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a_reader_of_book's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-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? No
4.0
"Everything Belongs to the Future" is a sci-fi novella set in a dystopian future where only the ultrarich can afford to extend their lifespans using pills. Fed up with the injustice of it all, a band of anarchists, with assistance from one of the scientists who developed the drug, work to fight back against the gerontocracy. Laurie Penny's work highlights, to the extreme, the concerns many have with the growing power of the megarich and the struggles of the working class. It may seem like a exaggeration, but how far are we from a society like this? We live in an age when billionaires can make themselves astronauts, where technology that promotes obsession, extremism, and division can simultaneously claim it's uniting us, and corporations profit off unhappiness by throwing targeted ads at us for "self-care" while we deathscroll ourselves into depression.
What value does money have when you have more than you could ever spend? What is the next commodity you can hoard for yourself? How about time?
I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Penny's novella: "Ever since men could measure time, they have used it to divide each other. Time is a weapon wielded by the rich, who have excess of it, against the rest, who must trade every breath of it against the promise of another day's food and shelter. What kind of world have we made, where human beings can live centuries if only they can afford the fix? What kind of creatures have we become?"
What value does money have when you have more than you could ever spend? What is the next commodity you can hoard for yourself? How about time?
I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Penny's novella: "Ever since men could measure time, they have used it to divide each other. Time is a weapon wielded by the rich, who have excess of it, against the rest, who must trade every breath of it against the promise of another day's food and shelter. What kind of world have we made, where human beings can live centuries if only they can afford the fix? What kind of creatures have we become?"
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape and Police brutality
Minor: Suicide and War
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