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Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Two best friends create a computer that can predict the future. But what they can’t predict is how it will tear their friendship—and society—apart.
If you had the chance to look one year into the future, would you?
For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity.
The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined.
Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it?
Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.
If you had the chance to look one year into the future, would you?
For Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry, the answer is unequivocally yes. And they’re betting everything that you’ll say yes, too. Welcome to The Future: a computer that connects to the internet one year from now, so you can see who you’ll be dating, where you’ll be working, even whether or not you’ll be alive in the year to come. By forming a startup to deliver this revolutionary technology to the world, Ben and Adhi have made their wildest, most impossible dream a reality. Once Silicon Valley outsiders, they’re now its hottest commodity.
The device can predict everything perfectly—from stock market spikes and sports scores to political scandals and corporate takeovers—allowing them to chase down success and fame while staying one step ahead of the competition. But the future their device foretells is not the bright one they imagined.
Ambition. Greed. Jealousy. And, perhaps, an apocalypse. The question is . . . can they stop it?
Told through emails, texts, transcripts, and blog posts, this bleeding-edge tech thriller chronicles the costs of innovation and asks how far you’d go to protect the ones you love—even from themselves.
Review:
I always find books about startups to be fun. They are full of excitement, greed, and betrayal. Add predicting the future into the mix, and you have yourself a rollicking good time. This book had me invested quickly in the pipe dreams of the two main characters. I loved the science-fiction aspect of their invention, and the moral dilemma it presented. If you could know what happens to you a year into the future, would you take a peek?
What I Liked:
Premise:
The book's premise, that a Silicon Valley start-up creates a computer that can download news articles from the future, is an instant hook. It has all the drama of the Facebook startup (nerdy genius, his flashy salesman friend, greedy investors, lawsuits), together with the moral ambiguity that comes with predicting the future. How will the technology be used? Will people be able to get lottery numbers, and stock tips? Would they use it to prevent terrorist attacks? Or could it be used to plan terrorist attacks? There are so many scenarios where this information could be abused.
Characters:
The book has two main characters, Adhi, a genius computer guy, and Ben, his college roommate who is looking to be part of the next "big" thing in Silicon Valley. While Adhi is making this invention to see if it can be done, Ben is straight up trying to use it to get rich, Their friendship is the glue that holds the project together. But, as Ben finds eager investors he begins to see the company's rise as inevitable. He gets ahead of himself and starts acting like a bigwig. Adhi, on the other hand, begins to see the potential dangers in such power. I really liked that Adhi had a soul, and could see the wider implications of knowing the future. Ben was less likable, as he only seemed motivated by greed.
Story:
The story is played out as a Congressional hearing where the government is investigating the potential impact of the device on national security. It then has a series of flashbacks to show the reader how the guys met in college, and how they came about creating the company called, The Future. It was a fun, and easy format.
I really liked that Adhi started to immediately think about "quality control" to test the accuracy of the predictions. He thought about if they knew something bad would happen, could they then prevent it from happening. Or would their interference actually create the tragedy? Essentially, he tried to answer the age-old question in science-fiction time travel: Can your actions change the future? Can future actions change the past? This was a really fun aspect of the book.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Release Date: February 9th, 2021
Author: Dan Frey
Publisher: Del Rey Books
Genre: Science Fiction
Page Length: 352 Pages
Source: NetGalley
Format: E-Book
Recommendation: A highly entertaining book that combines the wildness of Silicon Valley start-ups with science fiction. I whole-heartedly recommend this book.
