Humanity's Edge, by Tamara Wilhite

Review by W. J. Rayment / ConservativeBookstore -- When we look to the future do we see progress towards a better life, or do we see disaster in the offing? Tamara Wilhite in her book, Humanity's Edge, through a series of short stories gives us a peek into the future. The view is sometimes chilling, but we also glimpse the grit, perseverance, and industriousness that has brought humanity this far and will take us through whatever calamities we may face.

"Humanity's Edge" is an interesting title. It could imply that we are approaching a precipice, but it could also be the cutting edge of a razor. I think Ms. Wilhite may have had both these ideas in mind. The short stories have in common a survivalist theme. Generally, disaster has struck and the heroines and heroes must adapt and struggle to win through a time of trouble to bring forth another generation.

Most of the disasters that occur are human made, and are generally the result of a society getting a bit too big for its britches. It is a case of governments becoming arrogant in their belief that they can control both people and nature. This is what sets the stage for the story "Breathing Room". Scientists try to avoid a big earthquake by setting off smaller quakes only to cause a huge mess that results in poisonous gasses engulfing the Earth on a scale greater that the cataclysm that destroyed the dinosaurs. In this way Tamara Wilhite rings a little warning bell. But at the same time, the heroine shows grit and determination in the face of humanity's mistakes. Whatever the odds there is hope.

The themes of this book make it generally dark. The stories have the cadence of episodes of the Twilight Zone, where interesting circumstances are posited, intensity arises, and some surprising twist at the end is an inevitable result. But like any well-told story, when the end comes, we mutter to ourselves, "Of course, it could not have ended any other way."

This anthology is interesting not merely for plot and action, but because the stories also explore an idea. In "Church of the Called", we ponder what would happen if there really were people with psychic abilities? How would they deal with a society that was afraid of them? In "Survival of the Fittest" the true ramifications of Darwinism are addressed. How strong is our loyalty to our own species when it comes to life and death choices?

Though much of Humanity's Edge is written in a serious vein, humor finds its way in. It is introduced by the characters or sometimes by the very circumstances of the plot. The final story of the book had me smiling throughout. A character risks his freedom to cook a hamburger on a grill. The country has outlawed carbon emissions because of the Kyoto treaty. The man is a rebel for wanting to cook meat on charcoal. This is not far-fetched. In the real world, people can be fined in Seattle for having a wood fire in the fireplace on the wrong day.

Humanity's Edge, by Tamara Wilhite, is a prescient collection of stories that will entertain and provoke thought. Interesting reading.

Humanity's Edge, by Tamara Wilhite is available at Amazon.