Some aspects of this I really enjoyed, and it scratched a similar itch as <i>Station Eleven</i>, which is one of my favorite books. This is a very solid entry in the climate fiction genre.

But the messaging about the evils of billionaires and capitalism felt too heavy handed and naive, the solutions too simplistic. Ultimately I enjoyed it, but there was a nagging feeling of annoyance.

"The Future" is here. Naomi Alderman's latest novel looks at the dystopian world we are currently living in rather than the standard fictionalized dystopias of the future--and it is so much scarier. The invasive tech, the intrusive apps and out of control AI read as if it were ripped from the headlines. Every page spins possible threats into existence or reminds us of past incursions to our privacy that we have readily given away with both hands to avoid spending 15 minutes in the systems menu or worse for 15% off our latest online purchase.

Alderman uses the premise that if certain people, namely billionaire tech owners, wanted to fix the world they could and instead they are letting greed and selfishness push the rest of us down the path to destruction. What is one to do? Obviously you turn the tables and beat them at their own game.

Alderman excels at creating a high tech wonderland of gadgets and apps geared to save users from apocalyptic deaths. She also excels at using myths and historical events to provide lessons for her characters to exploit, my only concern is that I heard a lot of Margaret Atwood's voice in parts of this novel. Normally it would be an honor to be compared to Atwood or even have your work discussed in the same breath, and it is no secret that Atwood has been like a mentor to Alderman, but I would encourage Alderman to be truer to her own voice that was so original and pure in "The Power".

In "The Future" Alderman is setting readers up for important and interesting thoughts and dialogs about responsibility, privilege and obligations. What do we owe others? What are we willing to endure for a better world? I hope these discussions prove fruitful and provide the catalyst for lasting change.

I think Alderman's books are just not for me. The characters felt more like caricatures to prove the points she's making.

Naomi Alderman's newest novel is a thought-provoking read from start to finish. In the story we encounter three titans of the tech world and follow them, and the key individuals around them, as they continue doing what they do best despite the consequences that their decisions might create for the rest of the world. "They knew how to make that general human happy, and that's why they were so good withholding it [happiness] or doling it out in perfect slices." Indeed, we meet them on a momentous day, when the systems that alert them to the impending doom of human society begin to go off.

Unlike the balanced global narration of The Power, in this book Alderman reveals most of her story through the eyes of an intriguing techie survivalist Lai Zhen, "her curiosity was greater than her fear, this too, is the pull of the future, the joy of simple wanting-to-know." Zhen's popular videos and connections in the online world lead her into rooms where she meets and forms relationships with some of the players behind the thrones. The reader follows with her without being sure if Zhen is a pawn in this world or someone with agency to create change and survive.

The Future is a gripping story with a knowledgeable central character. My favorite moments were the discussions with and about AI - "tools ask to be used." There is a lot of rich material to be discussed in this novel. It will be an excellent book club read.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the loan of this advance e-copy for the purpose of review.

An interesting take on a believable dystopian very near future. I find the premise completely credible that the uber-rich billionaires, who are pulling the strings globally, would have some intricate, cushy secret bunkers set up to weather the disaster in comfort. I also didn't have any problem getting how they would be pretending to donate their extortionate wealth to solve the climate crisis while actually just continuing to make bank. I liked the characters and the convoluted plot of who is really running the show here, but I got a bit bogged down in the technology side of things. A lot of that went right over my head. Still a really good story though.

Absolutely wild. If you enjoyed The Power, you'll likely enjoy his too. Naomi Alderman is back with another dystopian novel that will leave you questioning everything.

What will happen at the end of the world? What if you could predict the future? What if you could know the apocalypse was coming before anyone else?

The short answer: the ultra rich will take care of themselves in their underground bunkers - but what about the rest of the world?

It's hard to describe too much of The Future, because there are so many disparate pieces that come together, and part of the satisfaction is seeing how the whole puzzle unfolds. The pace is definitely slow at the beginning, with lots of characters to keep track of, and the structure seems confusing at first - but have faith in the long game. I promise it all comes together.

