3.5 stars

This was my introduction to the author, so no, I have not yet read The Power. Will I read it now that I've read this? Very likely, although I think I need to be in the mood for a dystopian read. If it's at least as good as this novel, I know I will enjoy the experience.

The description of this book pretty much describes the book, but the details are what make it interesting. The story does take a long time to build, and I was a little confused about the philosophical online discussions that took place throughout the book. But mostly because I didn't understand who the characters were. But stick to it, because the discussions do become relevant.

I did like how the author took the relevant tidbit that our world seems to be run by a small handful of ridiculously wealthy and powerful individuals, and the impact they COULD have on the state of our planet if they weren't so selfish. This story was an interesting amalgam of science fiction, dystopia, heist story, philosophy and religion. For the most part, character development focused on a couple of characters, but the rest of the characters were more superficial. Still, despite taking my time over this book, I did find it interesting, and there were many ideas explored that would be interesting to discuss. This is partly why I think I might like her other book, The Power.

If you're looking for something a little different and you enjoy a mix of genres, give this one a try!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

As I was reading this book I had really conflicting feelings. I definitely had a hard time with the first third of the book. I kept feeling like I didn’t know exactly where we were going and also I wasn’t sure I wanted to be on the ride. But then there were some strong poles within my brain that I wanted to keep going to see what was going to happen. And I’m really glad that I listened to that because I ended up liking the book a lot.

I think the overwhelming feeling that I have is that this book is not necessarily a friendly book. It’s not setting out to make you feel good about really anything. Human nature, social media, capitalism, climate, disaster. None of it is happy, and the book is very delighted in making sure you know that , there’s not a lot of good under the sun.

But, the character development is great, and I ended up being interested in that and what “the future“ was really going to look like if Alderman could land this plane.

It felt to me like Naomi. Alderman really wants a literary career that is like Anne Rand, and Margaret Atwood, combined. In fact, we learn in the afterward that Naomi Alderman has been mentored by Margaret Atwood, and I think you can really see that in her choice of subjects, and also in the way that she writes.

Because Naomi Alderman is not interested in whether or not you have a good time reading her books. She’s not even necessarily interested if you completely understand what’s happening in her book. she sort of has an idea where she wants to go and if you are on the train when it leaves the station, great. But if you’re not, then maybe you just weren’t ready for it.

I don’t read enough books like that and I felt kind of fizzy and interested as I got through especially the back half of this book which is really well done. I should also say that in the back half of this book the plot line really really both comes together beautifully and moves quickly. And, provides some semblance of hope for humanities future.

Overall, I’m going to give this book a solid 4.25 stars. I’m really glad I read it, and Naomi Alderman remains an auto-buy author for me.

I liked the author's previous book so stuck with this one. The first 3/4 was tough. I am not a huge fan of sci-fi or dystopian fiction so I'm not the best judge. The end pulled things together.

I LOVED THIS BOOK. I thought it was imaginative, suspenseful, and slightly terrifying at how close to the truth if feels. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian books The Future feels like the prequel to any of those stories.

I really wanted to love this book, it just wasn't for me unfortunately, especially for a dystopian genre.

I liked this a LOT more than The Power. I remember just not really connecting to The Power and finding it having an agenda. I didn't feel the push of an agenda as much in this one. The forum chats were a bit meh and those were very hard to read in e-book form but I also had the paperback so I mostly read from that. Some parts got bogged down but overall, I enjoyed the "mystery" of the rabbit and the fox and where this lead. I will be checking out Alderman's next novel.

Naomi Alderman is a fabulous author. The Future is her latest novel about our present, out past and our potential future. The Future jumps right in with both feet. It describes out past and our present through a lens we only glimpse through and don't want to look at too closely but she helps put it in focus.

The world is run by a few tech billionaires who want more - they already control the world, but they don't like the competition and want more, and more. They thrive on the competition and the division and are waiting for a coming apocalypse so they can gobble up what remains. They plan on surviving the coming cataclysmic event because they have built bunkers where they could live for years until it is safe to come out and seize control. There are people who are survivalists who are doing the same thing but on a lesser scale.

The Future is told through various points of view including a survivalist website thread, a person who gives presentations on survival techniques, an ousted tech billionaire, the three current tech billionaires, one of their wives, one's personal assistant, and another's youngest child. One of the points of view is from a person who was a child refugee who survived war. Another was a person who grew up in a religious cult and escaped. Another is a philandering misogynist. Two are grieving the loss of their spouse. In some ways they are just like us trying to make their way in the world, and in so many ways they are foreign to our concept of humanity.
Alderman does an excellent job helping us like them, pull for them, hate them, and see them struggle with their decisions. She makes us wonder if we would do the same thing. She makes us think that maybe they did the right thing... or did it really make a difference.

