I was not prepared for what I stepped into, I was not ready for it, and I'm stopping at 5%. That said, the writing is sharp, the style is edgy, and I can definitely see this going over well with the sci fi market. It's fresh, mixing dystopia with modern and present day references.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Lenk.
"This moment was gone as soon as it was noticed. There could be no prize or possession there."

Zimri.
"Wanting to hold on to the past is a weakness. The only safety was to be independent enough to survive."

Ellen.
"Badger was their youngest, their nonbinary child with a radical political stance. Badger had mentioned several times that they did not approve of this whole system, of warnings and private jets and hidden safe bunkers in New Zealand. A chain reaction. Somewhere in the jungle, there was a tiger."

Martha
"...Who had always been able to put her feelings into a box, to not reach out, to not admit she was lonely, to do the next sensible thing over and over."

And here we get the big question: "Would you take the golden ticket out?"

Zhen: "Most survival plans work better with a solid group."

Badger: "Someone I know said you were trustworthy. Are you trustworthy?"

This story - obviously dystopian. Near-future. Cautionary, like Animal Farm, perhaps.

Please note the importance of Fox and Rabbit.

And a vocabulary word, upon which the entire plot hinges: augur.

(Also, nods to Orpheus and Lot. And a little Horizon: Zero Dawn, and a little Lost.)

Zhen: "Often you never know."
Martha: "How do you bear it?"

So, what is the story really about?

"So it's about: welcoming strangers, caring for the members of society who have nothing. Not thinking just about your own needs. These cities: don't trust them. They will all come crashing down." (100)

I. Loved. This. Book.

But it is unique, and maybe not for everyone. But highly recommend.

The author of the POWER - a cutting book and mesmerizing tv series is back!

The novel revolves around the world coming close to disaster. The very powerful and wealthy are much more consumed with creating bunkers than taking steps to stave off disaster. Several characters emerge to root for including a Chinese refugee and an ex-cult member - both extremely intelligent and resourceful.

Peppered with board discussions of the end -of-days and prepper talk, the novel takes us through what could happen and honestly, very well might. In typical style, Alderman has created a perfectly paced thriller that has enough twists to entertain even those of us not interested in prepping, dystopia and tech danger. Best yet, women are still at the center of the tale, this isn't a dry spy/international doomsday story.

If you love an intelligent thriller, a prophetic cli-fi story or just want to read what's next from the author of The Power - The Future is for you! #Simon&Schuster #NaomiAlderman #TheFuture #Clify #prepper

“The future calls on us one painful step at a time and the first rule of life is to survive.”

As a fan of The Power, I had high expectations and this book did not disappoint! I feel like The Power was so effective in highlighting the issue of power imbalances in gender. For me, The Future draws its strength from a web of storytelling, pulling threads of commercialization, social media, wealth inequality, climate change, over consumption, polarizing politics, etc into a tapestry that is the future. All of which is shown through characters striving to survive. How each of these characters choose to interpret survival reverberates into a philosophical parable of what survival means as individuals, as a society, as an ecosystem.

Alderman has become of my favorite contemporary authors. As a huge fan of sci-fi, this was the most realistic depiction of AI that I’ve read. I feel a lot of authors kind of run with the idea of artificial intelligence that exists solely in science fiction. The AI here is a terrifyingly accurate depiction of what’s around the corner.

This book is dark, gritty, and man there are some twists woven into it. Sad and happy all at the same time.

Big thank you NetGalley and to the publisher for the chance to review this book pre-release. As someone who works in tech and fully recognizes the moral questions that different technological advances bring to light, I really liked the way novel was structured, and the characters kept me intrigued and borderline-anxious through their tough situations. Ms. Alderman certainly knows how to write about current topics in a way that parallels life and calls for self-reflection. A more formal review will be available on my IG/TikTok and Goodreads.

This book is at once dystopian and utopian. Like the Power it suggests that power corrupts but unlike it, here good can reverse the destruction that uncaring billionaires inflicts on the world.
The sympathetic character of Zhen ties the various characters and time lines together. I throughly enjoyed reading the Future for its insights in the perils of big tech and cleverly constructed plot that is often surprising. This is sure to be one of the best of the year.

Alderman's first book since THE POWER in 2017 exceeded all expectations! Recommended for fans of Jennifer Egan, Blake Crouch, Andy Weir, Dave Eggers, the list goes on.