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Totaled
A 2015 Hugo Award Finalist
Neuroscientist Margaret Hauri has two children to raise, and she's on the cusp of a scientific breakthrough. There's just one problem.
She's dead.
An experimental technology might buy her some time. Even if it works, will it be enough to save her?
Length: 5,000 words, a short story
Genre: near future hard SF, drama
Market: written for adults (no sex, no violence, occasional mild/moderate profanity)
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Neuroscientist Margaret Hauri has two children to raise, and she's on the cusp of a scientific breakthrough. There's just one problem.
She's dead.
An experimental technology might buy her some time. Even if it works, will it be enough to save her?
Length: 5,000 words, a short story
Genre: near future hard SF, drama
Market: written for adults (no sex, no violence, occasional mild/moderate profanity)
Get it now or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
16 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2014
6 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
August 1, 2015
One of the best experiences of this year's Hugo Awards could be discovering the writing of Kary English. The three short stories she has in her John W. Campbell nomination packet are all incredible.
In Totaled, a mother dies in a car accident and wakes up retaining only her brain, and the strange awareness that she is in the lab where she and her partner studied neuroscience. Very clever story telling that kept us in her senses as she helps her living partner figure out that it is her and possibly complete their experiment. English writes with a vocabulary authentic enough for her character's PhD in neuroscience and distributed cognition, though not over our heads, and yet also hits hard with emotional resonance as our brain sees loved ones and fights to hold on. Outstanding story outshined only by the next story she has included.
reviewed at timothycward.com
In Totaled, a mother dies in a car accident and wakes up retaining only her brain, and the strange awareness that she is in the lab where she and her partner studied neuroscience. Very clever story telling that kept us in her senses as she helps her living partner figure out that it is her and possibly complete their experiment. English writes with a vocabulary authentic enough for her character's PhD in neuroscience and distributed cognition, though not over our heads, and yet also hits hard with emotional resonance as our brain sees loved ones and fights to hold on. Outstanding story outshined only by the next story she has included.
reviewed at timothycward.com
April 7, 2015
The Hugo nominees were announced last Saturday, and Totaledby Kary English was among the nominees for Best Short Story. I try to read and review as many of the nominees as possible, and since a quick Google search led me to English's short story on Wattpad, Totaled became my first post-nominee announcement read (I've already read Ann Leckie's Ancillary Sword, but I'll review that at a later date).
In recent years, I've gained a taste for a well written short story. Done right, a good story gets in fast, cuts to the meat of a problem, and gets out even faster. What a short story might lack in character development and world building, it can more than make up in poignancy, punch, and speed.
Also, it's much easier to turn off the light and go to bed after a short story than it is after a chapter in a good novel.
That's a long way of saying that I liked what I found in Totaled, and I can't wait to look up what else Kary English has written.
A bit about the story, though not so much as to spoil it: Totaled opens with the main character dead. Told from a first person perspective, English makes good use of next generation technology, looping in just enough science fiction (but emphasizing the "fiction") to give the story a "day after tomorrow" feel, but never losing touch of the human side that makes for the emotional ride in a story. Cutting edge tech may be interesting, but it might as well be a clever piece of speculation in scientific digest without addressing its human impact. Totaled makes use of some interesting ideas about technology, but leans heavily on the emotional waves the technology causes on its characters.
While I haven't yet read the other nominees in the Short Story category, I enjoyed Totaled, and I hope the best for her and her story in the Hugo voting.
In recent years, I've gained a taste for a well written short story. Done right, a good story gets in fast, cuts to the meat of a problem, and gets out even faster. What a short story might lack in character development and world building, it can more than make up in poignancy, punch, and speed.
Also, it's much easier to turn off the light and go to bed after a short story than it is after a chapter in a good novel.
That's a long way of saying that I liked what I found in Totaled, and I can't wait to look up what else Kary English has written.
A bit about the story, though not so much as to spoil it: Totaled opens with the main character dead. Told from a first person perspective, English makes good use of next generation technology, looping in just enough science fiction (but emphasizing the "fiction") to give the story a "day after tomorrow" feel, but never losing touch of the human side that makes for the emotional ride in a story. Cutting edge tech may be interesting, but it might as well be a clever piece of speculation in scientific digest without addressing its human impact. Totaled makes use of some interesting ideas about technology, but leans heavily on the emotional waves the technology causes on its characters.
