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Flashforward

by Robert J. Sawyer

3.47 · rating details · 3,471 ratings · 659 reviews

The Aurora Award-winning novel that started it all!

FLASH FORWARD

Two minutes and seventeen seconds that changed the world

Suddenly, without warning, all seven billion people on Earth black out for more than two minutes. Millions die as planes fall from the sky, people tumble down staircases, and cars plow into each other.

But that’s the least of the survivors’ challenges

...more

Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages

Published April 15th 2000 by Tor Science Fiction (first published June 12th 1999)

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Community Reviews

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Jan 26, 2012

Gavin rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

Two minutes and seventeen seconds. A small amount of time for most of us, but within the confines of Robert Sawyer's fantastic science fiction novel FLASHFORWARD, 2:17 becomes more than a number; it becomes the insight to what the future holds. You see, 2:17 is the amount of time humnaity checked-out. All seven billion. As you can guess, choas ensued if you were one of the unlucky ones awake at the time. Planes crashed. Cars drove themselves. I can only guess what that unlucky skydiver ex...more

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Jun 27, 2011

The Bird from Twin Peaks rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Dec 17, 2008

Michael rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, read-in-2008

For me, Robert J. Sawyer novels are either hit or miss. They're either incredibly brilliant and I can't turn the pages fast enough ("Rollback") or I can't wait for the final page to turn just to be done with the novel ("Homonids"). And I'll admit I picked up this one because ABC has put it on the fast-track for development for a potential TV series. One that could air after "Lost" and is being sold as a "companion" piece for one of my favorite TV shows...moreFor me, Robert J. Sawyer novels are either hit or miss. They're either incredibly brilliant and I can't turn the pages fast enough ("Rollback") or I can't wait for the final page to turn just to be done with the novel ("Homonids"). And I'll admit I picked up this one because ABC has put it on the fast-track for development for a potential TV series. One that could air after "Lost" and is being sold as a "companion" piece for one of my favorite TV shows.

Being a book-snob, I knew I had to try the original novel before the series comes out, so I can spend hours boring friends and family about how the book is better. I've tried to get help for this condition, but so far, no luck.

Thankfully, "Flashfoward" falls into the category of really good Robert J. Saywer novels. The premise is that on the day an experiment is conducted at the CERT supercollider, people experience a flash forward of thirty years into the future for two minutes. Everyone has visions for about two minutes of where they'll be and what they'll be doing thirty years hence. Then everything shifts back and we have to deal with the fallout and ramifications of things.

The driving focus of the story is a mystery. One of the lead characters sees no vision of the future, but by talking to others determines he was murdered two days before the events everyone saw. He then begins to slowly try and unravel who killed him and why in an attempt to prevent that future from becoming reality.

One of the many interesting debates in the story is whether or not the future is "set" or can we make changes to it. Two character are engaged, but in the future he sees himself married to another woman. So, should the two continue their path to marriage given than it appears things don't work out? Do we have free will? Is the timeline set or are there an infinite number of universes based on decisions we make today that change things in small but interesting ways? Or all we just robots acting out some grand drama and we have no control over our lives? Sawyer brings up these questions and some theories on the nature of time and free will vs determinism in a fascinating way. To counter the engaged couple, Sawyer gives us two scientists who have a vision of engaging in sexual intercourse at a lab during the flashforward. The moment is thirty years from now, but when they get back the two find each other, meet and begin a relationship. Will the passion still be there in thirty years or have they changed the future? Were they destined to meet? Did the flashfoward push them together sooner?

The novel also brings up the interesting idea of if you know too much about your future, can that be a negative thing? One aspiring author sees himself in the future, working as a waiter and having never "made it" as a writer. Rather than toil, he decides his life is over and commits suicide. The novel also brings up that this happens to a lot of other people, many of whom lose hope over not seeing their dreams come true or the future as something that want to move forward to.

Reading the novel, I can see the potential for a great TV series here and why it could be a good companion show for "Lost." You've got a diverse set of characters who are thrown together and must come to grips with a central mystery of what happened and why. There is a similar interconnectedness among the characters like we have in "Lost" as well. Will it work as a TV show if you remove or have to solve the "will I or won't I be murdered?" thread that drives the main plot? Yes, it could. While that plotline is sufficiently satisfying and drives the story forward, it's still the philosophical questions that Sawyer raises that really linger with the reader after the final page is turned.
(less)

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Jan 15, 2011

Matt rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, mystery-and-espionage

(Cross-posted to Android Dreamer, my science fiction blog.)

