The Future

A novel set primarily in the near future, everyone is trying to make life on earth bearable for humans, and their co-habitants, but it does not look like it is going to work.
The author introduces the reader to the protagonists, explaining all of the required details.
The characters are not simple souls, and quite a few are in turmoil, of one sort or another.
The relationships are complex, and the tech information is fairly complicated.
As the novel moves forward everything becomes clearer, or does it.
A marvellous story, hopefully not true.
Thanks to the author for a brilliant read, and to the publisher for an advance reading copy for honest review.

Perhaps not the best read if you are feeling unnerved by the fires in Southern Europe as this is a speculation on an end of the world scenario. However this is Naomi Alderman so there are lots of twists and turns, as well as very gory ends for people who are not living their best ethical and moral lives.

I very much appreciated the thinly veiled descriptions of the three tech leaders and their maniacal desire to save themselves with very little care for the rest of the world. I got a little lost with the workings of computers, and some of the Fox and Rabbit forum stuff did not work for me, it may be that the media did not come across on my Kindle as I kept getting huge blank squares.

But park those niggles as this is hugely satisfying tale and in some way perhaps we can all hope that it isn't just science fiction.

Outstandingly compelling from the start - I found myself thinking about the characters and scenarios when I wasn’t reading, and desperate to get back to find out what happened next and why.

Wouldn’t it be amazing if we could just send a few people to a desert island while we worked to improve everything that politicians and scientists and tech billionaires argue about but fail to action….

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.

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!

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