When Martha Einkorn fled her father's isolated compound in Oregon, she never expected to find herself working for a powerful social media mogul hell-bent on controlling everything. Now, she's surrounded by mega-rich companies designing private weather, predictive analytics, and covert weaponry while spouting technological prophecy. Across the world, in a mall in Singapore, Lai Zhen, an internet-famous survivalist, flees from an assassin. She's cornered, desperate and--worst of all--might die without ever knowing what's going on. Suddenly, a remarkable piece of software appears on her phone telling her exactly how to escape. Who made it? What is it really for? And if those behind it can save her from danger, what do they want from her, and what else do they know about the future?
Plot
I went into this book without reading the plot summary so my experience was completely authentic as I read through the story. I was immediately intrigued by the unique fact that the plot focuses on the events leading up to an apocalypse, while most books in this genre focus on the events immediately after. This led to some great moments of tension and lots of mystery as a tried to piece together what was happening and how it would ultimately come together. There were also a number of plot twists that took me by surprise and kept the pages turning.
Characters
Much like the author’s previous book, The Power, this story features an ensemble cast that work separately and together to move the plot forward. The story mostly focused on Martha, the assistant to a Zuckerberg-esque tech billionaire, and Zhen, a survivalist influencer. Both characters had rich backstories and were fun to watch on the page. There is also a large cast of secondary characters, each as vibrant and well development of the protagonists.
Setting
While this is a science fiction novel, the fiction aspect of it takes a backseat. The world looks much like our own just a few years in the future with slightly more advances technology but not space-age level of advancement. Instead, the author focuses on the science elements, exploring engineering theory and how it plays into social media algorithms and the good of man-kind. I was expecting a bit more fantasy given the explosive elements of the author’s debut novel, but I really enjoyed the mixing of real world work with fiction to create a horrifyingly believable future for our world.
My Recommendation
The Future is written by Naomi Alderman, the award-winning author of The Power and other subversive science fiction and fantasy novels. Unlike most of the books I review, I wouldn’t consider this book to be suitable for most Young Adults due to scenes of graphic sex and violence. This is a a challenging but rewarding read perfect for those who love viewing the world through a new lens and learning more in the process.