Flashforward is the kind of novel that gradually gets better as it goes on. Despite the cool concept, I felt like early on I couldn't get into it, until I all of a sudden realized that it had suddenly become interesting on me. It isn't as outstanding as his Hugo Award winning novel Hominids but it is a strong story, a cool premise, and is made very good by particular awesome moments.

The concept is that for 2 minutes a...more(Cross-posted to Android Dreamer, my science fiction blog.)

Flashforward is the kind of novel that gradually gets better as it goes on. Despite the cool concept, I felt like early on I couldn't get into it, until I all of a sudden realized that it had suddenly become interesting on me. It isn't as outstanding as his Hugo Award winning novel Hominids but it is a strong story, a cool premise, and is made very good by particular awesome moments.

The concept is that for 2 minutes and 17 seconds, the whole world fell unconscious and had a vision of what their lives would be like in 2030 (the book is set in 2009). It follows a handful of story lines as the scientists linked to the experiment that they believe caused the event try to figure out if the future is concrete. The most interesting story of the bunch is that of Theo, a Greek-born physicist who didn't have a vision of 2030, because he would be dead by then. He goes on a quest to figure out who it is that is going to kill him, and starts to gradually put together the pieces based on visions other people had about him at the time.

I haven't seen the television show that was adapted from this, but I will hazard a guess based on this simple fact: In the long cast list I am looking at, only one single character is present in the television show that is from the book. Leads me to believe they took the basic concept and made something else entirely. Last time I watched a visual adaptation of a novel I liked that pretty much ignored the source material, I was gravely disappointed (Bladerunner. Yuck) so I will not be watching the show any time soon.

The prose is solid, but not awe-inspiring. His dialog is good, but not exemplary. Sawyer is not a writer you read for perfect prose (if you want that, see the work of Ursula K. Le Guin), but has great ideas. His characters are good and believable, and he does a great job of getting me interested in what he's talking about. I still much prefer Hominids but this was definitely a good read.(less)

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May 17, 2010

Whitelady3 rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: own, portuguese, 2010

Since last summer, when I saw the television series being announced, that I become curious about this book. Unfortunately I haven't been able to follow the show but was happy to see the book published in Portuguese and couldn't wait to pick it up and read it.

Though it's different from the television series, as I've been told, the book starts in a similar way, with a global blackout in which every person in the world has a glimpse of their future, for 2 minutes, into 21 years time. But ...moreSince last summer, when I saw the television series being announced, that I become curious about this book. Unfortunately I haven't been able to follow the show but was happy to see the book published in Portuguese and couldn't wait to pick it up and read it.

Though it's different from the television series, as I've been told, the book starts in a similar way, with a global blackout in which every person in the world has a glimpse of their future, for 2 minutes, into 21 years time. But not everyone has such visions. Theo Procopides, one of the main characters, doesn't see a thing... since 21 years from now he'll be dead. Does this mean that the future is already written? Don't we have free will? It's around this questions that the story evolve, showing different theories (like Shrödinger's Cat, Minkowski’s Cube and the Block Universe), to justify the different opinions and views on the future.

As far as characters are concerned, they're pretty basic, stereotyped, but perfect for such book. It was easy to relate to them, even if I thought Simcoe was arrogant. I liked how some future events were shown, such as the end of monarchy in England, and it was curious to watch the action taking place in 2009 when the book was written in 1999, specially because it was in 2008/2009 that the CERN's LHC started to work (I remember my brother telling me there was to come a new Big Bang... fortunately nothing happened :P ). And finally, the writing was very accessible even when it went on about Physics. I don't know much about that, I'm more of a History girl, but subjects as Higgs Boson were easy to understand. Even the more philosophical part was nice to follow, as I think everyone had the same doubts before. I was surprised to see the position I defend explained in the book, using the example of Ebenezer Scrooge. I know we can't see into the future, but one can have a vague idea of what will happen if he makes the choices he usually does. When we do something extraordinary, may it be because we took a different path of that we usually follow or because something out of the ordinary happens to us (after all there are things out of our control), we're possibly changing the future. I at least have the notion that if I hadn't made some choices I wouldn't be where I am today...