While I haven't yet read the other nominees in the Short Story category, I enjoyed Totaled, and I hope the best for her and her story in the Hugo voting.
May 19, 2015
Short Story Hugo Nominee for 2015
For a brain in a jar story, I was pleasantly surprised to be surrounded by so much pathos and emotion. I was surrounded by human connections and really sweet and sentimental considerations. It's almost enough to renew my faith in humanity, but only when there's absolutely nothing to lose. After all, the protagonist is already dead, filling herself with images of brownies and cat vomit to say yes and no to any questions. It's really a half-life, and bittersweet, but thank god for her research partner. He did right on all counts.
The story made me feel something, and that's awesome. I can't complain at all. This one can rank up there as a solid choice for the year. I'll get through the others soon.
For a brain in a jar story, I was pleasantly surprised to be surrounded by so much pathos and emotion. I was surrounded by human connections and really sweet and sentimental considerations. It's almost enough to renew my faith in humanity, but only when there's absolutely nothing to lose. After all, the protagonist is already dead, filling herself with images of brownies and cat vomit to say yes and no to any questions. It's really a half-life, and bittersweet, but thank god for her research partner. He did right on all counts.
The story made me feel something, and that's awesome. I can't complain at all. This one can rank up there as a solid choice for the year. I'll get through the others soon.
June 11, 2015
Neuroscientist Margaret Hauri and her lab partner Randy are drawing near to a scientific breakthrough on a bionet that interfaces electronics with neural pathways, when she’s killed in a car accident. Fortuitously, the Allied Neuro Associates receive an immediate notification of her total so that her tissues can be stabilized for transfer in a near-perfect preservation chamber for up to six months. When Maggie’s brain wakes up in her own lab, she attempts to communicate with Randy.
This is a short self-contained story that’s well constructed. Upon entering this world Kary English has created, I’m immediately interested in the technology of the bionet, and the social implications of totaling. Due to the high costs of insurance and health care and a new political party that says taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for medical care for someone else, the uneducated, the elderly, and the poor can be totaled at less than a year’s wages.
English uses a great sci-fi premise to tell an emotional story about Maggie coming to terms with her own death, closing a chapter in her research progress, letting go of her lab partner, and saying goodbye her two children. I really admire Maggie for her last contribution to science, but I find it more difficult to connect with her sentimental reactions, which are the guts of the story.
Recommended for scifi fans who also enjoy literary fiction that explores the human condition by focusing on the individual.
This is a short self-contained story that’s well constructed. Upon entering this world Kary English has created, I’m immediately interested in the technology of the bionet, and the social implications of totaling. Due to the high costs of insurance and health care and a new political party that says taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for medical care for someone else, the uneducated, the elderly, and the poor can be totaled at less than a year’s wages.
English uses a great sci-fi premise to tell an emotional story about Maggie coming to terms with her own death, closing a chapter in her research progress, letting go of her lab partner, and saying goodbye her two children. I really admire Maggie for her last contribution to science, but I find it more difficult to connect with her sentimental reactions, which are the guts of the story.
Recommended for scifi fans who also enjoy literary fiction that explores the human condition by focusing on the individual.
April 5, 2015
There's a lot to like here. It's a super neat concept. What if you died, but you didn't really die because your brain was preserved. What if your brain was then hooked to a computer so that you could communicate by manipulating your emotions to stimulate certain parts of your brain?
It's a neat idea, but there was something that kind of bothered me. I think existing as a brain, unable to walk around, unable to sleep, unable to entertain yourself, would be the most horrible experience imaginable. I understand that Maggie wanted to live to see her family, and to complete her work. I just wish there could have been some acknowledgement of what a horrible existence that would be.
Despite that, it's a neat idea, and since it's a short story it's certainly worth the 15 minutes it takes to read it.
It's a neat idea, but there was something that kind of bothered me. I think existing as a brain, unable to walk around, unable to sleep, unable to entertain yourself, would be the most horrible experience imaginable. I understand that Maggie wanted to live to see her family, and to complete her work. I just wish there could have been some acknowledgement of what a horrible existence that would be.
Despite that, it's a neat idea, and since it's a short story it's certainly worth the 15 minutes it takes to read it.