This is the kind of dystopian novel that feels particularly eerie because it's not so much dystopia as a very real possibility of our future. (There are some very clear parallels with characters and companies and their real-life counterparts.) Alderman brutally tackles social media, algorithms, big tech, billionaires, environmentalism, cults, and ethics - with a side commentary on the Old Testament that I personally adored and found incredibly captivating. That's a lot of things to cover, and it's likely that it's not going to be to everyone's liking, but there's so much you can dig into and unpack here - would make a phenomenal book club choice.

I have so many things highlighted in my copy that I want to come back to - I'll certainly be purchasing a copy so that I can reread this. It was incredibly thought provoking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely adored this book. I had no idea where it was going and the twist was perfect and shockingly...optimistic? I often have a hard time with books that have multiple narrators because I sometimes have trouble keeping track of them but that didn't happen here! The stories were perfectly interwoven and the pacing of the story was excellent. I am already telling all my friends to read this and can't wait to talk about it more once it's been published.

A dystopian/ sci fi read about three zillionaires( think amazon facebook apple) who control our lives and have secret safe zones around the world to save themselves from its collapse. Think wars, climate change, uncontrolled immigration , plagues worse than covid- all and more are addressed. Prescient and frightening, with multiple references to biblical times.
Plot driven, at times very slow, with the characters secondary to the underlying themes. A surprise ending -you’ll have to read it to discover it.

This book was WILD.

So the pacing to start was a bit slow. I had a hard time following the story at first. The timing seemed to shift between past and present with different characters, and there were these breaks in between chapters where long passages were in like a blog format where you’re reading the post and trying to figure out if you’re supposed to read the comments on the side first or after or bounce back and forth. And the comments didn’t really add anything usually so I’m not sure if they were necessary.

Anyway, after about 50% in is really when the pace starts to pick up. And the TWISTS. Just when I thought I had it figured it out, it just being like just kidding! 😂

At times I felt like the novel was trying to do a little too much, and it dragged a little, there’s a lot of information, but the main story thread was really interesting, and I got through the second half in one sitting.

If you’re looking for sci-fi with a heist, this is for you! It’s out November 7.

Thank you @simonbooks and @netgalley for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars, rounded down. I picked this up because I enjoyed The Power when I read it a few years ago, but this one did not land and it’s actually making me rethink my take on The Power too.

Both books have great premises and compelling writing and plots, but ultimately didn’t resonate or feel satisfying to me. I suspect the root cause is that Alderman sees the world and humanity in a more pessimistic way than I do. Don’t get me wrong, I love dystopian novels, so I can handle dark themes and characters treating each other badly. But I think the best dystopias shed light on the real world and reflect truth back at us, and Alderman’s books don’t quite ring true to me in the way I would hope (though I understand “dystopia” might not be exactly the right word for her books). This may be specific to me as a reader and my outlook on the world; the reading experience that I find satisfying won’t be the same for every other reader. I personally was hoping for more wisdom on the topics explored in the book.

I do want to give credit to all the themes explored in this book, including big tech, greed, climate change, survivalism, religious cults, social media, and so much more. It covered a lot of ground and I was interested by how it all wrapped up in the end.

A couple other small issues: The timeline of each chapter jumped around, and it was a little hard to follow where we were in time. I would describe the writing style as casual and crass, which makes it very readable, but there’s also a lot of swearing and sex, so be aware if those are things that bother you. I didn’t particularly like or care about any of the main characters, and while I don’t need characters to be likable, it’s helpful to have someone to root for. Finally, I have started to be really annoyed by named chapter titles - they feel self indulgent for some reason and I find them distracting.

Ultimately, while it was an interesting premise, I think there are a lot of books these days exploring similar themes, and I don’t think this one is fresh or original enough to stand out from the rest.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

[Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.]