But getting back to the book, I didn't like the ending that much but it was a nice second incursion into science-fiction, after my experience with Scott Westerfeld. I was positively impressed and can't wait to read more books of this genre and of this author. I'm particularly curious about his Neanderthal Parallax series.(less)

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Aug 02, 2011

Tracy added it

I actually read this book as part of a selection for my book club. I want to read the book because I think the concept is interest and can stir a lot of discussion about science and the ability to have a glimpse of your future.

I found the book too heavy on the technical and scientific description. I think the author could have use the time to better develop his characters. Getting past all the physics theories and extended descriptions, the idea behind the story is interesting. See how people co...more

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Dec 20, 2011

CanaryK rated it

Now, I've never watched this television show (and didn't it get canceled really early on or something?), but if it really was better than the book, I should watch it immediately.

Personal taste thing: I think Robert Sawyer's ideas are amazing and his writing style, while it isn't dazzling or anything, is enough not to ruin his ideas. I love it when a book just interlaces with itself so nicely, and the premise of this book allows for that beautifully (you know, with the whole "let...more

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Sep 14, 2011

Sandi rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, sci-fi

I’ve had Flashback sitting in my to-read pile for a long time now, but I kept moving books in front of it. It was a surprisingly fast and easy read, but it missed some of the depth it could have achieved considering its themes. The largest theme is freewill vs. determinism. That’s a pretty meaty topic for such a short book. Religion has been debating this issue for millennia and hasn’t come to a full conclusion. This book tries to take a scientific approach, but it’s nothing that can really...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Brett rated it

First, let me start by saying that this is the BASIS for the US television show, nothing more. So ... if you're a fan of the show, you'll probably NOT like this book! Fair warning. Like many sci-fi books, this one deals with ideas rather than an important narrative. Don't misunderstand me - there IS a plot, but it seems to exist only for Sawyer to reflect on the nature of time and space. And reflect he does! I must say, some of the concepts he puts forward are not easy to grasp, and I foun...more

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Aug 08, 2011

procrastin8or rated it

I decided to read this book after the fact of the well received TV series. I was quite surprised to see that there was very little in common between the two aside from the subject of the event giving everybody an insight into their future. In the TV series, I believe the period is 18 months hence but in the case of the book it is 21 years. I'm not going to dwell too much on the differences because they are irrelevant and each deserves to be judged on its own merit.

The book concerns a team at CER...more

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Jul 22, 2011

Rebecca rated it

I saw the pilot for this tv show a few months ago and found out it's based on a book and since the show was okay (I'll probably watch it for a few weeks and see how it goes) and I like things to do with time, I picked it up. There are some smiler things with the show, but it was like watching/reading something totally different which I always appreciate especially when both are okay. And the book was just okay. In the book, they sort of know what caused the whole world to black out and they spen...more

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Jun 18, 2011

yukoxoxo2000 rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. What would I feel if I had a glimpse of my future? I’d love to see if I’ll be happy with my family in years to come, but what if I will be single and penniless? It’s controversial, and thinking of my future was thrilling while reading Flash Forward.

In this book, scientists conducted a high energy experiment which caused an unexpected global blackout for 2 minutes. People suddenly fell unconscious while their minds were flash forwarded (as they coined the word for the blackout) to 21 y...more

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Jun 13, 2011

Kyra rated it

Shelves: scifi

One of those very rare cases where the tv show is better than the book.(IMO)

I've discovered don't like Robert Sawyer's books.
I had previous read his attempt at "intelligent design" SciFi book called "Calculating God" (which I *LOATHED*).

However, the concept of this book was so interesting, I was intrigued.
I enjoyed the TV show adaptation but wanted more answers, so I read the book.

I had to force my way through it. I don't kno...moreOne of those very rare cases where the tv show is better than the book.(IMO)

I've discovered don't like Robert Sawyer's books.
I had previous read his attempt at "intelligent design" SciFi book called "Calculating God" (which I *LOATHED*).

