Two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.
For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity.
The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined.
Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it?
Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.
The Future Is Yours by Dan Frey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I was immersed in this one.
I read this one for The Poisoned Pen Bookstore Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club.
I’d recommend this to anyone, especially those who have been intrigued by recent past events as it pertains to the aspects of corporate social responsibility when it comes to social media, where it’s been and where it’s headed. It is also a very accessible science fiction book if you’re new to the genre.
The Story
It was clean and linear while maintaining enough side interest. Well-organized plot from this aspect. The overall theme was just presented, not forced, which I found to be very refreshing. I didn’t feel like reading a book with a loaded political message so I was delighted to read how ideas in this book were brought forth, especially the ending.
A very interesting and insightful spin, as an informational source, entertainment, and at times an almost satirical take on recent past events which I adored.
Interestingly enough, I actually enjoyed the court proceedings. Usually I zone them out. I’m actually quite proud of myself for reading them through. Perhaps it was because I was one who was glued to watching the entire senate hearing of Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony on behalf of Facebook. I recognized aspects of it and enjoyed every bit of it.
There were some funny inferences. The Tumbler posts were hilarious and clever.
Relevant and timely.
The Writing
Sort of a modern epistolary format which matched the storyline and wasn’t overly complicated. Solid in its structure.
The characters were pretty standard, pretty stereotypical, which was quite fitting all in all. I wasn’t always incredibly personally attached them as a result because they didn’t offer too much out of the ordinary character-wise, but maybe that was part of its strength. Also maybe it was just as well because I felt that rejection in the returns of the thesis proposal and prospective partnership emails, very well written.
And I learned a lot.
The photos were a very nice touch too.
Enjoy reading this one, I certainly did!
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