I was a massive fan of the The Power so knew I absolutely had to read this when I saw it.

I love a dystopian fiction, and The Future certainly delivered on this. There are religious cults, environmental issues, sinister technology, powerful individuals ruling the world by stealth, a rampaging virus. I think what made this especially engaging was how real it felt. With the talk of social media and rapid developments in technology, this world felt only years away. The narrative switched often between different perspectives and time frames, giving the reader an insight into each person's agenda, and they definitely all had their own agendas! I didn't particularly like any of the characters, which again felt planned, as it made it very feel human and real.

Some parts of the story were far fetched - the incident in the mall, and the return to the island - but the most understated incidents felt most accurate and the most sinister, like algorithms changing wording on people's social media posts and changing the tone and meaning of these messages which is used for good within the story, but could (and probably is) being used for bad already.

I enjoyed the insights into Martha's mind using the online forum, however due to the Kindle format not showing these properly, this was difficult to read, but I imagine is very effective in print.

I'm finding it difficult to review this without giving spoilers, as the plot is so tightly interwoven that it is difficult to comment on one aspect of it without giving away another, but can say this was highly engaging and readable. I couldn't really say it was enjoyable as it felt too close to home in same places, but it definitely held my attention and I would recommend it.

3.5 stars.

The Future by Naomi Alderman had a concept that I absolutely adored, set in a world on the brink of extinction as a consequence of climate change. It's a fascinating examination of how morality can change when it comes to global disaster, especially as the book mainly focuses on three billionaires who have all the technology and wealth they could need at their fingertips. Although it took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I ended up really enjoying the plot, as well as Alderman's exploration of what exactly the future entails. I also loved the message board thread sections, which added another layer to the book and were a smooth way to include further interesting discussions whilst weaving them into the rest of the plot.

Definitely one that I'll be thinking about for a while.

Another EXCEPTIONAL offering by Naomi Alderman, she honestly never misses. Probably the first genuinely unputdownable book I’ve read this year, THE FUTURE is an eerily prophetic dystopian gem full of rich (literally and metaphorically) Marmite characters and many a morally questionable choice. If you’ll only read one thing this year, it has to be THE FUTURE.

I like to mix my fiction up a bit. While I don’t read many books set in the future, I loved the sound of ‘The Future’’ (see what I did there? Totally unintentional) and I am so glad that I picked it up, it had me guessing right up to the end, Just when you think you understand what is happening, there are more reveals. Really exciting!
Even more than this, I particularly loved the characters . Mostly Martha (who grew up off the grid in a back-woods religious sect) and Luen (who had been a child refugee from Hong Kong). They were likeable and finding out their back stories added depth and interest.
To say this is a fun book is underplaying the huge and serious issues it raises (and which are scarily familiar to us in 2023) but it absolutely made me smile and even laugh in places.
I definitely recommend this classy dystopian novel to all ages. It would make a really good book club read. To start with, I am going to be buying it for my 30 year old goddaughter’s birthday - I know she will love it.

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.

A fun read. I particularly enjoyed the exegesis on Genesis and the musings on community and the formation of cities. Let down somewhat by the ending, which felt rushed and overly optimistic but I enjoyed the ride.

The Future - three multi billionaires are, in effect, running the world . The book start with “ On the day the world ended Lenk…Sat at dawn between the redwoods in a designated location of natural beauty and attempted to inhale from his navel” what follows is a description of a meditation session that Lenk has been told to take to control his anger management issues.

I requested this one because I enjoyed The Power.I do like a dystopian novel and this one filled the brief and had lots of twists and turns. An excellent read

Thanks to a Netgallery for the ARC

This is, by any standards, a cautionary tale. The title says it all, and it's a prime example of fiction as prophecy. You might call it a thriller, or dystopian, literary fiction or 'women's fiction' (whatever that's supposed to mean) as Alderman's previous novel, The Power, was considered. Think of environmental issues, climate change and the class system written in brilliant narrative that is bound to provoke serious discussion, and that's The Future. Very highly recommended. My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to Net Galley, they author and the publisher for allowing this.