However, the concept of this book was so interesting, I was intrigued.
I enjoyed the TV show adaptation but wanted more answers, so I read the book.

I had to force my way through it. I don't know why but I just don't like his writing style.

I don't think it's just because there's a lot of physics involved, I'm able to read other SciFi that explores concepts that are over my head and I just sort of skim the science-y bit sand get the general gist.

I don't like or connect with any of his characters. THe two main characters are two male physicists dealing with the outcome of their experiment & their future. One spends the whole book trying to figure out if he should marry someone if they may not stay together. Second guy spends a lot of the book trying to figure out why someone may wnat to kill him & lusting for first guys almost wife.

I've been trying to put my finger on it, but I can't pinpoint it - but something about how the author writes his characters rubs me the wrong way. Making one of the main characters think about how he he has to be politically correct and call people melanin-Americans" (the kind of exagerrated over-correcting that in my experience, racist people use). The only people I hear talking about "politically correctness" are usually complaining about being "forced" to use polite terms. people that stress/emphasize the fact that they're using the "correct" terms.

Then there are the depictions of people feeling 'yellow fever' & thinking about an "exotic" Japanese woman and repeated mentions of "almond eyes". I know there are people out there who are like that, & I don't have a problem with their representation.
It felt more like 'here's how the author sees Japanese women' than, "author is writing a character that has these thoughts". Again, I can't really point to a specific sentence that proves it, it was just the feeling I got as I read the book.

So go watch the tv adaptation which expanded on these ideas in a better way - then if you're still curious read the last section of the book.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011

Mike rated it

Personally, I have a soft spot for time travel. If it has time travel, I will probably enjoy it, even if it's not good. Fortunately, Flashforward is good, although it is only kind of about time travel. The interesting thing about time travel is, almost universally, is that it asks the question, "What if I could go back or correct my mistakes?" or "What if I could see ahead and prevent my mistakes?" From the title you can probably infer that this book asks the latter question,...more

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Feb 26, 2011

Kris rated it

Shelves: science-fiction

I picked up this book at Powell's because I was a fan of the TV show, and was curious as to how similar they were. The answer is, not very. The event itself is the same (in the sense that it happens), and a couple of the character names are the same, but the characters themselves are very different. That said, it stands up pretty well on its own right. The age of the book stands out a bit awkwardly in spots - it was written a little over a decade ago, but takes place about now. So some of t...more

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Feb 07, 2011

Nathaniel rated it

Shelves: sci-fi

This is the book that the TV show was based on but, based on watching the first 5-6 episodes of the show, they had very, very little in common other than the fundamental premise that everyone in the world falls unconscious for about 2 minutes and has visions of what appear to be their future.

At times the book made attempts to really grapple with the philosophical question of free will, but as someone who's studied it a lot the discussion never really got interesting. Without giving aw...more

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Jan 01, 2011

Yolanda Sfetsos rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

This is another book that has recently been made into a TV show. While the concept sounded intriguing, when I found out it was based on a book, I decided to read the book instead. And wow, I wasn't wrong about the concept. It's amazing.

For two minutes, after the Hadron Collider is turned on during an experiment at CERN, the entire planet blacks out. And during that time, everyone has a vision of the future - 21 years into the future. Many are astounded by what they see in their futur...moreThis is another book that has recently been made into a TV show. While the concept sounded intriguing, when I found out it was based on a book, I decided to read the book instead. And wow, I wasn't wrong about the concept. It's amazing.

For two minutes, after the Hadron Collider is turned on during an experiment at CERN, the entire planet blacks out. And during that time, everyone has a vision of the future - 21 years into the future. Many are astounded by what they see in their futures, while some are totally confused because it shows people they don't even know yet. A few others don't see anything at all. But what every single person in the world shares is the devastation that follows.

At first it's on the huge scale of planes falling from the sky, people losing control of their cars, or falling down the stairs, but it ends in simple realisations and arguments about whether the future is set, or can be changed by free will. It's an awesome point to bring up. As well as how seeing a snippet of what's to come in your future can affect the present. How it can change and make you question what's going on in your life right now. How does it change your dreams and aspirations, or even the relationships you cherish, or knowing that you'll be dead? It's a fantastical concept that is explored perfectly in this book.