February 16, 2015
I read this story when it was free on Galaxy's Edge Magazine's website.
This is the first story I've read by Kary English, and wow! Color me impressed! I love the narrator in the story, especially because she is a smart, real, problem-solving woman. It might just be me, but there are a lot of courageous male protagonists in contemporary sci-fi, and it was a breath of fresh air to read about a woman doing amazing things. Er... her brain doing amazing things. You'll know what I mean when you read it. :)
Can't wait to read more from Kary English.
This is the first story I've read by Kary English, and wow! Color me impressed! I love the narrator in the story, especially because she is a smart, real, problem-solving woman. It might just be me, but there are a lot of courageous male protagonists in contemporary sci-fi, and it was a breath of fresh air to read about a woman doing amazing things. Er... her brain doing amazing things. You'll know what I mean when you read it. :)
Can't wait to read more from Kary English.
April 12, 2015
2.5 Stars
This was an OK story. I enjoyed the emotional aspects, but with undeveloped characters I just failed to care.
What really bothered be, however, was how inconsistent it was (especially in the first half) in terms of what the "brain" could do or couldn't. Like recognizing footsteps (and knowing they belonged to a certain person) by vibrations that were so slight she couldn't tell if they were imagined or not. Other parts of the logic also didn't make sense, and don't get me started on that brain-less healthcare rhetoric (pun intended).
This was an OK story. I enjoyed the emotional aspects, but with undeveloped characters I just failed to care.
What really bothered be, however, was how inconsistent it was (especially in the first half) in terms of what the "brain" could do or couldn't. Like recognizing footsteps (and knowing they belonged to a certain person) by vibrations that were so slight she couldn't tell if they were imagined or not. Other parts of the logic also didn't make sense, and don't get me started on that brain-less healthcare rhetoric (pun intended).
March 1, 2015
Totalled is worth your while. A beautiful short story about dying - and what if in the process you could see your children one last time? Do yourself a favor and read Totaled. It might help to keep some Kleenex near.
April 17, 2015
Discussed this short story in my weekly wrap up video when I read it. Long story short, I couldn't get past how atrociously under researched and erroneous the science was in this supposedly hard science fiction story.
May 10, 2015
Totally loved it
Classic SF about a scientist who literally gives her all to achieve a breakthrough that will empower humanity. It is optimistic, yet fully aware that loss and suffering are essential to life. Totaled is heroic SF in the grand tradition.
Classic SF about a scientist who literally gives her all to achieve a breakthrough that will empower humanity. It is optimistic, yet fully aware that loss and suffering are essential to life. Totaled is heroic SF in the grand tradition.
September 17, 2015
More often than not I'm confused why people get so worked up over issues. I've written more than enough about the whole Hugo debate, and this story was one of the victims, looked over in favor of "No Award." Out of curiosity, I decided I'd read it to see what was insidious about it that it had to be slapped down.
Now I really don't get it. The short story is a fascinating look at the workings of a brain, and what kind of things we could potentially do in the future. When I finished the story, it left me wanting more, to dig deeper into this world that is just offered at a glimpse. The writing is fantastic, too, with the narrator's voice degenerating at the brain tissue breaks down.
A great read, one that seems perfectly deserving of a Hugo award. Especially over "No Award."
There was one almost throw away line about how it's determined not to save someone's life (one's estimated lifetime income vs the cost to rescue). It could be seen as political. But if you're seriously willing to wave one of the biggest middle fingers available at a fantastic author because you don't agree with one line in her work, she's not the one with the problem.
Ironically, the common message is that she wasn't given the award in the name of diversity. In a mostly male dominated writing genre, I've yet to figure out how denying an award to women is supposed to promote diversity.
Whatever. I never could make sense of the debate.
This book, though, is very good. Would definitely recommend reading it. Shouldn't take more than an hour to get through, tops, and is available on Scribd if you're a subscriber.
Now I really don't get it. The short story is a fascinating look at the workings of a brain, and what kind of things we could potentially do in the future. When I finished the story, it left me wanting more, to dig deeper into this world that is just offered at a glimpse. The writing is fantastic, too, with the narrator's voice degenerating at the brain tissue breaks down.
A great read, one that seems perfectly deserving of a Hugo award. Especially over "No Award."
