Flashforward

By: Robert J. Sawyer

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

A scientific experiment begins, and as the button is pressed, the unexpected occurs: everyone in the world goes to sleep for a few moments while everyone's consciousness is catapulted more than 20 years into the future. At the end of those moments, when the world reawakens, all human life is transformed by foreknowledge.

©1999 Robert J. Sawyer (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"This first-rate, philosophical journey, a terrific example of idea-driven SF, should have wide appeal." ( Publishers Weekly)

Partly enjoyable

The first part of this book was very enjoyable for me. The what-ifs were intriguing and the mystery was...well mysterious. When the book took a turn towards the dreadfully boring theoretical physics I had to force myself to continue. The idea that the future is immutable seems ridiculous to me. It is especially silly in this story because getting a glimpse into the future would change so many lives. It just seemed absurd and the book never addressed that issue as it related to the irreversible future. I liked the premise but not so much the execution. I hated the ending and it was just dull. The conclusion frustrated me and did not satisfy.
Also, I think that the story could have used some kind of levity. The narrator was just okay for me. If you are into mind numbingly boring physics then this could be the book for you. I was less than impressed.

Wished it had never ended.

This is one of those books that you want to never end. Keeps your attention to the very end.

Good science = good sci-fi

If you're a late comer to this party like me, you're probably listening to this book because of the TV show. You should know in advance that this is not even remotely close to the same party. The science gets a little bit dizzying in a couple spots, but good science leads to good science fiction. Great narration and an engaging story with a lot of fascinating theories about the dimension of time that's very well worth reading for any sci-fi enthusiast.

Wanted closure to the TV series

I was not expecting it to be like the TV show based on the reviews. However, I thought that listening to this and having followed the cancelled TV show, I would figure out where it was all going. However, the story was different and only used some of the people.
In the long-run, this is a good story, but could have been more for the ending. The TV show was much more dramatized and had more intrigue.

Still worth a listen if you are interested in this genre.

A great book to hear.

The story is full of excitement, accurate on scientific data, it'll keep your attention from the begining to the end. A lot better than the tv series with the same name.

An interesting concept

An interesting concept, followed through interestingly. The story has some philosophical moments, done if which I found a bit frustrating, but mostly a good story.

Flawed logic from alleged high level physicists distracting

I tried to like the story, I really did. But Lloyd's insistence that the visions were of an immutable future (and this was brought up again and again, ad nausium) kept pulling me out. I mean, anyone at that level ought to have some familiarity with feedback loops and control systems. I'm glad the author didn't make the timeline fixed in the story, but I just couldn't buy into Lloyd's character. Sure, the timeline absolutely would be fixed if it were a closed system, but given the feedback from the visions divergences would have started happening immediately.

In addition to that, there were several extremely over-dramatic scenes that just had me rolling my eyes and looking forward to moving on. It's not bad, but not good enough that I would recommend it to anyone.

Fun, interesting, occasionally frustrating

Would you listen to Flashforward again? Why?

Possibly, it's a fun book. I like the setting and subject matter.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Flashforward?

There are many discussions and speculations about the nature of time, and whether you can affect the future. Brilliant scientific minds explain some interesting models for understanding time.
It's frustrating then that the same brilliant mind is blindingly daft and slow to see the holes in his logic. It feels like the author wants to go as slow as the least attentive reader, even when the character should be smarter than that.

Any additional comments?

Having only seen the pilot of the TV series, I can't comment on how good it is, but reducing this scientific romp through CERN into a LA cop show can't possibly do the subject matter justice, can it?

How would you react?

Suddenly, without warning, you get a glimpse of your life many years in the future. You think that you hallucinated, but then you realize that everyone has seen that same moment in time. And one person sees nothing, but he learns that someone in that time shift was reading a newspaper that contained his obituary. Millions died during the flashforward, and you think that you might be the cause of all the tragedy. How would you react?

If you have seen the sadly short-lived TV series based on this book, do not expect a repeat. The TV series conveniently placed the Flashforward event at the end of the first season, and it tinkers greatly with the plot line. Both the series and the book are excellent, but treat them as separate experiences.

How would you digest the fruits of knowledge??

You know how you sometimes wish you did something different after some event has happened.. well Robert J. Sawyer explores this here.

Based around a group of scientists who are conducting an experiment at CERN (the place where they have a massive collider running thats SO large it spans 3 different boarders/countries) in Switzerland. The results are not as they expect..

What would be your path in life if.. for 2 mins, you could see 20 years in to the future.. would you be with that person you thought you loved? If not, how would that affect you today... with that person you're with now... hhmm.. how does fore knowledge affect your daily decisions in life??

As with his other books - the science behind his stories are not outrageous, indeed they are scientifically sound (reference to SCI-FI weekly). Enjoy it, its a great story..

If you enjoyed this I would recommend one of his other books: Terminal Experiment.