I found this book very hard to follow with the multi POV format and the blog conversations. I'm sure that if you are into this genre,it's a good book but unfortunately not for me

I have been running with Zombies, Run for 7 years and have always enjoyed Naomi Alderman’s writing. Although I haven’t read The Power, I have heard many good things about it and so I was excited to request The Future – her latest novel.

The book focuses on Lai Zhen, a doomsday prepper whose life is suddenly mixed with the life of billionaires when she meets one of their assistants at a conference.

I think one of my main problems with The Future is that there is a lot of world building needed to get the plot off the ground. We need to get to know the three billionaires at the centre of the plot, their close family and confidents, the technology that they have created, the life of a doomsday cult that existed and their philosophy, the character of Lai Zhen and how she ties into the story, the conversations on various message boards that help us understand the motives of those around them. It was all just a bit too much for me - the real plot only got going at 70% and that part on the island I actually enjoyed. Everything previous to that just felt like it dragged - the long-winded conversations and biblical stories on the forums of an internet chatroom in particular. I think the book would have benefitted from a show, not tell style by integrating some of the backstory into the plot and perhaps starting on the island and working back in a flashback style.

Overall, The Future has too many plot threads which leaves the reader confused and the first half drags way too much. I did like the ending though and that pulled this review up from a 2-star to a 3-star read for me. It’s a clever concept and one that sticks with you for quite a while afterwards. Thank you to NetGalley & Fourth Estate for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Written by the author of 'the power' this novel is set in the near future. It focuses on three giants of the corporate tech world (who seem strangely familiar) and their determination to survive and repopulate the earth in an extinction level event. The planet is dying thanks to human beings, and the end is getting closer. Unknown to the rest of the population, these three billionaire geniuses have a series of secret bunkers across the globe. One day, they all get a phonecall. It is finally happening. Time to evacuate in top secret.
Other people close to them become entangled in their mission to keep these bunkers top secret. As the story unfolds we learn just how involved they all are. Lots of twists and turns. Some great ideas of futuristic tech. Sabotage, spy missions, survival on a desert island. This book has lots to keep you on your toes. Really enjoyable and completely sucked me in.

Read courtesy of NetGalley and Publisher.

Ingredients: tech billionaires, end-of-the-world app, end-of-the-world forum, survivalist expert, survivor of an evangelical cult, a plot, a deadly pandemic. Shake and stir and strain, see the result - a novel whose darkest parts seem very likely and brightest moments - perhaps too optimistic.

This was a fine novel that unfortunately, did that thing multi-POV books sometime do that means it's tough to get invested, i.e. jumped perspectives (timelines, places) precisely when things were getting really fun. I think the plot-twist is a little too predictable, too (although it's a fun one - but I called it really early on and then I ended up mostly reading to see if I was right). I think the characters didn't quite become as realized as I wanted them to. I liked some fragments that I expect won't be as popular with majority of readers (Martha's religious thoughts, and forum fragments). I wanted more of fox and rabbit, and for it to be more central than it ultimately was. I feel like the themes end up only half-realized.

Still, a solid 3.5 stars.

I barely even know where to start with reviewing this book. It took me a while to get through but this by no means is any reflection on how good the story is.
I have so much to say about the story but unfortunately most of it has to include spoilers so I can't.

As a quick overview of what the story is about - it focuses on the leaders of the top 3 tech companies in the world, while they are fictional companies it is very obvious who these could be in our own world.
These incredibly powerful people are so powerful that they have acquired access to something noone else can have, knowledge of The Future. But what does this actually mean for them, and everyone else?
That's honestly the only way I can think to describe it and when I read a similar description I wasn't sold. If it hadn't been by Naomi Alderman I don't think I would have picked it up but I'm very glad I did.