There was one almost throw away line about how it's determined not to save someone's life (one's estimated lifetime income vs the cost to rescue). It could be seen as political. But if you're seriously willing to wave one of the biggest middle fingers available at a fantastic author because you don't agree with one line in her work, she's not the one with the problem.
Ironically, the common message is that she wasn't given the award in the name of diversity. In a mostly male dominated writing genre, I've yet to figure out how denying an award to women is supposed to promote diversity.
Whatever. I never could make sense of the debate.
This book, though, is very good. Would definitely recommend reading it. Shouldn't take more than an hour to get through, tops, and is available on Scribd if you're a subscriber.
January 15, 2016
Neuroscientist Margaret Hauri has been totaled--she died in a vehicular crash, and her body has been claimed for science. Her brain was sent to her old lab, and her former partner is performing his usual tests, unaware of her identity. Maggie is aware and desperate to communicate.
This has everything a short story requires: an interesting protagonist--brain in a container--and a dilemma requiring resolution before tissue deterioration.
There was a brief realization that Maggie had an emotional attachment to her fellow scientist, and in my typical twisted way of thinking, I was half hoping that their research had progressed enough that he could save Maggie by transferring her into his new girlfriend. That's neither here nor there and has nothing to do with the short story; I can thank Ms. English for creating a character I liked and wanted to save for my Frankensteinian impulses.
June 18, 2015
Great story. The best of the Hugo nominations left standing that I've read so far. I was a little hesitant at first. The first couple of paragraphs didn't jump out at me. And one of my greatest fears is being in a conscious but vegetative state, so the initial impression for me apprehension. I'm not much of a horror story reader and that's sort of where I was thinking this was going. But it's a very well written story.
I identified with Maggie and had an emotional response by the end. The characters weren't deep, but they usually aren't in a short story. I have no idea about the actual science behind it, having never taken a formal biology class. But the concept itself seems cool and makes for an entertaining story.
The wattpad website screen was formatted well with no obvious errors.
I identified with Maggie and had an emotional response by the end. The characters weren't deep, but they usually aren't in a short story. I have no idea about the actual science behind it, having never taken a formal biology class. But the concept itself seems cool and makes for an entertaining story.
The wattpad website screen was formatted well with no obvious errors.
May 22, 2015
2.5 stars. I think this is the best of the Hugo short story nominations. It's the most well-written, and the only one that really attempts to create actual characters with actual character motivations. It was moving at points. Still, though, I don't think it was great. The science involved - or at least the scientific ethics of what was happening - seems questionable, and the way things worked seemed inconsistent. Maybe it's unfair of me, but overall I just kept thinking that this was a decent story that could have been explored in a much more interesting and engaging way.
I think I was also turned off by the death panel rhetoric at the beginning. It's tangential to the story in most senses, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
I think I was also turned off by the death panel rhetoric at the beginning. It's tangential to the story in most senses, but it left a bad taste in my mouth.
July 2, 2015
Short story about a neuroscientist who dies and finds out she's living on as a brain in her own laboratory. An easy read, suitable level of sciency bits, and the story ran nicely from start to finish. The idea isn't a new one - it's an old B-movie cliché, and authors such as Roald Dahl have contributed to the lore (William and Mary). English focuses on the emotions of the brain but mostly passes both the horror and the science aspects of the story. Particularly for a short story, I think that was a wise choice.
April 8, 2015
I really liked the personal side of this story of a mother who has lost her life but consciousness remains behind for a period of time while she gets to recontact her surroundings and kids some before "shutting down."
The writing is quite good, the scientific brain theory is not something I am certain is true but it doesn't carry the story either, rethink, edit. why worry over the trivial part.
Ace writing
The writing is quite good, the scientific brain theory is not something I am certain is true but it doesn't carry the story either, rethink, edit. why worry over the trivial part.
Ace writing
May 20, 2015
Read for the 2015 Hugos
This was a great story. It had characters that I actually cared about and it had all the right emotional hits. The actual writing is fantastic. She doesn't overdo any explanations, or beat you over the head telling you how you should feel. The story is simply told from a 1st person perspective and I reacted naturally to what was happening.
When I'm voting for the Hugos, this is the kind of story I'm looking for.