This is possibly one of the most disturbing near-future SF novels I've read in a long time, although it's also one of the more didactic. At times, I felt as though I was reading something by the late lamented Sheri S. Tepper. Like Tepper, Alderman has a gift for tight plotting and three-dimensional characterization. Like her, she also has the occasional tendency to tell rather than show. How much this may bother the individual reader depends on how much the reader agrees with Alderman -- or, perhaps, how willing a reader is to ignore this & keep following the relentlessly twisty plot all the way to the end.

Although the first part of the novel is structured around three tech billionaires -- in charge of companies I kept trying to link to real-world tech empires -- the real viewpoint characters are one level down. Most of these are female, gay, nonbinary, or some combination. These are the people doing the real work (or possibly undoing someone else's work) of changing the future. Some of their detailed backstories are not pretty, and they are interspersed with the ongoing action of the main plot in ways it took me a while to get used to. Few details are extraneous, however. As the apocalyptic story line plays out, most prove to be essential to the reader's understanding.

There are plenty of Big Ideas in this one (sometimes too many), but most examine what happens when people start trusting their technology more than they trust themselves. Alderman offers plenty of quotable observations about this, without slowing the plot down much. She also has a good bit to say about the uses & abuses of social media, and the ways people still manage to create strong relationships within it. There is also quite a lot of religion -- one of the viewpoint characters grew up in a fundamentalist cult -- handled in an unexpectedly balanced way. Religion, like technology, may have its uses as well as its flaws.

There's no quick way to summarize the plot of this one without committing spoiler, so I won't. Readers looking for a multilayered SF thriller with compelling characters won't be disappointed, but the plot's not entirely linear & first few chapters are a slow burn. Recommended for those who don't mind a lecture or two with their thrills, & aren't afraid of thinking

Truthfully, I picked this because I liked the cover and then the concept sounded cool. I am not in the right mindset to enjoy this book. The characters were just awful enough to not hold my interest and the timeline confused me

This is definitely not something to pick up casually, much like Alderman's previous work. She delves into some heavy stuff, tying together cults, the influence of technology companies, internet security, plagues/viruses, and more. It also will suit reader who have longer reading opportunities - especially the beginning jumps around in time and between characters not super obviously, and it was a bit difficult to track when read in shorter spurts. Overall, I thought the ideas were amazing and I enjoy that Alderman isn't afraid to suggest some extreme options for...well, the Future. I think this would make a great book club choice, as there is so much to discuss. 3.5 stars, rounded down.

Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC through Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm not the biggest fan for dystopian reads but this one sucked me right in and I could not stop reading it. It was utterly fantastic. The detail is excellent and the development of AI portrayed in this book is terrifying. There are a multitude of lessons found within this book and I wish everyone had the chance to read it. I am definitely interested in reading other books from this author. I am so impressed.

I loved The Power, so I had high expectations for The Future. The structure of this book will feel familiar to readers of The Power. Characters are spread out around the globe and interact infrequently with one another. The ultra wealthy are preparing to retreat to their "end of the world" islands and bunkers to wait out the worst of coming breakdown of society. Survivalist Lai Zhen, finds herself mixed up in a conspiracy she can't quite figure out and doesn't seem to be unfolding according to anyone's plan.

Ultimately this book did not wow me as The Power did. There are some great moments and some wonderfully despicable characters, but I felt that the conclusion was rushed and the reader didn't have enough time to absorb the subtleties before the book ended.

The Future is a good read, just not a great one.

Did I read this book in basically a day and a half? I sure did. Did I stop doing other things to read this book? Damn right. This book was so compelling, so engaging, so pertinent and of our time that to stop reading it probably would have driven me crazy. The story follows a world not unlike ours - run by a very few tech company billionaires who have contingency plans in place for the end of the world, and ways of knowing ahead of time when that will occur. The story was so well thought out and so completely feasible that I could not put it down - no joke. I recommend this book to anyone who is passionate about Earth's future, about the state of the world today, and about what social media and the power of most of the world being in the hands of very few people who only have the bottom line and profit in their sights - not the world's best interest. So many lessons can be found in this book, and I highly recommend you read it and find out.