I unfortunately don't think this book will be as popular as her other novel, The Power, which is a huge shame because it is possibly one of the best, most thought out books I have ever read. I genuinely believe that Naomi Alderman is the next Margaret Atwood and as much as I hate to compare people, I feel that this is the fastest way to explain her stories. This story is very on-the-nose and that made it kind of hard to get through but the lyrical prose and richly developed characters will be the reason I think about this book for years to come.
I don't think that it will be for everyone and I do feel that a lot of people may DNF it before they realise why they absolutely shouldn't so if you're reading this review, just know that whilst I would understand if you're halfway through the book and wondering where the story is going and what the point to it all is, it is 100% worth it.
Naomi Alderman really knows her stuff - about everything - and this really comes across in her writing.
I really can't wait to see what else she comes up with.

It's a few days after I have finished this book and I am still trying to figure out what I think.
The plot is very strong, but kind of unreliable, in the sense that you will later lean that what you thought the characters knew was in fact not what the characters knew.
The characters are strong, they have very distinct voices and strong motivations that make sense from their point of view.
The writing is obviously gorgeous, the pacing was a bit weird for me, especially the mixed media breaks, but they added a lot to the atmosphere.
With this all said and done, the reason why I am still hooked on this book is the strong social commentary on how we see our future, where we are headed and what is needed to change course. Get ready for your morals to be challenged. The book technically does offer an answer to the questions it is asking, and it is kind of implied as the "correct" answer, I think the strongest point is still giving you question to think and talk about.
I found this book to be overwhelming in the best way possible.

I mostly enjoyed this. I liked the characters they all were 'real', I liked how it was something that could plausibly happen with the technology. It took me a while to get into it though. I didn't enjoy the "religious" elements. I thought it was quite long and could potentially have been shortened.

I loved The Power and really wanted to love this book too. Unfortunately it was too technological and sci-fi in nature to keep my interest. The plot jumping around in time and person was hard to follow too. There's no doubt the author is skilled. This just wasn't the book for me.

I am still trying to catch my breath after finishing this amazing novel.
It is Intriguing, scary, depressing, uplifting, optimistic and then more, but no spoilers! As other reviewers have said, it jumps around quite a lot and the reader has to be on the ball to stay with the narrative, but it is most definitely worth it. I had a whole gamut of questions and opinions as I was reading the story, some of which were answered as it progressed, but others I had to wait until nearly the end to see all of the threads unravel and reunite.
Definitely recommended if you care about the future of our society and want to think about where the planet is heading. Not my usual type of more predictable genre, but it just shows that we should all take a chance and be the fox, not the rabbit sometimes.

I wasn’t sure what to make of The Future until about half way into reading it. However, from that point on, I did succumb to the overall pull of the intricacies within the plot and literally could not put it down. Naomi Alderman’s, The Future, is about the use of social media by those at the very top to subvert and invent world events, to be fed to the global collective as reality. A very clever work!

I was excited to read this as i have read Naomi Alderman's book The Power previously. This one didn't pull me in or keep my attention as much as The Power did.

A daring, stunning offering from the author of The Power. Naomi Aldermans sharp prose and cutting stories sit deep within.

Book Review 📚
The Future by Naomi Alderman - 4/5 ⭐

A group of 4 coming together to try and save the world, set decades in the future? I went in blind and based my choice to read off the title and cover alone. I was expecting a dystopian, futuristic book but was pleasantly surprised with the route The Future takes.

Let's talk author first. Alderman is quite clearly the "Sheldon Cooper" of this world. She has these huge, fantastic and indescribable ideas that's she put into words. She makes you think about what could happen in the future on a realistic level, with the way she plays on words and thoughts. It's truly impeccable. She has a unbelievably phenomenal mind and writing skill. I look forward to more from Alderman.