If you haven't read Alderman's previous novel "The Power", I highly recommend it as well.

Thank you Net Galley for an opportunity to read this book for free in advance in return for an unbiased review.

This book was a DNF for me....

I just just couldn't follow what was going on. I enjoyed her previous novel so I selected this.
I appreciate the Publisher and NetGalley for the early read (I refuse to give a DNF a 1 star so I gave this a 2)

The Future hovers at the precipice of a dystopian near future fueled by the three tech billionaires and their families and end of the world preppers ready to see what comes next. Told through a variety of perspectives, like in The Power, the characters will be changed by what occurs, but will the world be a better place for their actions? Are we optimistic enough to believe in the possibility of change?

The narrative is broken into six parts centered on specific plot points. There is the world as it exists, and the possibilities of the future, unknown in the present. Our cast is small, there are the three tech billionaires: Lenk Sketlish, Zimri Nommik and Ellen Bywater portrayed as being focused on advancing their control, power and privilege with no regards to the cost to the wider society. They have families or trusted associates, Badger Bywater a privileged heir that is something of the family black sheep. Martha Einkorn escaped child of a cult known for their leader's charismatic preaching. And Selah Nommik, a very skilled coder who had the misfortune to marry Zimri. They are joined by Lai Zhen who leaved through the fall of Hong Kong and became a social media influencer focused on what to do in survival scenarios. Following an interview Zhen and Einkorn have a night of pleasure together that both feel could lead to more, if catastrophe doesn't interfere.

Einkirn is the one outsider of the group above, she has no familial connections, but is trusted to be level headed and able to manage the impulsive temper of her boss. Her background in the cult is detailed, along with her road to success after leaving the cult before its sudden and tragic ending. One of her father's (Enoch) best known speeches is one of the Rabbit and the Fox. Fox loved to hunt and live in a transient small group where rabbit preferred to settle in place and put down roots and claim ownership. This story is told in different ways, sometimes through the story of Lot and Sodom, other times through this tale of animals. Like any fable, it presents a view point and asks the listener to consider which path is best.

What fuels the books action is the tech billionaires preparations for the end of the world, and their control of an app that was sold to them as a warning system. Readers will journey throughout the world, in modern technological marvels, hidden bunkers, nature preserves and message boards. Corridors of privilege, simulated realities and outsider communities. It goes off and they flee. What will be left of the world?

An inverse of the typical dystopian tale, this near future story suggests lessons applicable to our present society.

This book started out incredibly strong. Like, I-need-to-know-what-happens-next strong. But ultimately things began to go all over the place and I lost interest.

Here are the things I loved about the book: the characters, first and foremost. I was intrigued by each one of them and I found them all very very interesting.

Second, all the survivalist info. I learned a lot about preparing for an apocalypse in a way that is practical, not sensational. I really loved the story of Enoch and his disciples and how they viewed the world. I honestly want to read more on survivalists and about how I can set myself up when the world inevitably turns into The Last of Us.

Finally, I was REALLY intrigued by what the tech billionaires planned and also disgusted. I would not be surprised if billionaires like Elon and Jack pulled some mess like what is in the book, if they haven’t already. What’s wild is that I recently saw a news article about something similar (I won’t spoil it) but on a smaller scale.

Now, what I didn’t like. The pacing after the first third of the book. It went off the rails and I kept going back a few pages to see if I had missed something. Some of it just made no sense and took me out of the book completely. By the time I got to the last third of the book, I just wanted to be done. I didn’t really care what was happening anymore and there was one truly egregious thing that was done to one of the characters that made my blood boil.

I’m glad I took the time to read the book. It isn’t terrible or I wouldn't have finished it, but I’m glad I’m done.

This one was so clever and really interesting once I got into it. It took me about 80-ish pages to get there becasue I felt like I was dropped into the world, but other than that I have no critiques. And it's not even a critique, just a reality with a book like this one! I think this is such an interesting commentary on AI and the state of the world should we continue to allow things to progress unchecked.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

To say that the richest of the rich are a drain and a curse to the rest of us is hardly a new topic. Here the truly powerful are whittled down to 3 horrible people who are removed from the larger world. Amazingly the world is better without them. I wish it were that simple.

The Future is considered science fiction by most accounts but I see it as much more of a dystopian/utopian work. It is easy to make comparisons between the billionaire characters in this book with our real life technocratic billionaires. They aren't inherently evil but are doing evil things to the planet, and the planet's inhabitants, through their business activities. The theme of this book is how far those who feel disenfranchised and helpless are willing to go to make things right. It is the machinations of the various players that gives this book its richness.
There is a definite Orwellian flavor to The Future. The future is sometimes what the technocrats say it will be but in the last analysis it is the lower tiers of the power pyramid who become the true movers and shakers. The ending is a bit anticlimactic but getting there is most of the fun.

