Dan Kopcow

While the premise of the book is science fiction, Prior Futures reads more like realistic fiction: there are several related mysteries to solve. The story focuses on Jeremiah Prior, who fled society after being accused of murdering his partner and has now returned to clear his name. Ferri, inventor of the technology that makes this book science fiction in premise, has gone missing. Prior is an Authentician, someone who authenticates art and artifacts from the ancient world, and a woman asks him to find her brother Addison. In addition, something mysterious is happening with the ruling class, and it endangers the lower classes.

The science fiction elements of the book arise from a weird version of nanotechnology. This tech is used inconsistently throughout the book, without any real grounding in science. While still on his island, hiding from society, Prior receives a leaf-letter made from nanos. When he touches it, the nanos take over nearby bugs and use them to form a three-dimensional recreation of the woman who sent him the letter. Later, nanos create coffee seemingly ex nihilo. One of the few remaining paintings in the world has been stolen; it is converted into nanos and hidden in Prior's blood. Nanos at one point shrink Prior to the size of a photon. But the main purpose of nanos is to serve the Mod. Ferri's revolution was to turn 3D people (now called Fringe) into 2D Mod.

When one "converts to Mod," all of one's mass is converted into nanobots which the Mod controls. As noted, the book presents Mod as 2D beings, essentially sheets of paper, and the book is framed by the conflict between 2D and 3D people. But the story doesn't make sense with that framing. Mod in the book variously turn themselves into bubbles, tarps, 3D people, and a tiny leaf. So the Mod are basically digital beings who interact with the world using their nanos. In addition to forming nano bodies for themselves, Mod use their nanos to create 3D homes and objects to show off their wealth.

Later in the story, Mod convert to 1D Points. (Mathematically, this is incorrect: lines are one-dimensional, points are zero-dimensional). The book reads like it's trying to be a new version of Flatland (a novel which explored a society of 1D and 2D creatures with more fidelity to the underlying mathematics), but it prioritizes the three-dimensional main character to such an extent that it never really explores life in one and two dimensions. In addition, the characters are not compelling enough for me to care how the story turns out. I only finished the book because I won it through the early reviewers program.… (altro)