Scan barcode
bookwormcat's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book is amazing. So many twists and turns it gave me whiplash!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Death
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Terminal illness, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Religious bigotry, Cancer, Cursing, Death, and Violence
Minor: Animal death
kelsea's review
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: War
Minor: Gun violence
tinytrashqueen's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Medical content, Medical trauma, Vomit, Sexual content, and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Classism, Gaslighting, Infidelity, and Religious bigotry
deedireads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
All my book reviews live at https://deedireads.com/.
This book was a bit of a gamble for me — tech apocalypse books are just not my favorite — but because I (and most of the world) loved The Power back when it first came out, I was willing to give it a shot. I didn’t hate it, but unfortunately, it still wasn’t really for me.
At the start of the book, the CEOs of the biggest tech companies in a near future all get the notification that it’s time to head to their apocalypse bunkers. A survivalist influencer who was dating one of the CEOs’ assistants also gets tangled up in the situation. That’s all I’ll say about the story for now.
The full cast audiobook was also fun and made for a good listening experience, except maybe for the sections written as the forum threads — those were easier to follow on paper. Speaking of which, those threads lost me a bit with their biblical analysis. I actually think that they worked in the sense that they served the book well, but I found myself zoning out. Plus, I’m not sure I loved the last page, lol.
Still, the book was definitely plotty and twisty, and if you’re looking for a slightly more sophisticated version of a dystopian thriller this might be your jam!
This book was a bit of a gamble for me — tech apocalypse books are just not my favorite — but because I (and most of the world) loved The Power back when it first came out, I was willing to give it a shot. I didn’t hate it, but unfortunately, it still wasn’t really for me.
At the start of the book, the CEOs of the biggest tech companies in a near future all get the notification that it’s time to head to their apocalypse bunkers. A survivalist influencer who was dating one of the CEOs’ assistants also gets tangled up in the situation. That’s all I’ll say about the story for now.
The full cast audiobook was also fun and made for a good listening experience, except maybe for the sections written as the forum threads — those were easier to follow on paper. Speaking of which, those threads lost me a bit with their biblical analysis. I actually think that they worked in the sense that they served the book well, but I found myself zoning out. Plus, I’m not sure I loved the last page, lol.
Still, the book was definitely plotty and twisty, and if you’re looking for a slightly more sophisticated version of a dystopian thriller this might be your jam!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
jessdrafahl's review
4.0
Had a slow start, but I was captivated by the last third. Loved it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Pandemic/Epidemic, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, and Death
genevieve_and_her_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
hopeful
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt and Violence
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Pandemic/Epidemic
bekkah_co's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This book was a delight to read. It had such an interesting format, mixing standard prose with the stylistic choices of the message boards, that had no issue keeping me engaged. It was stylistically interesting and the point of view changes were done masterfully.
The Future combines notions of religion, anxiety around the current state of affairs of the world, and that there could be a chance for redemption into an exciting narrative filled with high-tension and thought provoking scenarios. Overall, this was a rich read. If you enjoy religion, Alderman's use of Sodom and Gomorrah as a framing narrative provides a useful frame to view the novel within. It hinges heavily on the ability to recognize the parallels to our own current world and how things could either get better or continue into absolute destruction. The Future is a perfect example of realistic fiction of what could be if our own world continues the way it currently is.
I wish we could have seen more of the relationships between the characters. This book felt very dependent on external factors and not fully on interpersonal relationships. Eventually some of the billionaires do merge together as they face the same chaos and anxieties. Yet, I think this was intentional. These are people living high rolling lifestyles with little concerns for those around them. Their lives become a routine of white-collar crime, fighting frivolous legal battles, and spending exuberant amounts of money. Out of all the characters in The Future, Zhen was by fair the most compelling. She was caught in a game for billionaires by falling in love with one and ultimately had her life severely disrupted. She was a survivalist trying to survive not just the apocalypse but navigating the world of money and power.
Two notes:
The Future combines notions of religion, anxiety around the current state of affairs of the world, and that there could be a chance for redemption into an exciting narrative filled with high-tension and thought provoking scenarios. Overall, this was a rich read. If you enjoy religion, Alderman's use of Sodom and Gomorrah as a framing narrative provides a useful frame to view the novel within. It hinges heavily on the ability to recognize the parallels to our own current world and how things could either get better or continue into absolute destruction. The Future is a perfect example of realistic fiction of what could be if our own world continues the way it currently is.
I wish we could have seen more of the relationships between the characters. This book felt very dependent on external factors and not fully on interpersonal relationships. Eventually some of the billionaires do merge together as they face the same chaos and anxieties. Yet, I think this was intentional. These are people living high rolling lifestyles with little concerns for those around them. Their lives become a routine of white-collar crime, fighting frivolous legal battles, and spending exuberant amounts of money. Out of all the characters in The Future, Zhen was by fair the most compelling. She was caught in a game for billionaires by falling in love with one and ultimately had her life severely disrupted. She was a survivalist trying to survive not just the apocalypse but navigating the world of money and power.
Two notes:
- It could be gayer.
I was very invested in the relationship between Zhen and Martha. I felt robbed when we didn't get more! - The ending was interesting and is really what prevents this from being a 5 Star for me.
The ending was almost too idealistic for me. Human nature is fickle. I would love to believe that everyone was good and wanted to promote a better future, but there is always going to be greed. Just because three billionaires disappear and their companies get broken up does not mean it will inspire a global "Let's Fix This" movement.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts
heather_harrison's review
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
In all honesty - it took me a while to get through Naomi Alderman's latest release "The Future". It was unsettling and eerie and bizarre and chaotic and realistic, and the unholy combination of this was at times a lot.
The Future sits somewhere between dystopian and speculative fiction. Set in a 'not too distant future' where the world continues turning and humanity continues careening down the path to self-destruction. A handful of millionaires and their big tech companies are seeming pulling the strings behind the scenes - influencing the masses and the governments while juggling complex algorithms, technological breakthroughs and the use (or misuse) or data.
The build up was complex and intertwined many different components of the story and character. The pay off and twists towards the end was both satisfying and thought provoking.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
The Future sits somewhere between dystopian and speculative fiction. Set in a 'not too distant future' where the world continues turning and humanity continues careening down the path to self-destruction. A handful of millionaires and their big tech companies are seeming pulling the strings behind the scenes - influencing the masses and the governments while juggling complex algorithms, technological breakthroughs and the use (or misuse) or data.
The build up was complex and intertwined many different components of the story and character. The pay off and twists towards the end was both satisfying and thought provoking.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Violence, Suicide attempt, and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Kidnapping, Death of parent, Death, Animal death, and Cancer
kizzy's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
The chronology, or lack of, is very difficult to follow. For 2/3 of it, I wanted to heave it against a wall. I’m still trying to decide if it was worth it in the end. An ambitious and creative undertaking with a hopeful ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Violence, Self harm, Blood, Animal death, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Vomit, and Body horror
pacer0916's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Deportation, and Confinement