Another banger from Alderman! I'm a huge fan of THE POWER, and THE FUTURE has her signature world building and propulsive narrative right from the beginning. As she examined physical power in society in, yes, THE POWER, THE FUTURE is an examination of the forces leading us to the end of civilization, and if there's anything we can do to stop it. I found this book just as thought-provoking as THE POWER, and I know I'll return to it and read it again. I admire how the author is able to pull together so many threads currently in the news and make them work in a cohesive fictional context. A great follow up!

I went into this expecting a traditional dystopian book where the world ends. I was happily surprised with it! Those all feel the same but this never seemed to follow the same tropes and the twists at the end were satisfying.

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Future

Author: Naomi Alderman

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 2/5

Diversity: Jewish Immigrant MC, Nonbinary character

Recommended For...: adult readers, Dystopian, Sci-Fi, LGBT, Speculative Fiction

Publication Date: November 7, 2023

Genre: Sci-Fi Dystopian

Age Relevance: 18+ (sexual content, language, Christianity, gun violence, and more that I won’t be able to discuss due to DNF)

Explanation of Above: I DNFed this read so I don’t have all of the items for content. There is a sex scene in the opening scene of the book and some sexual content mentioned within the few percentages of the book that I read. There is a lot of cursing. There are some references to Christianity. There is some gun violence shown in the book.

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Pages: 432

Synopsis: The Future—as the richest people on the planet have discovered—is where the money is.
The Future is a few billionaires leading the world to destruction while safeguarding their own survival with secret lavish bunkers.
The Future is private weather, technological prophecy and highly deniable weapons.
The Future is a handful of friends—the daughter of a cult leader, a non-binary hacker, an ousted Silicon Valley visionary, the concerned wife of a dangerous CEO, and an internet-famous survivalist—hatching a daring plan. It could be the greatest heist ever. Or the cataclysmic end of civilization.
The Future is what you see if you don’t look behind you.
The Future is the only reason to do anything, the only object of desire.
The Future is here.

Review: I DNFed this book at about 20% into it. The book was very much not for me and I knew it from the get-go. One of the opening scenes involved a sex scene, which I kinda found unnecessary and icky. The storytelling was all over the place, it was very disjointed. The book was in this weird format. And I couldn’t get into it at the end of the day even though this is one of the genres that I love a lot.

Verdict: I hated it, but you might love it! If it sounds like something you like give it a chance.

I love a good sci-fi book and there's definitely lines in the writing that really make you think. That being said, I did not connect with the characters and at 20% I still couldn't get into the story. I can't tell if it's just not my style or if the writing is just so so.

Alderman offers a dive into a future world that's crumbling due to greed, disregard for the environment, a loss of human connection, and threatening pandemics--then turns all of it on its head with a twisty, compelling, futuristic, technology-driven attempt at survival--and at maybe just changing the world for the better, and for good.

Martha Einkorn fled her father's religious compound in Oregon as a teen. But now she's working for a social media guru bent on controlling everything, and some days she wonders if she's ventured very far from her beginnings after all.

Meanwhile in Singapore, survivalist Lai Zhen has temporarily evaded a would-be assassin. A mysterious app on her phone seems to have all of the answers she needs--but Lai isn't sure what the tradeoff for information and safety will be.

When Martha and Zhen connect, the collision might just change everything...for everyone in the world.

The behavior of three key tech billionaires might seem like the symptom of all the biggest world problems...relentless greed, disregard for the environment, hoarding of resources, destruction of privacy, and more. These three figures become the center of the plot of The Future, around which wonderfully mind-bogglingly enormous developments occur.

In The Future, Alderman considers religious fanatics, corporate entities, pandemics, environmental implosion, fascinating imagined technological advancements, and more, while offering great twists, a compelling story, characters I was curious about, oddball friendships, and deep love.

This was an engrossing dystopian read. I loved it.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley and Simon & Schuster.

I really love Naomi Alderman's voice. The plot of this book at times bordered on the absurd but managed to do so in what felt like an intentional and very fun way.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the ARC of this title.

I was a fan of Naomi Alderman's The Power and looked forward to digging into whatever came next. This is a delightful thrill ride with some fun eco-engineering and eat the rich vibes, though it felt easy for me to guess where its plot would (correctly) turn. This is written in a very cinematic way and reminded me of Rian Johnson's _Glass Onion_ at times - it would not surprise me if it's already been picked up to be adapted into some sort of actual visual media.

The ending kind of lets this down by sticking with the story a smidge longer than I thought it needed to, but there's plenty to like here.