This ebook was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed The Power but not as much as I loved The Future. I found the Future more realistic of what could happen as technology advances. The stories of everyone weaves together so nicely with rich detail. The explanation of AI and so many other topics are simplified to a clear understanding that makes you feel engaged in how it will work. The creativity of what the future could be, both positive and negative, is beautifully written.

I think those that also liked The Goldfinch or Cloud Cuckcoo Land will love this book.

This has been posted to Goodreads.

This apocalyptic book made for a very interesting read. It’s a book that I could see initiating many great conversations. I felt the ending was a bit too neat and over explained, but the book as a whole was super engaging.

Oh man, I really wanted this to be a 5-star read for me, but I had a few issues with the plot and the characters. The story is told through multiple viewpoints and through the posts on a Reddit-like website. Essentially, the tech billionaires in Alderman's world know that the end of the world is coming. It might be a war or another pandemic. It doesn't really matter what it is, they want to escape it.

There are three main tech billionaires who have pretty recognizable counterparts in our world (think Musk, etc.). The three main billionaires are working on secret safe zones hidden in the name of nature preserves. Each billionaire is pretty much a narcissist. Instead of saving the world they helped damn, they're willing to take the golden ticket and escape. The book very much outlines how tech companies take our data and use it not just for ads but to shape all the media we consume and how driving hateful comments increases engagement.

Lai Zhen is our every person in this situation who is a dedicated survivalist that also happens to be a refugee. She runs a successful video channel with merch and speaking engagements focusing on how to survive in the wilderness or other life and death situations. When she is giving a talk at a survivalist's expo, she meets Martha (the personal assistant to one of the aforementioned billionaires). Sparks fly, but they also pull Zhen into an international conspiracy.

I liked the bones of this story, especially because it really reflects how tech companies take advantage of consumers and how the algorithm can push negativity in the name of engagement. The idea of rich people abandoning the world we live in until it "ends" so they can build back better seems very real to me. There was so much of this story that just seemed like yep, this could happen, and I enjoyed reading through that.

However, the whole story seemed very wooden to me. Whole sections seemed just stunted and like the story could have been developed better. Also, and this may have just been my copy since it was an advanced copy, but there were several places where the online forum excerpt repeated whole sections on the next page. That drove me nuts and seemed like such a weird editing error.

I didn't like the way the author described Martha. Martha was meant to be a plus-sized queer character, but the way she's described is borderline offensive. I'm a fat woman, and I don't think I would ever want my partner to describe my beauty or attractiveness in terms of my rolls. It just seemed almost fetishistic.

If you want to read what could be a book featuring our own future and biblical parables, this might be the book for you.

Hold on to your seats. The future, in Naomi Alderman’s “The Future,” may be uncomfortably close to our present.
Assume you’re a powerful technology billionaire, like Musk or Bezos, and AI alerts you that society, as you know it, is disturbingly close to the end. Would you allow your world to be destroyed, while you flee to safety in the comfort of a remote bunker?
Given all that is happening today (e.g., global warming, pandemics, political discord, etc.), this scenario isn’t that far-fetched—despite how blatantly selfish and immoral it is. But money is power and “The Future” has three such billionaires whose greed distorts reason.
Can society in “The Future” be saved before it’s too late and, if so, will the efforts of an ex-cult member and an internet-survivalist help lead the way? If you think you can easily predict the ending, not so fast. A twist awaits and saving the day—if that happens—may differ from what you think.
When you start reading, be patient. The early chapters introduce many characters and provide much description (perhaps overly so at times). This helps to sufficiently setup the story. However, once this setup is provided, the pace quickens and the story grabs hold. Numerous instances of switching back and forth in time also helps to delay gratification and build suspense.
“The Future,” as with Alderman’s “The Power,” contains richly-developed and capable female characters in a futuristic world. So many who previously read and liked “The Power” may also enjoy “The Future.”
Enjoy the ride!

[Many thanks to Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley, for an advance reading copy of this book.]