LOOKING FORWARD LOOKING
BACK is an anthology of three futuristic tales about
children with asthma who are isolated on mining ships away from other
"normal" fellow Earthlings. All three stories are interrelated with shared
characters throughout a threaded theme, which to me made it read more like
one short story rather than just a series of small novellas.
The first novella is about Eve, which sets up the future
storyline of just how isolated and uninformed those living on the mining
ship really are about their possible futures. But Eve also has her name
for a specific reason.
The second and third novellas deal mainly with Lilith, one
of the inhabitants who thinks she's sterile with no hope of a future
beyond that of being a counselor and conducting Truth Ceremonies amongst
the pairings of those of reproductive age who are completely unaware of
what the future holds in store for them, or what the purpose of those
mining starships really is. Lilith, by far, is the most compelling and
interesting character of these three novellas.
I liked the odd theme and subject matter set into the
future, perhaps because I could relate by having had sons who grew up
severe asthmatics. Add in the twist Ms. Heisted puts into the storyline at
the end—the real purpose of the so-called mining ships—and the ties that
bind everything together are soon created.
As short reads go, LOOKING FORWARD
LOOKING BACK is very well written and has more depth than I thought
it could have. To be honest, with a little expansion this would have made
a great longer short story, as by the time it was over I wanted to read
more about these characters and just what happens to them after the
ending—or beginning, depending upon the way you look at it. And while
Eve's story is the first novella and is interesting enough, it's the final
two containing Lilith that I enjoyed the most and who is the character I
wanted to keep on reading about.
For an entertaining short read that's a bit of something
different, I have no qualms whatsoever recommending LOOKING FORWARD LOOKING BACK. It's very well written
and well worth the reading.
-- Nancy Davis Romance Reader At Heart
Heather · 
Rave Reviews · 
