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.

This book was odd. It took me some time to get into it, largely because many events are presented as flashbacks, and the flashbacks are not always clearly indicated. By the middle of the novel, however, I was hooked, so don't give up on it.

Overall, this is the story of a computer apocalypse, but not the way most people think of such things. Computers control much of our world - and those who control the computers control many things. So if people who rely on computers, people who believe they control the computers, can be presented with a computer-controlled reality that they actually believe, the world can be changed significantly. But can it be done? And if so - how many levels within levels will be needed?

Martha is the CEO of a tech company, a woman raised in a heavily religious, survivalist enclave, who left as a teen with a few thousand dollars and a gun. Zhen is a modern survivalist, an online chronicler who documents what it takes to survive in an emergency. The two women's paths cross by chance, and the result is something no one could have imagined.

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

If Naomi writes it, I’m going to read it. Always.

And can we talk about the cover?? As you hold it up to the light it reveals the rest of the design. 👀

I was obsessed with Alderman’s earlier book, The Power, as we pretty much all were. If you loved it, I think you’ll enjoy this one too.

Imagine if all of tech’s bigwig CEOs are preparing for an impending apocalypse that they can see before everyone else. And there’s a fundamentalist cult in there. I’m all in based on those two sentences alone.

This book does switch between a few different points of view and it took me a minute to get everyone figured out. It adds SO much to the story though seeing things from different folks’ perspectives.

Like, I don’t even want to say a lot about this book because it’s so fun to go in without knowing anything.

AND THE ENDING! Just wow.

Thank you to the author, @simonbooks and @bookpubgal for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book explores some heavy topics in the early chapters: are billionaires creating a better world or just more wealth for them? What are the consequences of all the things we’ve cumulatively done in the name of an easier life? What can we do to fix our world?

I felt this was super slow in the beginning. Lai Shen had the only storyline I cared about and then I reached the last like 15% and it blew my mind. A little too heavy on the Old Testament and doomsday cults, and slow pacing is what knocked it down a star cause that stuff just dragged to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this book.

I loved it! Absolutely loved it. I read it twice and went out an bought myself a hard copy for my personal library.

I found myself pondering it after reading each chapter.

This is a great futuristic book. .

My only negatives are the:
Bible references are inaccurate and switching between time periods is hard to follow. (Would have been easier if bold.heading gave a date or stated ei. ONE YEAR PRIOR. Any indicated would.be nice.)

Recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a complex, smartly imagined vision of the near-future on a dying planet with an increasing divide between the haves and have nots. I was really drawn in by the premise, and while the middle dragged a bit for me, I would recommend this novel. Who will step in to save us as tech companies and their execs gobble up the world and plan their escape plan for when it ultimately implodes?

Wow - what a spiral into a dystopian world!

The ending seemed a bit far fetched to me -- I would not forgive someone who basically sent me to live on a deserted island for 3 years, so easily. But, maybe if I was a survivalist it would be better? That is the only thing I didn't love with this book.

The end of the world scenario, the ridiculous technology, the ridiculously wealthy people, and the damage to the environment were all spot on -- and maybe a little too close to what is actually happening in our current world.

I didn't think I would like this book when I first picked it up, but as I started reading this, I could not put it down!

Naomi Alderman has created a speculative (?) fiction rich with detail and realistic characters. It explores the concept that when billionaires are so rich that they can plan for a future after earth’s collapse, do they stop caring about preserving earth’s present. The three companies in this instance closely resemble Apple, Facebook and Amazon which makes this whole novel not quite speculative and overwhelmingly terrifying. This is well written and fast paced and made very compelling arguments. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

I really enjoyed this one! I flew through it. It’s not a genre I would normally pick for myself, but I’m glad I did! I can’t wait to see what she writes next. No surprise it was a BOTM add on

I really struggled with this one. While I appreciate the author's work and the plot was an interesting concept. I couldn't get into the book and it took weeks for me to read the entire book. Normally I read a book in a few days. Very tech heavy . And multiple storylines that didn't come together fo me. Or I may have just missed the relevance. Anyway. I think there will be fans of The Future. In particular those that like a good sci-fi, technology themed novel. I'm just an outlier with this one.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for a complementary digital copy provided to me. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

The Future was so good and so terrifying. I love apocalyptic horror and science fiction. I’m already scared my Alexa is spying on me so the idea of these constantly shifting algorithms and a small group of billionaires controlling then is mind blowing.

Told from multiple perspectives this is a story about what could happen (and what might me happening right now) when the Earth is controlled by technology and the rich people who made it. It’s also a story about hope.

There were so many good quotes and so many passages that made me stop and look around.

Zhen was my favorite main character. A survivalist with a social media following. She was the wisest and most relatable character.

I also loved all the tech! Don’t want to give too much away but survival suits that mold to your body and dispense live saving medication.

Read if you’re into apocalyptic tales, science and technology and humanity on the brink.

I tried to believe in this story, and to believe in its prose, but every other sentence or so made me feel like I was being poked with a stick. A blunt stick, not a pointy one. It didn't hurt. It just made me irritable. I missed the human grace of The Power. I missed the strange and intimate human interactions of that novel. Here the human interactions felt superficial and preprogrammed. It was like reading genre fiction, only without the forward momentum of genre fiction. The chapters ended with little hooks in a genre-esque way. But they weren't interesting hooks. Now and then individual scenes grabbed me and I became hopeful.. And then the story would drift in a direction where I lost interest. I missed that pfzzz, that feeling I love of reading something new, from an author eager to tell me something I don't know already--which is what The Power did for me, frankly, as I read along.

A near future story about survival at all costs and a novel plan for averting the end of the world. It’s hard to describe this novel without giving too much away! I was pretty confused about what was happening towards the end but it all resolved neatly and brilliantly. I'm trying to comment on my feelings without too many spoilers but - I’m not a hundred percent convinced that the big plan would have worked. Not because the plan was flawed, but it didn’t seem like people were nearly as resistant to change for the good of the planet in this world as they are in ours. But it was so cleverly written that I’m not too bothered by it - plus I do agree that tech billionaires and their relentless pursuit of profit at the cost of both human lives and the well being of the world are generally an evil influence that the world would be better off without. I know that’s all extremely vague so I’ll just end by saying the book is really good, really well written, and I enjoyed it.

Representation: POC characters including main POV character, LGBTQIA+ characters including main POV characters, nonbinary major character, fat main POV character (and her story is not about being fat! Miraculous!)

CW: Suicide attempt

The Future takes on tech billionaires building bunkers for the end of the world- an inevitable end that they have directly contributed to through the actions of their companies. Surrounding the billionaires are people who see the future the world is rapidly heading towards and think it can be changed.

This novel has a lot of things- commentary on capitalism and the environment, a bit of science fiction and technology, some spy-thrilleresque intrigue, and an absolutely bonkers third act. My jaw was literally on the floor.

One of the things I really liked about The Power was how bleak of an outlook it had, and while these are very different books,, this one had a much more optimistic ending. While I understand why Naomi did that (not everyone likes to be full of depressed rage like me, apparently!), I felt that it was the most unrealistic thing about this entire book. I do think that while I didn’t like that one factor, this same reasoning is exactly why others will enjoy this book. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Simon Books for my finished copy & Simon Audio for the audiobook all thoughts are my own.

I loved Naomi Alderman’s last book, The Power, so as soon as I saw this one I knew it was going straight to the top of my TBR.

But I’m going to be honest, the book synopsis sounded a little insufferable to me. For some reason it gave me the vibe that this was going to be a thoughtful, slow, maybe convoluted story. And while it definitely was thoughtful and intricate, it was also fast paced with characters I was rooting for (and against).

🎧 I was able to read on both the finished copy & the audio. The full cast was incredible, and I was worried that the blog posts - which start each part of the book - would be confusing on audio, but I actually found them a little easier to follow. Some audio listeners had trouble with the multi-pov cast, so plan accordingly when choosing your format!

ARC readers - I did have the Netgalley ARC, and I think there are some parts that have been moved around since that was given to us, or added all together. Part 6 I was unable to navigate exactly how it lined up with the finished copy.

This is a good idea of a book, but one that seems to suffer from some hubris, and perhaps expected comparisons with its author’s famous previous work, The Power.

The Future is less of a post-apocalyptic tale, more accurately a technological allegory of best intentions laced with perennial greed and personal agendas. The story of misguided tech billionaires out to save the world, ironically from whatever it is they themselves have wreaked on it in the first place, while well intentioned, doesn’t give enough attention to either the billionaires as three-dimensional persons while giving too much attention to the technology that will take the world down, and maybe help resurrect it too.

Doomsday and post apocalyptic literature has seen the bar raised by some exceptionally powerful and poignantly resonant works in recent years - Station Eleven, among many, many others. Of course, Ms Alderman is no stranger to the genre, The Power being one such superlative work of speculative science fiction, that took a huge leap forward in terms of turning the social narrative of The Handmaid’s Tale on its head. This book was rumored to push the envelope further, broaden the canvas and create a Bildungsroman of sorts along the way - for a nascent post apocalyptic Earth to emerge.

While the story does have a surprising kick, it comes quite late - almost four-fifths into the story, and the narrative up until that moment seems unnecessarily circuitous and loops back onto itself - more than once. The caricature depictions of the tech billionaires are laughably predictable, and their ultimate intentions ridiculously clear. Ms Alderman does create some memorable characters, but addles them with such heavy tech so intrinsic to the story that it needs frequent explaining. One would have hoped for the tech itself to be more subtle and its effects more intuitive, and that would have made for a more believable technophobic message.

A particularly intriguing, if somewhat questionable, parallel plotting involves an online message board, TheNextDay (NTD), involving a rigorous retelling of the story of Lot, and of Sodom from the Bible. It takes a while for the threads to connect and eventually crossover, but the effect of invoking such an ancient story felt underwhelming by the end.

The whole is less than the parts.