This was a great story. It had characters that I actually cared about and it had all the right emotional hits. The actual writing is fantastic. She doesn't overdo any explanations, or beat you over the head telling you how you should feel. The story is simply told from a 1st person perspective and I reacted naturally to what was happening.
When I'm voting for the Hugos, this is the kind of story I'm looking for.
April 13, 2015
I love this story. It's beautifully written and skillfully crafted. It knocked my socks off the way the writer put me inside a totally foreign situation and made me feel like I was there experiencing it along with the protagonist. I will definitely read other works by this author. Highly recommended!
May 22, 2015
A fun, quick read about how long you can keep a brain alive. What does it really mean to be human?
May 3, 2015
Maggie, a brain researcher, has died but her brain survives. An
excellent
story of love for a friend.
May 22, 2015
I especially enjoyed what English did with language toward the end. The short scenes earlier in the story felt a bit awkward but they kept the pace up, and otherwise very nice.
May 25, 2015
Interesting story but it did not work for me. It left me cold and but opened minded to read her other works. I read Flight of the Kikayon as part of the Hugo packet and gave it 5 stars.
June 9, 2015
An excellent and different take on life after death. I loved this story.
December 28, 2015
I almost couldn't read this when it started with two young boys involved in a car accident. I'm glad I kept at it, though. It turned out to be quite interesting.
October 29, 2022
short story that doesn't do anything nee
It is a fine story but it isn't anything special. The premise is an old one and this only puts minor tweaks on it. Maybe this is meant to be a teaser for the novel or something.
It is a fine story but it isn't anything special. The premise is an old one and this only puts minor tweaks on it. Maybe this is meant to be a teaser for the novel or something.
July 29, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this. Ms. English creates images and characters that stay with you after the story is over.
August 31, 2015
Totaled is a short tale about the experiences of a scientist waking up in a her lab after an horrific car accident. She is reduced to a full-brain tissue sample for use in experiments on neural maps, and find herself helping her former colleagues achieving what was her ambitious goal.
This is one of the few stories in the puppy slate that would have possibly deserved a Hugo. The plot mixes seen before tropes, in a novel and original way. The biggest limitation of the story is the lack of desperation of the main character. I cannot believe she could so calmly work without constantly worrying about her kids that she left behind, or despair about her upcoming death.
This said, Kary English is a great story teller, and I am interested in reading more of her future work.
This is one of the few stories in the puppy slate that would have possibly deserved a Hugo. The plot mixes seen before tropes, in a novel and original way. The biggest limitation of the story is the lack of desperation of the main character. I cannot believe she could so calmly work without constantly worrying about her kids that she left behind, or despair about her upcoming death.
This said, Kary English is a great story teller, and I am interested in reading more of her future work.
May 22, 2015
Pulled me in from the first paragraph. Threw me into the world and made me want to know who the narrator was, why she was dead, and what research she was part of. Then the story slowly fell apart for me. The Tea Party allegory (“The Treaders said taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for medical care someone else couldn’t afford, so they instituted a review board for totals.”). The cardboard cutout characters. There was so much potential here. I love how she had to use strong images to communicate but her slow degeneration was not as moving as Flowers for Algernon. This story had so much potential — it could have been so much more.
June 19, 2015
2015 Hugo Short Story Nominee.
This is an ok story with some emotional content. The science didn't seem too plausible, more like TV technobabble designed to move the plot forward.
The story came to a stop to insert this irrelevant rant:
"The personal total wasn’t a new concept. It started back in the Teens when the Treaders put their first candidate in office. Healthcare costs were insane. Insurance was almost impossible to get. The Treaders said taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for medical care someone else couldn’t afford, so they instituted a review board for totals."
This is probably the best of the nominated short stories, but it is not up to Hugo Award standards.
This is an ok story with some emotional content. The science didn't seem too plausible, more like TV technobabble designed to move the plot forward.
The story came to a stop to insert this irrelevant rant:
"The personal total wasn’t a new concept. It started back in the Teens when the Treaders put their first candidate in office. Healthcare costs were insane. Insurance was almost impossible to get. The Treaders said taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for medical care someone else couldn’t afford, so they instituted a review board for totals."
This is probably the best of the nominated short stories, but it is not up to Hugo Award standards.
July 31, 2015
There were some nice touches in the writing and the general idea was pretty good. But I did not understand the ending AT ALL.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews