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bookwormcat's review against another edition
- 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
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
- 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
Graphic: Death of parent and Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: War
Minor: Gun violence
tinytrashqueen's review
- 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
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
- 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
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!
Graphic: Gun violence and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Murder
bekkah_co's review
- 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
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.
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, Suicide attempt, Blood, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Suicidal thoughts
mtnest's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Graphic: Violence, Cursing, Pandemic/Epidemic, Infidelity, and Sexual content
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal death, Gun violence, Blood, and Death
Minor: Sexism
takarakei's review
- 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? Yes
4.5
Naomi always writes books at the right times when they are just so spot on. The Power is a fav and this one did not disappoint (although they are very different books). This book is about how important human connection and community are, as well as connection with nature. I highly recommend it to everyone cause we’re basically all living in this reality, but especially if you're interested in how technology has and can continue to influence our world.
Thank you to the publisher for this arc.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Suicide attempt, Violence, Animal death, Gore, Suicide, and Classism
Moderate: Pandemic/Epidemic, Cancer, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Sexual content
Minor: Incest and Mental illness
animal death - hunting also, an instance of survival human v animal civil/political unrest, refugee camps, religious cultscaseythereader's review
- 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? Yes
3.75
- THE FUTURE is a book that takes our current reality and pushes it forward just slightly. You can see exactly what (and who) Alderman is drawing inspiration from, and it's quite terrifying.
- This book is pretty fast paced, but I found it dragged a bit in the middle. Some of the backstory parts felt a bit repetitive to me, but once we got back into the thick of it, I was in.
- Zhen and Martha are such intriguing characters to me, both running from their pasts and absolutely never being able to outrun it.
- No spoilers, but the last page??????????????? Please come chat if you've read it!
Graphic: Gore, Suicide attempt, Vomit, Death, Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Violence, Sexual content, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Cursing, Kidnapping, Gun violence, and Pandemic/Epidemic