Some of the themes throughout the book are pretty strong. Characters and ideas, both. It can become overwhelming but still completely enjoyable. There are so many different aspects to enjoy that it's bound to appease a variety of bookworms who enjoy completely different genres. There is surreal description throughout and strong characters and plots. There's not a lot to fault in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and 4th Estate for allowing me to read this ARC - this is an HONEST review from my own personal opinion.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5817215611

I don't quite know how to describe this book. It's a mediation on the power of big tech companies and where our broken world might end up if we don't change our direction of travel. It's fizzing with big ideas and sweeping themes. But it's also weirdly patchy. One minute it's like reading an academic essay, the next it's a crash bang wallop action scene, the next it's a (slightly unconvincing) attempt at a love story. One minute it's moving at a hundred miles a hour, the next at snails pace. A compete ragbag of ideas and writing styles and plot twists, some of which land beautifully, some of which don't. Probably a whisker away from greatness, but enjoyable in the attempt.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review.

I spent all of this book wondering if in 50 years time people would read it thinking it was historical fiction!

I'm not sure if I'd put this book in the dystopian category or somewhere else. It's just brilliant, clever and intriguing. We all say we want a better world, its great to think that those with power are prepped to help others but when the time comes what will they do - and what will others do?

The cast help us plan not just for the end if the world but a lovely way to make it a better place to be.

If only I could give it more than 5 stars!

While I acknowledge that Naomi Alderman has the most phenomenal writing style and literary craft, this one really just wasn't for me I'm afraid.

"The Future" by Naomi Alderman delivers a captivating and thought-provoking narrative that centers around a sharp and satirical parody of big tech and its founders. In this dystopian world, Alderman masterfully depicts the consequences of unchecked technological power. The story's darkly humorous take on the tech industry's influence creates a gripping atmosphere that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Alderman's imaginative exploration of this dystopian future is a thrilling ride that provides both entertainment and a stark warning about the potential dangers of our digital age. A must-read for those who enjoy incisive social commentary wrapped in an engaging story.

'They'd known each other for the best part of a decade. They were part of the Name The Day technology board ntd/tech, which was dedicated to using technology to prepare to survive the coming collapse of civilization, although Marius's apocalypse "preparation" mostly consisted of gleeful acceptance of the inevitability of suffering, decay, despair, and eventual painful death. He was a legend on the board for the sheer rage of his expertise in both technology and signs that humanity was on the verge of wiping itself out.'

This passage appears almost exactly half way through Naomi Alderman's latest foray into the near-future in which computer is king, three tech entrepreneurs are the richest men in the world and have prepared an underground bunker for their families and themselves to safely wait out the inevitable apocalypse coming fast over the horizon, and it nicely sums up the themes of the narrative. Anyone who enjoys literary techno thrillers will devour this well-written, propulsive novel that reads almost like an exciting video game, (Alderman's side-hustle, I believe!) As for this reader, well, I guess I'm just too old to grasp the fundamentals, particularly the technical references and jargon, and I admit I gave up after reading the paragraph above. I can admire the style and the reasoning behind writing dystopian fiction, but this one was not for me, I'm afraid.

Prfff this book was a bit of a mess, so my thoughts on it are also messy. I’d say the first third was very hard-going, which surprised me. I LOVED The Power, so I expected another powerhouse of a novel but it was very disjointed and all over the place.
I found everything around the story of Lot, Abraham and Sodom tedious, same as the Enochites sub-plot. I understand the metaphor, but I think removing the Enoch part of the book would not have affected the rest of the story.

I was thinking of giving up multiple times, and this was a rare example where the closing part of the book actually changed the overall perception of it. I loved the twist! It was very clever and well executed. Such an elegant and parsimonious solution.

The hacking/tech parts and the plot-line of Zhen and Marius were excellent. The overall concept of trying to collectively avoid a climate disaster is very topical, parts of it were harrowing (because they were so close to home) but the resolving ideas were great (just wish that’s how it also went in real world). I hated the names of all tech magnates but I loved the allegories to Musk, Zuckerberg, Bezos etc.

So, to sum it up, it’ was absolutely worth a read but it was at times very hectic and all over the place until it came together.

Everything I've read from Naomi Alderman has been great and this was no disappointment. A gripping apocalypse novel with plenty of twists!