I devoured this book! I couldn’t put it down. At no point was this dull, at no point did I want to stop reading.

Climate fiction is a genre I’m really interested in and this was a very clever example of the genre. This book is absolutely thrilling and it calls out the selfish destruction of the planet, the callous behaviour of the ultra rich towards planet, creatures and humans. It’s surprisingly hopeful though which I wasn’t expecting.

I loved how this book built and then unravelled. We change view point frequently and that helps to unveil the story so well!

There are very clear parallels with real companies (though not explicitly named). It’s genuinely shocking the callous behaviour of the mega rich owners. They’re planning for the apocalypse by investing in extreme survival technology and bunkers. They almost seem to be willing it on gleefully in a sick desire to be proved right. Yet the question throughout seems to be why not prevent the destruction? Why not spend this money to save people/trees/creatures?

This was such a clever, exciting and thought provoking novel and one I thoroughly enjoyed!

Naomi Alderman’s The Future is not the story you think it’s going to be, and I mean that in a really good way. However, it also makes for a very difficult book to review, as its successes along with its weaker moments are contingent on that play of expectation. I will say what I can here while remaining spoiler-free.

The novel is a near-future story about our planet as it sits on the brink of collapse, and the ways in which the ultra-rich and powerful have prepared for this end of days with bunkers and escape plans. The global society Alderman paints is eminently recogniseable, and indeed the references to the Covid pandemic indicate it is only a couple of decades away. As with Aldermans's first title, The Power, The Future follows various characters as they navigate this world, among them three tech billionaires, a famous survivalist influencer, and a survivor of a doomsday cult.

As a follow-up to The Power, The Future feels more assured in its narrative strategies and more deft in its incorporation of a wider set of themes - notably, the biblical/folkloric and the technological. Both are woven wonderfully into the text and connect up ideals and ideas in fun and interesting ways. At times, I wished Alderman had let those themes be more implicit, rather than explicitly telling us how everything related — the parallels were there, and I would have liked to experience the pleasure of identifying them myself, without the narrator laying it all out for me.

If I sound like I speak in riddles, it is because the greatest pleasure of this book comes from thinking you know this story and being wrong. It is imperfect, with a bit of dragging in the middle where I think I figured a few things out earlier than the narrative wanted me to, but overall an immensely satisfying yarn.

I love this book set in a dystopian near future affected by climate change . The world is run by a handful of multinational social media companies which have reach beyond their original purpose and become sinister

I have previously read and loved this authors previous book, The Power, which has been made into a fantastic TV series by Amazon and this book jumped straight to the top of my to be read pile when it was available on NetGalley, UK

I was immediately grabbed by the story and couldn’t put the book down
There are some minor formatting issues with my electronic early copy around the scenes written as social media posts but this didn’t affect my enjoyment of the book
The novel Deals with the risks, real present and potential future of using social media and how these organisations can be complicit in the spreading of false news. As such this novel is particularly timely.
It looks at how people and organisations come become corrupt, without being preachy or judge mental.
From being just about believable through most of the novel the final third really does stretch believability too far but it’s so silly it’s still enjoyable. I had a suspicion that the twist in the end would happen and it was thoroughly satisfying and enjoyable.
The climate change information in this book did make me feel rather bleak and pessimistic, but then I suppose that is the situation and this is exactly how I should feel
It’s all a bit unbelievable but great fun and I’m sure it would make a fantastic TV series or film. I’m sure the rights will be taken up quickly
I love this author’s prose style, which is easy to read and makes the book very enjoyable experience. She is a very story lead novel and as such the characters are not perhaps developed as fully as I would usually like. Despite this I found that I really was enjoying the novel.
I think it has come a time when every author will write the climate change of pandemic novel. In the way, the previous generations of authors have written at World War II book
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on seventh of November 2023 by 4th estate
This review will be published on NetGalley, UK, good reads and on my book blog bionicsarahsbooks .wordpress.com

If you like Naomi Alderman’s previous book The Power you will like her follow up The Future as well. It’s a similar formatting of multiple perspectives interwoven with online messages and newspapers. A solid dystopian story.