2054

A Novel

By: Elliot Ackerman, Admiral James Stavridis USN

Narrated by: Junior Nyong'o, Brian Nishii, Eunice Wong, Emily Woo Zeller, Vikas Adam

Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

From the acclaimed authors of the runaway New York Times bestseller 2034 comes another explosive work of speculative fiction set twenty years further in the future, at a moment when a radical leap forward in artificial intelligence combines with America’s violent partisan divide to create an existential threat to the country, and the world

It is twenty years after the catastrophic war between the United States and China that brought down the old American political order. A new party has emerged in the US, one that’s held power for over a decade. Efforts to cement its grip have resulted in mounting violent resistance. The American president has control of the media, but he is beginning to lose control of the streets. Many fear he’ll stop at nothing to remain in the White House. Suddenly, he collapses in the middle of an address to the nation. After an initial flurry of misinformation, the administration reluctantly announces his death. A cover-up ensues, conspiracy theories abound, and the country descends into a new type of civil war.

A handful of elite actors from the worlds of computer science, intelligence, and business have a fairly good idea what happened. All signs point to a profound breakthrough in AI, of which the remote assassination of an American president is hardly the most game-changing ramification. The trail leads to an outpost in the Amazon rainforest, the last known whereabouts of the tech visionary who predicted this breakthrough. As some of the world’s great powers, old and new, state and nonstate alike, struggle to outmaneuver one another in this new Great Game of scientific discovery, the outcome becomes entangled with the fate of American democracy.

Combining a deep understanding of AI, biotech, and the possibility of a coming Singularity, along with their signature geopolitical sophistication, Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis have once again written a visionary work. 2054 is a novel that comes across like a thriller even as it demands that we consider the trajectory of our society and its potentially calamitous destination.

©2024 Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis, USN (P)2024 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Gripping and imaginative . . . an enjoyable techno-thriller that explores the chaotic, self-destructive potential of human ingenuity.”—Booklist

“2054 is a compelling, terrifying and totally plausible thriller of future world history and calamity–not so far away–crafted into a sophisticated geopolitical narrative superbly handled by this unique partnership of retired admiral/NATO supremo, and a prize-winning literary writer of beautiful novels who also happens to be a decorated Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excellent–and a worthy sequel of their thriller 2034.”—Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History

“Stavridis is not just a novelist, but also Admiral James Stavridis, formerly supreme allied commander at NATO. He and Ackerman are the authors of the bestseller 2034. In this follow-up, it is 20 years after the nuclear war between the US and China when the US president collapses and dies during an address to the nation. Conspiracy theories spread, and civil war ensues. Meanwhile, computer scientists and intelligence experts believe they know what lies behind the assassination: a profound breakthrough in AI. This sounds thrilling and provocative, and one to devote a good chunk of time to reading.” —New Scientist

“A captivating thriller . . . At its core, 2054 is part who-dun-it, part House of Cards political thriller, part sci-fi, and part-klaxon warning.” —The SCIF

Hope

Hope is the thing that will allow humans to win in the end. Although this book is fiction, I would be hard pressed to say one thing that will never happen. The Marines against the 82nd Airborne was an interesting hint of the Army-Navy rivalry. What really touched me personally was how both sides ended up on a he same side in the end.
Truth or Dreams; in the end it’s facts that matter. In the end we all just want to get home.

Interesting follow up not what I expected but fascinating

Definitely a departure from the first book in the series, but very interesting direction taken by the authors. Worth checking out if you were a fan of the previous book.

Disappointing, as sequels often are 

Story was pretty anticlimactic, although, perhaps that’s the way the authors hope the future will play out; anti-climactic. Biggest complaint, they had both male and female voice actors, why would they have a female voice actor narrating a male part? Seemed cartoonish and silly to me.

Great follow up to 2034

I found this a great follow up to the prequel of 2034. The main characters oh once again representing some new characters and over 20 years, passed by the events taking place in 2034. Concepts projected actions denied within this story could be used as a warning for many leaders to consider.

More insight, less drama

I felt 2034 had too much fiction and too little insight from the Admiral and this even more distant from what I would say is ideal. I normally don't read fiction, but this series peaked my interest because I was interested in what the Admiral's concerns were and felt it could be intelligently explored with this format, but alas I think the drama was overdone. AI and will play a much bigger role in the world by 2054 than portrayed in this novel. The fictional characters could have had more interesting dialogue if they had more subject expertise. There is also less tension and shock in this offering than the last.

Plot Hard To Figure Out

The story is written with many nods to political correctness. For example, the last name of an American protagonist is “Muhammad,” first name “James.” Another example is that the entire Admiralty of the U..S. Navy appears to be female. The Marine Corps company stationed in D.C. is also commanded by a female. If this sort of story-telling annoys you, then this book is not for you (the story is not that strong).
The main plot conceit is that electronics at the atomic level (electrons flowing through computer chips) is becoming merged with biological (genetic) reactions at the atomic level (DNA and RNA reactions). This is the singularity and leads to remote manipulation of people’s genetic code. This of course leads to all kinds of high jinks. Not enough was made of this idea in my opinion.
The story itself is told with scenes jumping around various far-flung locations and this IMHO makes the plot disjointed. So it is hard to keep the plot straight. The scenes are detailed but a lot of the detail seems irrelevant to the story. An example is a description of a living room couch as leather with tufts. Why do I need to know this to just be told the characters were sitting down?
The story ends with a whimper

Great story

This was a worthy sequel to 2034, which is one of my recent favorites. Complex characters and a fast, yet smart, storyline. I hope we get a 2074.

Absolutely Phenomenal!

This extremely well written and compelling book grabs you from the beginning, and never lets go! The incredible AI and technology details are amazingly relatable to present day. The book is an extremely provocative look at where AI can take us in the future - if we make it there! With 2054, Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis USN have produced a remarkable work as always. You can't go wrong with picking up a copy or listening to the audio version, so go for it, and you won't be disappointed!

Entertaining Story

Several nonfiction writers, and a host of science fiction writers, have written of their worry concerning the convergence of AI and biology, so the speculation in this book is plausible. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but one dream sequence in the final section of the Coda is not one a Christian like me can accept.

Different from the first in the series, but still very enjoyable!

Great, fun techno thriller. While I wish it went deeper into world building and story development, it remained entertaining and engaging from beginning to end.