Scan barcode
sarahlreadseverything's review against another edition
challenging
dark
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Not as polished as The Power, with probably one too many complete changes of direction (you think the plot is going one way, then it goes a completely different one) to totally hold together. But man did it make me think, and I'll continue to think on it for weeks to come. For that alone it probably deserves more hype. I guarantee this will make my best books read this year. Also, would make an excellent Christopher Nolan film.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Suicide, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Sexual content
dkmorello's review
challenging
tense
slow-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
2.0
I so wanted to love this book, as much as I loved The Power. This book was different in many ways, and not for the better. On the plus side, Alderman’s imagination is huge, but the tale itself is a concoction of the worst human behaviors among the worst people on the planet. A cabal of 5-10 billionaire tech and media CEOs believe the world is heading toward catastrophe, so they build their own escapes for themselves (only for themselves) on idyllic islands and mountains or underground lairs or even after plane crashes. Then they go about making money, more billions, from catastrophe.while human beings suffer. The story plays on our fears of climate crises and self-destruction and on the selfishness of the elites, but neither the story nor the people leading the cabal were the people I wanted to hear about. In fact, the story seemed to dissolve into inchoate concepts and incoherent religious babble. I do not recommend this book when there are so many other books to read.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Kidnapping, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic friendship, Religious bigotry, and Self harm
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
jessie_cobb's review
adventurous
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Kidnapping, Gaslighting, and Murder
Moderate: Grief and Panic attacks/disorders
gondorgirl's review
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Suicide, Pandemic/Epidemic, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, and Murder
caseythereader's review
adventurous
dark
funny
fast-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? Yes
3.75
Thanks to Simon and Schuster for the free copy of this book.
- 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!
- 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!
Content Warnings
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
More...