The more I thought about The Power, the less I liked it, but I saw enough buzz about this that I tried it, and I found it quite readable. Three billionaires—a barely hidden Elon Musk stand-in, a Steve Jobs-ish type, and a woman who might have a model in a Chinese billionaire but was less placeable—prepare to escape the apocalypse and control the future. Meanwhile, people in their inner circle—one grown child, one exiled founder, and one trusted assistant—are trying to figure out what they can do to reverse the damage these greedy, tyranny-supporting, environment-destroying monsters have done. And the trusted assistant’s new lover, a survivalist, is trying to learn more about what she’s gotten herself into, especially when the software she didn’t know she had on her phone helps her avoid an assassination. The narrative moves briskly; the repeated references to Job/Sodom and Gomorrah largely work well. I was left with the sense that it was somewhat less than the sum of its parts—the best I can say without spoiling is that it felt a lot like a really elaborate Twilight Zone episode. ( )

I did most of this book on audio, but read the last part because I couldn't bear not to know what was going to happen. Such a good book, and a great audio. I liked it much better than her earlier book, The Power.

This book covers AI, climate change, corporatization, and the power of elites; and does it with a fast moving plot and fun characters. ( )

https://fromtheheartofeurope.eu/the-future-by-naomi-alderman/

I’m a fan of Alderman’s previous novels (The Power, Disobedience and a Doctor Who book, Borrowed Time), so was looking forward to this, a story of tech zillionnaires, apocalypse and survival. To be honest I was a little disappointed; I’m not especially interested in the cults of personality around Musk, Zuckerberg, etc, and a large part of the story evolves around equivalent characters and their entourages. There’s also an AI that is just smart enough to carry the plot forward, and a rather silly dénouement. But there are also some vivid character moments and strong descriptions of setting. So it’s entertaining, if not quite up to Alderman’s previous work. ( )

The Future—as the richest people on the planet have discovered—is where the money is. The Future is a few billionaires leading the world to destruction while safeguarding their own survival with secret lavish bunkers. The Future is private weather, technological prophecy and highly deniable weapons.

The Future is a handful of friends—the daughter of a cult leader, a non-binary hacker, an ousted Silicon Valley visionary, the concerned wife of a dangerous CEO, and an internet-famous survivalist—hatching a daring plan. It could be the greatest heist ever. Or the cataclysmic end of civilization.

Imagine that the CEOs of Apple, Amazon, and Google were all so rich that they created secret bunkers around the world. The bunkers are large enough for themselves and a small group of individuals close to them, all in preparation for a possible end to civilization as we know it. Knowing that they could be safe at the end of the world, would those CEOs let the world spiral out of control, or would they use their vast resources to help save the planet for all? What about those that know they have a safe space in the bunker – would they try to influence the CEOs to save the world?

The first half of the book is largely character introduction and backstory, along with some philosophical discussions and biblical stories. The pace was a little slow for me, but about midway through the book the pace of the story accelerates, and things get much more interesting. There are some plot twists in the last third of the book that nicely fill in the earlier gaps in the story and make the overall premise more believable.

Thanks to NetGalley, Naomi Alderman, and Simon & Schuster for providing a complimentary copy of this book in hopes that I will leave my unbiased review. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and the above review is simply my opinion of the book. ( )

Jesus, Miss Alderman, can't you just write 10 books with one topic each? There is so much going on, so much imagery and so many allusions on multiple layers reflecting off as well as leading towards each other, that listening once is not nearly enough.
I have one hour left, and I fear the reunion we're in for is not the one I am hoping for (Lank discovering his empire somewhat altered and facing Martha).
But the style of writing is entertaining to say the least, and often, small details or single subordinate clauses are enough to reveal a very powerful wisdom or future possibility. And the story, complex as it is, is so rivetingly told and so full of twists that I sometimes had to switch it off in the car or when running for fear of missing something (within the story or the road!).