Flashback

By: Dan Simmons

Narrated by: Richard Davidson, Bryan Kennedy, Joe Barrett

Length: 21 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The United States is near total collapse. But 87% of the population doesn't care: they're addicted to flashback, a drug that allows its users to re-experience the best moments of their lives. After ex-detective Nick Bottom's wife died in a car accident, he went under the flash to be with her; he's lost his job, his teenage son, and his livelihood as a result.

Nick may be a lost soul, but he's still a good cop, so he is hired to investigate the murder of a top governmental advisor's son. This flashback-addict becomes the one man who may be able to change the course of an entire nation that is turning away from the future to live in the past.

A provocative novel set in a future that seems scarily possible, Flashback proves why Dan Simmons is one of our most exciting and versatile writers.

©2011 Dan Simmons (P)2011 Hachette

An interesting story... spoiled

Flashback is an interesting novel, combining elements of science fiction with a sort of "post-apocalyptic America." The characters are interesting, and the plot is unpredictable. There's enough techie stuff to keep sci-fi nerds entertained.

Unfortunately, the author loads up his story with long political lectures in which he expounds on what I presume are his personal political biases. If these lectures were balanced or well-informed, perhaps they would be excusable. But as it is, they have all the insight and balance of a Rush Limbaugh rant. The author expounds on political subjects on which he is apparently ignorant, in the end achieving a sort of parody of Sarah Palin, where everything is black and white, good or evil.

The book is worth a listen, but more than once while listening I wished the author had chosen to empty his political garbage elsewhere.

Different

For me this book started out slow, but soon drew you into the story. I really felt for the main character. But then again, sometimes I didn't like him. I liked the different view of the future for America, it's not one that you see everyday.

Flashback is the New Soma for the Masses

"The service had begun. The dedicated soma tablets were placed in the centre of the table. The loving cup of strawberry ice-cream soma was passed from hand to hand and, with the formula,
"I drink to my annihilation," twelve times quaffed."...


"Pain's a delusion" ...


"they're so conditioned that they practically can't help behaving as they ought to behave. And if anything should go wrong, there's soma. Which you go and chuck out of the window in the name of liberty, Mr. Savage."
Aldous Huxley, Brave New World.

WAKE UP PEOPLE! Does any reader with an IQ over 10 disagree that today it is impossible to "tell it like it is" without dire consequences extracted by America's or United Nation-esque; religiousfanatic-istic thought police who brutally enforce today's politically correct newspeak? I am surprised that Simmons and his publishers had the balls to publish this rational, realistic, even likely dystopian vision of the near future. Plus it is a great mystery-thriller with brilliant elements of Skiffy (read the book) and Satire on par with Jonathan Swift on par with his usual literature level writing evidenced in his previous books.
I was shocked by this book expecting something akin to his brilliant Hyperion books. This book will outrage many and do not be influenced by what I expect to be many one star reviews. These are the soma goons. I am not saying you should agree with this world view, but you should read it, think for yourself for once and at least you will read a thrilling story. Admit it, now that the mainstream media are allowing the masses to realize America is already bankrupt and no superman has shown up to fix everything and the masses are slack faced on the sidelines holding canaries...could some version of this dystopia occur?

Fantastic story

What an amazing story. The entire book from cover to cover was exciting and kept me coming back. The one issue I had was the narrator for Val sounded like he was reading a children's book to sick kids in a hospital. His lines consist of curses, rapes, murder etc, but he sounds like he's reading Mr. Men books. It really took me out of Val's story because of how annoying his voice was.

Thankfully Val's story is the least read of the 3, and the other two narrators were fantastic, so it wasn't too bad.

Excellent listen, fantastic story. Another great Dan Simmons book

Pleasantly Surprised

This was the first book by Dan Simmons that I have read or listened to, and I found it very satisfying. I've always enjoyed the grim, 'look how badly we screwed up the world' genre, and this was one of the better ones I've read. I especially enjoyed the thinly veiled digs at the current events and politicians that caused the mess (or at least got the ball rolling), but if you're too far left of center, you might find that a bit annoying. Given the range of character ages, the use of multiple narrators was very effective. Well worth the credit!

Good buildup, weak conclusion

Simmons is amazing writing action. Knows his technical details. Too macho. A sober guy writing about drugs.

Outstanding, haunting work from a master of sci fi

There has been a lot of negativity surrounding Flashback, and most of it centers around Dan Simmons’ right wing politics. There’s so much negativity, in fact, that I hesitated before buying and went on to read a few more reviews. In the end I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect, but for the author who gave the world the Hyperion/ Endymion story-- among the finest works of science fiction in the last thirty years--I would forgive much. I decided to give it a try.

I am glad I did. Simmons is at his best when he finds his voice in a haunting tale of personal struggle amidst a larger struggle. The dialogue is often brisk, well-read, philosophical, and reflective. The setting is somewhat cyber punk in the sense of high technology and low people, but somehow more mournful and sad than what typically defines cyber punk.

There is no question that Simmons’ far right wing politics set the stage for the story, and critics who have alleged that he’s personally gone off the deep end may well be correct. My answer to this is “so what”? What does it say about us as readers if we are only able to read books that reinforce all of our political positions and lash out at those that push us-- even if they push us with new points of view. It is perhaps reflective of our partisan political era where each side writes books only for their followers, makes news channels only for the loyal, and each side makes sure the battle lines are all clear. This is an absurd standard to judge fiction by. I am not a prince of Denmark, I am not a boy with a run away slave, I am not a pirate, a space marine, or a horse deciding whether to vote for the full manager or the three day week but I have lived these tales. Books are about considering new perspectives and challenging ourselves, not weeding out anything that doesn’t reinforce our ever narrowing vision of the world.

Read Flashback because it is a great work of science fiction. Read it to be challenged, read it to see how the other side thinks, read it to see your own politics in action, read it to learn, but most of all read it because it is the work of a 65 year-old master of the craft who may have too few books left. Read it because it is fantastic.

Great Story telling but very right wing!

I don't agree with some of the subtext of this book, but it made me reflect about my own political beliefs. The pacing and performances were outstanding. This book won't make me vote for the Tea Party, but I plan on reading more of Dan Simmons work.

A fictional glimpse into a possible future.

Some of the sociopolitical content was so disturbing this title might need to be considered horror. I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. With what's happen with Iran and Israel currently it makes for truly terrifying reading.

to conservative

keep saying the US was dying because of entitlement destroying the country. Got tiered of it.