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Title: Flashforward by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0-8125-8034-6 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 April, 2000 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.94 (52 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: Brilliant idea, excellent execution
Comment: I am shocked and amazed at some of the reviews I have read below! I don't understand how some people are able to question the science used in science FICTION. Is Sawyer's science correct for finding a way to push our consciousness 20 years into the future? No, I guess, but it sounds decent and since it is fiction that works for me. Why do people get hung up on stuff that I really doubt they understand anyway? Probably because it makes them(and their ego) feel smart. As for Sawyer's style, again I am confused by people. I found the characters interesting and I was genuinely concerned as to what would happen to them. I think that's all I can ask for. This book did exactly what a good sci-fi book should do- it made me WONDER! Wow, how cool would it be if something like this happened! And every time I started to have questions about whether the plot would unravel, Sawyer answered them for me. This is a well-thought out and enjoyable novel, one that shouldn't be missed!
Rating: 3
Summary: It Could Have Been Better
Comment: I was writing my review for this book and realized, after writing it, that my initial review and grade was too high. While enjoyable and with beautiful writing, there are several annoying details with this book that detract from it. Note that this review will give you a somewhat biased view because I'm focusing on the negative; it's very well written. But the negatives can be very annoying, and I found myself putting the book down for a minute or two (very rare for me, I usually read books straight through without pausing).
The first and greatest irritation is the ending, which suddenly veers off into Weirdland for no discernable storytelling reason. The book would have been far better served by leaving the second 'flash forward' completely in the imaginations of the readers, instead of the bizzare trip forward that Sawyer gives us.
The second is spottiness in pursuing the various threads about the future. It would have been interesting to know what the CERN administrator and his wife planned to change about Marc's upbringing, or any of a number of other things briefly revealed during the book. A related problem is that we know that the future can be changed, and yet Sawyer seems to semi-forget this and writes strange twists that nearly bring about the 'fated' occurrences anyways. It's an inconsistency.
Third off, most minor, and endemic to Robert Swayer's works is a general misunderstanding of human cultures and politics. There's a pervasive, if quiet, set of assumptions that he has which crop up in his works and annoy the hell out of me. I refer to it as 'Carl Sagan Syndrome' because, while I find his books interesting and thoughtful, he had the same problem. It's easier to point out specific instances than to define the whole here, but I owe it to you to try: Sawyer has the apparent view that there is a cultural inevitability, inexorable and unstoppable, pushing all Western nations along the same track, and views nations which seem to be wandering off this track as in some way retarded. This is most specifically seen regarding the United States in his works, presumably because the US is farthest off his imagined track. I won't start an essay here, but it's highly unlikely that the US would adopt the metric system, for starters, as he posits the 'flash forward' reveals. The line about "the Second Amendment or whatever it was that made Americans think they could go around armed" is an excellent example of this mode of thinking he indulges in. The unspoken thought is "No one has the right to go around armed!". The problem is that, at least in the US, they do, because they enacted laws to that effect and have retained them. Sawyer's thoughts on the matter are irrelevant and he should try to not let them color his thinking so.
Rating: 1
Summary: Great idea, horrific result
Comment: The main character had 2 main turning points in his life. One was done in summary. The last one -- the big one -- took place "on screen" but the author *would not tell us what happened*! I was so angry I wanted to throw the book out the window. I thought only beginning (unpublished) writers pulled that sort of trick on the reader.
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Title: Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0812580354 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Humans (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0765346753 Publisher: Tor Books Pub. Date: 15 September, 2003 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: The Terminal Experiment by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0061053104 Publisher: Eos Pub. Date: 01 May, 1995 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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Title: Hominids (Neanderthal Parallax) by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0765345005 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 17 February, 2003 List Price(USD): $7.99 |
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Title: Frameshift by Robert J. Sawyer ISBN: 0812571088 Publisher: Tor Science Fiction Pub. Date: 15 November, 1998 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
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