Robert Sawyer
Flashforward (1999)
Author: Robert Sawyer
Genre: Science Fiction (Philosophical)
Plot Summary: In an experiment to produce the Higgs boson, a theoretical subatomic particle, the consciousness of the entire human race is thrown forward twenty-one years for two minutes. While the world must deal with immediate consequences--many people were killed and injured as every single person's body was left unconscious in 2009--the far-reaching repercussions of insight into the future take longer to surface. SPOILER: The future is proven to be changeable, when one man who experienced a vision of the future takes his own life. However, the majority of people who experienced a glimpse of the future dramatically alter the course of their life to conform to their life to their vision.
Geographical Setting: CERN research facility in Switzerland
Time Period: 2009 and two minutes in 2030
Appeal Characteristics: This character-driven novel reads at a roller coaster pace, with long, detailed discussions of particle physics and the nature of the world interspersed with scenes of exciting action. The long discussions are generally written through dialogue; normally, two characters hold alternate viewpoints and debate the merits of both sides, which makes these passages easier to read. Each character must grapple with how their vision of their future affects them in the here and now, and because of this, Sawyer spends a lot of time describing his main and secondary characters to give them a realistic air. To provide this realism, the tone is neither light nor dark, but both at the same time, although the end provides the reader with a bleak look at the future of the human race. One of the main characters, Theo Procopides, did not experience a vision, because he was murdered two days before the Flashforward event took place. He spends the next twenty years of his life obsessed with his own death. The other characters are thrown into other scenarios; for example, Llyod Simcoe, the other main character, found out that in the future, he is no longer married to his current partner. Being able to hypothetically place yourself into these same situations is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this novel. While the book needed to be set in a research facility, the fact that the characters were placed in one in Switzerland was not important. The research facility was an island, an unimportant backdrop where the characters were placed. While a Flashforward event is unlikely to ever occur, Sawyer backs up his story with believable science, and his creative look at the nature of the universe, fate and free will is an overall enjoyable read.
Read-alikes: Anyone who enjoyed Flashforward will want to pick up The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells, because it is obvious that Sawyer used The Time Machine as inspiration for his more modern tale. Wells' story of the Victorian scientist who travels 800,000 years into the future provides a bleak look at what the future of the planet will be. The end of Flashforward provides the reader with this same Wellian vision of the future of the planet and the human race. Readers also should try other books by Robert Sawyer, starting with Hugo award winner Hominids. The book is first in a series of three books, and features the plight of a physicist from another dimension trapped on Earth in the present day. Just like in Flashforward, in Hominids, the physicist must deal with issues such as the nature of the world, fate and free will, and rather than being action-driven, Hominids is another story that is driven by its characters, focusing on how they would react in improbable situations. Timeline, by Michael Crichton, also would be a good suggestion. In the book, a group of young scientists must travel to medieval times to rescue their professor. Timeline is much more action-packed than Flashforward, but both books share similar themes and feature characters placed in disturbing situations through the unintended consequences of science. Readers who enjoyed Sawyer's use of dialogue will be well-satisfied with Crichton's use of extended dialogue in this look at time travel. Greg Bear's Darwin's Radio would be another book to try. A Nebula award winner, this book features female protagonist who must work against the clock to identify an ancient disease that has started surfacing in expectant mothers. Just as in Timeline, this book is more action-driven than character-driven, but Darwin's Radio also features intellectual speculation with emphasis on ideas. Darwin's Radio is like Flashforward, in that its characters are presented with realism, and the science is believable. Einstein's Bridge, by John Cramer, is a different take on how particle physics can change the world, and should be recommended to anyone who enjoyed Flashforward's emphasis on physics research. The end is not immediate evident in Einstein's Bridge, as the plot experiences several twists and turns, which is similar to Flashforward. Although the characters in Flashforward see their futures, this future is changeable and the reader does not know what to expect next.
Red Flags: Some violence, and several extremely detailed discussions of particle physics that might put off the more casual science fiction reader.
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