Flash Forward

View other editions of Flash Forward.
View books by Robert J. Sawyer.

Err, did I miss something? - Rated
I was excited about reading this book as the premise of the story, the 'flashforward' of human conciousness, is novel and interesting - I was intersted in seeing how it all played out and how the characters would cope. Well, potential readers should be warned that the exposition of the story is horribly impeded by some of the most clunking and inept prose I've encountered for a while. The dialogue is flat and implausible, the characters dull, and the whole thing has the feel of a collaboration between a science teacher and an earnest but untalented student. I'm going for broke here because the other reviews are glowing, but to my mind poor writing is always poor writing and in this regard Mr Sawyer and his editors need to look at themselves and ask what it is beyond a fun premise that makes a thrilling read. This ain't it.

Interesting Concept - Rated
When a scientific experiment goes wrong everyone on the planet loses a couple of minutes and their consciousness is fast-forwarded 20 years into the future.
So, upon regaining their hold on the here and now, they've spotted somebody or something relevant, be it only for about 2 minutes.

The various conundrums and guessing games are thoroughly laid out in this fascinating tale.
And what if, in that momentary vision, you saw yourself on a table with two bullets in you, dead? - Ouch!
Skating on the edge of time-travel - check it out!

Is your future inevitable? - Rated
Although this isn't among Sawyer's best, the issue he raises is one worthy of further discussion. 'Free will' remains one of the most compelling of human ideas. With geneticists demonstrating the impetus given our behaviour by our DNA, what is inevitable and what is left to chance? What actually drives our behaviour and how far into the future might we be able to predict? If we can garner a glimpse of the future, will that future necessarily be fixed? Sawyer gives us one means of assessing that question, although the technique he uses here is questionable. His resolution is far more mechanistic than anything even the sociobiologists have suggested.

It's fascinating to read critiques of Sawyer's characterizations. Depicting persona is easily Sawyer's finest quality as a writer. His characters may not be charming nor even heroic, but they are certainly real people in every sense of the term. Lloyd Simcoe [how Canadian!!] can be readily condemned for his waffling, but the description of his mental gyrations are portrayed with fidelity. Theo's obsession with avoiding an untimely demise is hardly far- fetched under the circumstances. Even Cheung, a man of vast wealth and power, while not an original figure, is certainly conveyed from genuine models. What person of his status wouldn't undertake the realization of immortality if the chance presented itself?

Those critical of Sawyer's scientific basis are simplistic. His science is sound, but shouldn't be taken as providing any final resolution to the many questions he raises. The issues remain open until we've delved much further into ourselves and the universe around us. The real problem with this story is Sawyer's ultimate acceptance of the Frank Tipler model of the future of humanity. Humans appear wholly incapable of envisioning that along with the rest of the animal kingdom we will go extinct. This is particularly amazing in view of the fact that we seem to be bringing that about ourselves. The Dyson sphere is a human-centred idea overlooking the diversity of life on this planet. A beautiful idea, but one dooming the remaining life on our world. Could we truly become immortal in such an environment? [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]

R.J. Delivers A Beauty Again - Rated
Robert J Sawyer , Is the daddy of modern Science Fiction. Time after time his novels are well thought out and researched. His characters are well developed and interesting. Flashforward is no
exception to the rule , The only problem i found is that I read it in a matter of days because I simply couldnt put it down.
The subject matter is a wonderful idea.. what would happen if every one on the earth were shot 20yrs into the future for 2 minutes? How would this affect humanity and individuals, Sawyers account of this is a most fantastical story. Buy this book, If you've never read Sawyer Before, you will probably end up buying the rest of his books after reading this one..

Typically engaging - Rated
I really like Robert J Sawyer, he writes good stories and has great characters.

This story is based around CERN in Switzerland and is about ap physics experiment and its oddd side effects. Well paced, engaging and hard to put down.