my reading life and it is exactly because of that prescience you mention. It amazes me, and sometimes terrifies me, to see tech come to life that was predicted decades before. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
This is great, Matthew, an excellent review of a book I want to read (hoping my library has it, but if not, I’ll track it down). I happen to be re-reading “The Dispossessed” right now, because I want to compare it with George Packer’s “The Emergency” - curious if you have thoughts about that, if you’ve read it, and how it might connect with Peco’s book.
Matthew, what can I say, this is a marvelous, insightful review that demonstrates deep engagement with Peco's novel. Thank you so much for sharing it with your readers and selecting it as your book of the year! I hope that it may prompt some more people to discover this gem :)
Thank you Ruth. I am glad you recommended the book to me. It has had a big impact on my thinking.
Matthew, I particularly like the connections you’ve made, some far from obvious, between your book of thr year and other books. Thank you for this intellectually vigorous and attentive review.
Thanks Rona. I love when I can make connections between the varied things I am reading.
Matthew, thank you again for this wonderful review! And I’m so glad you emphasized the technological themes that connect it to our current moment. Just to give an example, the novel depicts people scrolling through the equivalent of smartphone apps to review multiple baby embryos they’ve created and genetically analyzed, in order to pick their preferred embryo to bring into the world. This sounds like science fiction, and two years ago when I published my novel, it was. But now companies are starting to do what the novel describes.
One company promises to genetically sequence up to 20 embryos, and allows you to look at each one, reviewing the future baby’s eye color, hair color, height, and IQ, as well as disease risks. Some call it eugenics (which it seems to me it is), while others call it “risk reduction”. This will be a growing moral conversation, and I thank you for bringing attention to it through your review.
BTW here is a news-story link to the company I mentioned above:
https://nypost.com/2025/11/22/lifestyle/fertility-startup-that-screens-embryos-to-predict-height-intelligence-and-disease-sparks-debate-with-great-genes-campaign/
Peco, you are welcome. I have always thought that science-fiction was actually more of science-prophecy because those authors, like yourself, who tackle these technological topics are often quite prescient about the future of science. I am not surprised to see this prediction come true. Thanks for sharing the article.
This is a first-rate, in-depth review, Matthew. How rare it is to come across a single work - a novel, no less - that seems to do it all: to engage the reader deeply in story and lesson, raise questions so pertinent to where we are and where we're headed, offer new perspectives on technology's costs to humans, and offer you as reader the opportunity to discern its direct relationship to your own life. That any one book can do these things as well as you describe them is quite an achievement for an author.
Thanks Maureen. I appreciate your kind comments. I spent a lot of time on this as the book made such an impact on me. That is not often something I expect from genre fiction. However, I think these past few years have been a learning process for me as I mature as a reader and learn to glean more from what I am reading.
Great stuff, Matthew. Interesting that you mention some other writers (like Ursula K. Le Guin, Margaret Atwood, and Kim Stanley Robinson) because it anticipated where my mind was going. I often have Bradbury and Huxley and Orwell on my brain, worrying about the dominance of screens and the general decline in reading books. But as prescient as those writers are, there are times when reading them that I can't help but be aware that their books are now quite old. So interesting to hear that Gaskovski brings that contemporary stance to what are some old worries. I wasn't familiar with the book or the author but great to learn about it and add it to my reading list. Thanks!
Michael, thanks for reading and sharing your thoughts. Science-fiction has been one of the mainstays of my reading life and it is exactly because of that prescience you mention. It amazes me, and sometimes terrifies me, to see tech come to life that was predicted decades before. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.
I love your reviews, Matthew. They're wonderful, insightful, and in-depth. Thank you for sharing about this book!
Thank you my friend!
This sounds like an amazing book! Based on this review I am ordering a copy. And I hardly ever read novels anymore!
This is great, Matthew, an excellent review of a book I want to read (hoping my library has it, but if not, I’ll track it down). I happen to be re-reading “The Dispossessed” right now, because I want to compare it with George Packer’s “The Emergency” - curious if you have thoughts about that, if you’ve read it, and how it might connect with Peco’s book.
Let me know if you can't find a copy. I ordered a bunch and would gladly send you one.
That would fabulous, Matthew! I can get it on my Kindle, but if you’re willing, I can email you my mailing address 😉
Yep, send it my way and I will drop one in the mail.