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3.0 AVERAGE
3.0 AVERAGE
This is a very well told story that poses the questions - Would you want to know the future? If you do would you try and change it? I like the layout of the pages with the included future postcards and other items from the "notebooks". The story centers around a 14 year old boy who interviews his 100 year old grandmother about her life experiences from 2020 to 2050. He starts it as a lark but it quickly becomes something more intense.
Written within a framing device of the author stumbling across notebooks from the future, this work of near future fiction describes the major events that occur from 2020 until 2050, from the perspective of a young boy and his grandmother. Living under the rule of a global technocracy, Billy and Nancy eventually discover that there are some world events that are better left out of their conversations.
The premise of this book drew me to it. And in the hands of a science fiction master, the discovery of a time travelling account of the next three decades could have been a thrilling story. However, I wasn't a quarter of the way into this book until I had to research its author, only to find that he's described as a non-fiction writer.
It shows. The major issue I have with the story is that it relies on its framing structure in place of plot. When the plot appears, over halfway into the text, it is too thin to be compelling. In addition, near future fiction is a fraught genre, even when dates are not mentioned. Moreso when they are. No sooner are words committed to the page then life has caught up, proving your ideas wrong with all its complexity and unpredictability.
Finally, I wish I could say that taking the premise seriously, that thinking of this as a work of non-fiction from the future would make the read more enjoyable. But it is dry and reads as though the author happened upon on a future prediction timeline online and just..ran with it. Each idea ignores important, complicating variables such as human nature. The characters who deliver the authors' ideas are little more than tabula rasa who "worry about" each monumental social change, only to accept it as inevitable in the same sentence.
Perhaps the author's non-fiction works are highly quality than this. But if you're looking for interesting near future fiction or a stunning vision of what comes next for humanity, I'd give this one a pass.
The premise of this book drew me to it. And in the hands of a science fiction master, the discovery of a time travelling account of the next three decades could have been a thrilling story. However, I wasn't a quarter of the way into this book until I had to research its author, only to find that he's described as a non-fiction writer.
It shows. The major issue I have with the story is that it relies on its framing structure in place of plot. When the plot appears, over halfway into the text, it is too thin to be compelling. In addition, near future fiction is a fraught genre, even when dates are not mentioned. Moreso when they are. No sooner are words committed to the page then life has caught up, proving your ideas wrong with all its complexity and unpredictability.
Finally, I wish I could say that taking the premise seriously, that thinking of this as a work of non-fiction from the future would make the read more enjoyable. But it is dry and reads as though the author happened upon on a future prediction timeline online and just..ran with it. Each idea ignores important, complicating variables such as human nature. The characters who deliver the authors' ideas are little more than tabula rasa who "worry about" each monumental social change, only to accept it as inevitable in the same sentence.
Perhaps the author's non-fiction works are highly quality than this. But if you're looking for interesting near future fiction or a stunning vision of what comes next for humanity, I'd give this one a pass.
I was really excited to read this book because the premise sounded exciting but that’s really where it ends. The idea and the promise of it being epistolary was great but this book was a major let down. I honestly didn’t want to finish it and only did because it was an ARC and I wanted to give an honest review.
There are so many ideas and “history” points in this book that could have been really thrilling to go over and learn more about but everything is rushed. Information is thrown at you, you’re expected to accept it in three sentences because you are rushed to the next point. I don’t feel there is any real plot what exists is flimsy.
This reads more like a bullet point dream journal of ideas that aren’t fleshed out. Or that the author is going through some 2020 anxiety, wanted to get their feelings out on paper so that they can feel like they did something. Or maybe to have other people talk about their ideas. The author went down the YouTube Reddit rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and alternate futures and we got this poorly written mess.
I was willing to forgive the weird writing and voice for a 14 year old as translation errors but I just couldn’t look past the other disasters here. Also why promise a story told through letters and documents but give us dinky postcards and notebooks used to justify weak POV instead?
There are so many ideas and “history” points in this book that could have been really thrilling to go over and learn more about but everything is rushed. Information is thrown at you, you’re expected to accept it in three sentences because you are rushed to the next point. I don’t feel there is any real plot what exists is flimsy.
This reads more like a bullet point dream journal of ideas that aren’t fleshed out. Or that the author is going through some 2020 anxiety, wanted to get their feelings out on paper so that they can feel like they did something. Or maybe to have other people talk about their ideas. The author went down the YouTube Reddit rabbit hole of conspiracy theories and alternate futures and we got this poorly written mess.
I was willing to forgive the weird writing and voice for a 14 year old as translation errors but I just couldn’t look past the other disasters here. Also why promise a story told through letters and documents but give us dinky postcards and notebooks used to justify weak POV instead?
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
challenging
hopeful
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No