The Future: The electric new novel from the Women’s Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Power
£9.50
‘Gripping … about to sweep the charts’ MARGARET ATWOOD
‘Alderman is a fabulous, witty writer on the digital world’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘A little Atwood, a little Gibson, all Alderman, it’s brilliant and I loved it’ LAUREN BEUKES
The new novel from the Women’s Prize-winning, bestselling author of The Power, The Future is a white-knuckle tour de force and dazzling exploration of the world we have made and where we are going.
The Future is where the money is.
The Future is a few billionaires leading the world to destruction.
The Future is a handful of friends hatching a daring plan.
The Future is the greatest heist ever? Or the cataclysmic end of civilisation…
The Future is here.
‘A rollicking, fun-packed thriller with juicy stakes, constantly escalating twists, and a cast of characters who feel like they already exist somewhere out there in our fragile, free-wheeling present’ ALASTAIR REYNOLDS
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Additional information
| Publisher | Fourth Estate (7 Nov. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| File size | 1077 KB |
| Text-to-Speech | Enabled |
| Screen Reader | Supported |
| Enhanced typesetting | Enabled |
| X-Ray | Not Enabled |
| Word Wise | Enabled |
| Sticky notes | On Kindle Scribe |
| Print length | 475 pages |
by sevenpin
Set in the near future, Naomi Alderman’s remarkable bleak dystopian novel is profoundly thought provoking and philosophical, although to be quite frank, it seems to be more contemporary, with its razor sharp picture of the issues afflicting our world today, widespread pollution, the growing and worrying disparity between the haves and have nots and the shocking impact of climate change. It begins with an environmental conference attended by 3 tech billionaires, CEOs Lenk Sketlish of Fantail social network, Zemri Nommik of Anvil, and Ellen Bywater of Medlar Technologies, each of whom you could probably identify with ease whom they represent from our real world.
Each of them get notification of a coming apocalypse, pushing them to put into action their secret plan to fly out, heading to the security of their secret bunkers. All of which sounds all too frighteningly believable. When it comes to the world edging towards the brink, none of the hands of the powerful tech billionaires are clean as they prioritise enriching themselves at the expense of the world and people. The internet and social media is manipulated, AI algorithms ensure tense emotive divisions in society, and globally, corporate interests trump those of locals, leading to disintegrating communities and society. Posting on a survivalist forum, Lai Zhen has experience of technological survival, we learn of a cult, the Echonites, ancient and biblical texts, The Fox and The Rabbit, and opposition coming from Martha Einkorn, Selah, and Badger, all unhappy at the path the world is heading in.
Whilst this is a brilliant read, it is a flawed novel, there are pacing issues, insufficient depth in many of the characterisations, the plotting is chaotic as the narrative meanders all over the place, it could have benefited from better organisation and tightened overall thinking for a more coherent whole. Having said all this, this is still a smart must read, it hones in on fundamental issues that affect all of us, there is no escaping them, the disturbing face the the world today, and I particularly appreciated some of the twists, the debates and the discussions. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the pubisher for an ARC.
by ctmps
Naomi Alderman’s The Power – a subverted Handmaids tale where women gain electric superpowers – has stayed with me ever since I read it in 2017 so I was beyond excited to read this.
There is a LOT going on – set in a near future society where a handful of tech billionaires are planning to safeguard their own futures in the event of an apocalypse, whilst allowing the rest of the world’s population to suffer the(ir) consequences.
There are huge lessons about climate change and what people are/should be/will never be prepared to do (would you suffer blackouts and travel restrictions for 5 years if it meant safeguarding the earth? I would, hundreds wouldn’t).
There are a few plotholes, which may resolve themselves on a second read – Alderman is a very clever writer and I’ve no doubt there are some subtle suggestions that flew by me in this read.
I’ve read a couple of reviews criticising the chapter structure and failure to use capital letters; baffling…it’s literature and this is perfectly accessible – hardly Ulysses. If you’ve read this book and the formatting bothers you let’s talk; I’m genuinely curious! To me, it just enhanced the message.
I have a feeling this one is going to stay with me for a long time to come.
by Boingboing
I liked Naomi Alderman’s book ‘The Power’ but I like her latest, ‘The Future’ even more.
The Power was a bit one-dimensional. Girls get the ability to shock other people with electricity and fight back against millennia of oppression. Not a bad plot – the patriarchy is dead, long live the (equally vicious and exploitative) matriarchy.
The Future is more complex and multi-layered. In the near future where the world’s power lies in the hands of a few massively wealthy tech entrepreneurs, the environment is suffering from greed and exploitation. If that world is coming to an end, the superwealthy don’t have to worry – they just buy up protected zones and build their bunkers. And if they’re comfortable, why would they even want to return to ‘normal’?
The technical ideas are sometimes very clever. The use of AI for good or evil is impressive. And the scenario doesn’t seem too wild or unbelievable. And surprisingly, there are characters we can really care about – baddies to capture our attention, heroes to reassure us. Loved it.
The only thing I didn’t love – and I can’t rule out that it might be a formatting problem with a ARC and a Kindle – was a lot of the online forum bits that were very hard to follow. I also really got a bit bored by Lot and his family and Sodom and Gomorrah. The comparison was relevant, but it felt a bit over-laboured.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me early access to a book that’s sure to be on the bestseller lists for a long time.