[Past Lives, Present Tense] is an interesting conceit. It's a what if scenario--what if historical figures could be brought into the present day, uploaded into a modern person's mind through some mystical DNA extraction process mated with the staring eyeballs technique in [A Clockwork Orange] to bring the personality, memories, and maybe even talents of someone famous to someone excessively rich. Editor Elizabeth Ann Scarborough wrote the origin story that kicks off the collection and introduces the two characters who show up throughout the rest of the stories because they're the access point to this highly secret and expensive procedure that they presented to the 0.01% who could afford it without any pesky government regulations or ethical considerations getting in the way. In fact, they make a big point of emphasizing grave robbing, museum looting, government corruption, etc. to get the necessary DNA samples to process.

Each author picks someone from history then writes a story explaining who and why they get uploaded into the present (well, 1999, when this collection was published) and the consequences that ensue. I recognized only four of the authors as being relatively big names back in the day, though another couple sound vaguely familiar. Their author creds at the end are arranged in the order of their stories; several of them have published franchise novels of one sort or another, or coauthored within established series by bigger name authors, and covering a range of genres: speculative, mystery, romance, historical.

Here's the list of authors, stories, and historical personages bought by:

1. Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, "Soul Mates" - Sir Walter Scott
2. Lillian Stewart Carl, "A Rose with All Its Thorns" - Anne Boleyn
3. Elizabeth Moon, "Silver Lining" - George Silver
4. Margaret Ball, "Shell Game" - Jesus Christ
5. Jerry Oltian, "Renaissance Man" - Leonardo da Vinci
6. Thomas W. Knowles, "Luck of the Draw" - Doc Holliday
7. Sharon Newman, "Divine Guidance" _ Saint Elspeth (actually, I suspect this one is fictional)
8. Janet Berliner, "Eye of the Day" - Mata Hari
9. Nina Kiriki Hoffman, "Voyage of Discover" - Meriwether Lewis
10. Kristine Kathryn Rusch, "Relics" - Jesus Christ again
11. Carole Nelson Douglas, "Night Owl" - Florence Nightengale
12. Gary A. Braunbeck, "Who Am a Passer By" - Edgar Allen Poe
13. Rod Garcia y Robertson, "Forever Free" - JEB Stuart
14. Sandy Schofield, "Stepping Up to the Plate" - Babe Ruth
15. David Bischoff, "Sittin' on the Dock" Otis Redding

I was prepared to like the book. Certainly the cover description intrigued me enough to pick it up. But no. It was all stereotypes. All the stereotypes. Inscrutable, zenlike oriental, momma's boy wanting to please her during her last days, man-hating humorless feminazi who discovers her sensual feminine side, misogynistic racist asshole who resents his "inferiors" beating him in his chosen hobbies, backwater imaginary African nation whose leader has large Swiss bank accounts and is at risk of backsliding into tribal warfare, nerdy brilliant virgin inventor who doesn't know how to people especially with girls, Texas man forever trying to live up to the toxic masculinity expectations of his deceased father in all the testosterone-fueled activities, corrupt manager trying to refurbish his golden goose star, Caribbean voodoo curse, overbearing controlling mother who wants a living doll, rich and powerful man looking for a convenient puppet and working class orphan wanting only to be accepted, the horrors of autism!!!, more men with mommy issues and rich people wanting the personality equivalent of a food taster, star-crossed lovers reunited plus Lost Cause nostalgia and a terrible misuse of the Emancipation Proclamation, another nerdy man who doesn't know how to live, and the white man taking cultural appropriation to a whole new level and then essentially experiencing spiritual conversion. Yikes.

Admittedly, this book was published during the Clinton years, the period of neoliberal capitalism run amok, and it shows. The 0.01% characters who buy this unique personality transplant are self-made millionaires or have inherited wealth and lead empty lives. The ambience really reflects the conspicuous consumption reflective of the 1990s economic boom. But reading this in 2021, when income and wealth inequalities meet or exceed those the 1920s Gilded Age and we are seeing the consequences of this as the pandemic plays out around the world and labor strikes are on the rise, it feels inappropriate at best and seriously out of sync. Who cares about the psychological woes of the uber-privileged? Wah wah. And worse is the contrast with the lower class marginalized characters acting as guinea pigs or objects of redemption. Admittedly, we know a lot more about the autism spectrum than we did back in 1999, but still, that particular story rankled--Autism Speaks could certainly use it in its marketing of how autism destroys lives and needs to be cured. It's got tiny science fiction touches, such as cold fusion, the prevalence of androids in entertainment spectacles, and other little details that don't really add much or change the feel of the era. It's also got very dated details like tape recordings and some pop culture references. Definitely not a keeper. ( )

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/2511173 ( )

can't remember what it was about, have to check on it ( )