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Please Note: I received an advance audio copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
The Carls disappeared
the same way they appeared, in an instant. While they were on Earth,
they caused confusion and destruction without ever lifting a finger.
Well, that’s not exactly true. Part of their maelstrom was the sudden
viral fame and untimely death of April May: a young woman who stumbled
into Carl’s path, giving them their name, becoming their advocate, and
putting herself in the middle of an avalanche of conspiracy theories.
Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.
As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?
Months later, the world is as confused as ever. Andy has picked up April’s mantle of fame, speaking at conferences and online about the world post-Carl; Maya, ravaged by grief, begins to follow a string of mysteries that she is convinced will lead her to April; and Miranda infiltrates a new scientific operation . . . one that might have repercussions beyond anyone’s comprehension.
As they each get further down their own paths, a series of clues arrive—mysterious books that seem to predict the future and control the actions of their readers; unexplained internet outages; and more—which seem to suggest April may be very much alive. In the midst of the gang's possible reunion is a growing force, something that wants to capture our consciousness and even control our reality.
A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is the bold and brilliant follow-up to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. It’s a fast-paced adventure that is also a biting social commentary, asking hard, urgent questions. How will we live online? What powers over our lives are we giving away for free? Who has the right to change the world forever? And how do we find comfort in an increasingly isolated world?
Review:
I love how science fiction has the ability to bring important themes forward in an entertaining way. A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, by Hank Green, is the sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing. Using the idea of beings from other worlds surreptitiously influencing society, the author explores the power of social media, and mega companies in our world. This is a wonderfully entertaining sequel with engaging characters and a story that's a page-turner.
What I Liked:
Narration:
Unlike the first book, with a single narrator, A Beautiful Foolish Endeavor has multiple points of view. The audiobook has a full cast of voice actors. This enriches the storytelling enormously.
Characters:
While April was the focus of the first book, we get to know much more about Andy, Miranda, and Maya. Each of them go beyond the geek stereotype and become fully-formed people. I liked Andy's conflicting feelings of loving new tech, but also hating how intrusive it is. Miranda becomes much bolder in the story. Is she trying to emulate April? I especially liked learning more about Maya. She was a very brief character in the first book, but now we get to know much more about April and Maya's relationship, and about Maya's family.
Story:
The story becomes more of a caper as the friends try to protect what April stood for, and hope beyond hope that maybe she's alive. When a new tech company headed by Peter (the person responsible for April's murder), starts to gain power, the friends become suspicious that it may have something to do with The Carls. They try to unravel the mystery and find something even more sinister is afoot.
Themes:
The book has a lot to say about how much power "social media influencers" wield. Why do these people have influence in the first place? Did they create anything? Usually not. So much of this is based on appearance and popularity, not on accomplishment. Yet, media influencers can create wealth out of thin air.
Companies, particularly tech companies, also have enormous power. And we (consumers) willingly give up our privacy rights to these companies in exchange for convenience and entertainment. Even if they start small, or have grand corporate mission statements, companies have one real mission in mind - to make money. Everything else is secondary.
Corporations routinely find ways to circumvent government oversight. And in this book, this is taken to an extreme. Aside from the extra-terrestrial component, the warnings of corporations overreach are real.
Rating: 
Release Date: July 7th, 2020
Author: Hank Green
Audio Publisher: Penguin Audio
Narrator:
Kristenn Sieh, Joe Hempel, Jesse Vilinsky, Nicole Lewis, Kevin R. Free, Hank Green, Robert Petkoff, Angelo Di Loreto, Oliver Wyman, Hillary Huber, P.J. Ochlan, and Gabra Zackman
Audiobook Length: 15 hours, 46 minutes
Print Publisher: Dutton Books
Page Length: 452 Pages
Genre: Speculative Fiction
Source: Publisher
Format: Audiobook
Recommendation: A wonderful sequel that expands on the characters and explores themes of corporate overreach.
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