The story is told in several points of views, with some statistics thrown in. Mostly it's the POV of Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides - the two physicists who got the world into this mess in the first place. Their vision - or lack of one - drives their present in a way that pretty much takes over their lives. Especially for Theo, who happens to find out that not only will he be dead in 21 years, but he'll be murdered. The story of chaos and the loss of so many lives, becomes the tale of one man's determination to prove that the future is already set, and another's to figure out how he can change the path of his life so that he'll be able to stop his own death.

Flashforward is an intoxicating book written in a very casual, yet informative narrative that'll keep you turning the page. The plot was weaved in a way that kept me interested from start to finish, and I wasn't disappointed when I got to the end and found all the separate threads tied together. The last part of the book takes place in 2030 and slowly reveals how everyone's life turned out, leaving the reader with a great sense of closure.

I enjoyed this book a lot, and keep finding myself thinking about it. There might be a lot of technical, scientific things mentioned, but I loved that it didn't take away from the human side of the story.(less)

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Nov 17, 2010

Rosenkavalier rated it

· review of another edition

Flashforward di voi, giunti all'ultima pagina:

"Embé?"

Fine del flashforward.

Durante un complesso esperimento, svoltosi nell'LHC, l'acceleratore di particelle del CERN di Ginevra, un fenomeno inspiegabile causa la perdita di conoscenza di tutti gli esseri umani sul pianeta per circa 3 minuti, durante i quali ognuno vede se stesso agire nel medesimo lasso di tempo, ma trent'anni avanti nel futuro.
Se l'assunto di base è interessante, lo svolgimento lo è molto meno. Le implicazioni del viag...more

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Nov 14, 2010

Emily Ward rated it

Shelves: science-fiction

Like many others, I picked up this book because I enjoyed the television show. Well, let me warn you right off the bat: this is nothing like the television show. In fact, I like the television show more (and I'm still very sad that they cancelled it!). But don't let that turn you away from the book. It was a fascinating concept and a quick read (but okay, I skimmed most of the heavy science parts).

In April 2009, a physics experiment causes a worldwide temporal displacement: a "...moreLike many others, I picked up this book because I enjoyed the television show. Well, let me warn you right off the bat: this is nothing like the television show. In fact, I like the television show more (and I'm still very sad that they cancelled it!). But don't let that turn you away from the book. It was a fascinating concept and a quick read (but okay, I skimmed most of the heavy science parts).

In April 2009, a physics experiment causes a worldwide temporal displacement: a "flashforward" during which the entire human race's consciousness shifts forward in time 21 years. The book deals mainly with the physicists Lloyd Simcoe and Theo Procopides and their responses to their visions (Simcoe finds he's married to someone other than his fiancee, and Theo finds out he's been murdered a few days before the day everyone saw), but Sawyer also jumps around and looks at the global effects of such an event as well as minor characters here and there.

I read through this book in 4-5 sittings. During the first two, I covered nearly 2/3 of the book. Then it slowed down, and I started to get bored with all the science explanations and the blatant "telling" instead of "showing." It asks some amazing philosophical questions. Everyone wonders about what their future is like, and if they had a chance to see it, how they would react. There's a lot of debates about free will and time and how it all fits together.

I found the characters a little flat. I was interested in their stories, but not past the point of, "Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen." Like 4 on a scale from 1 to 10. But it is what kept me reading, I wanted to know about Theo's killer and how Lloyd's marriage worked out. I also thought some of Sawyer's predictions about the future were a little contrived/far-fetched. Of course we have to have flying cars, but I don't think the institution of marriage will ever be reduced to merely living together for a certain amount of time. (And in all three books I've read of Sawyer's, he has to say something about how his Canadian/European characters can enjoy socialized healthcare while Americans can't. Yes, we know. No need to rub it in.)

All in all, I'd recommend this book, but not before others. (less)

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Nov 08, 2010

Laura rated it

I watched Flashforward for several episodes on ABC because I thought the concept was interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was bad and I bailed on the show half-way through the season. Apparently I wasn't the only one as it was cancelled. The concept still appealed to me though and I was interested enough to read the book.

The book is much better than the show. Some differences:

1) The show followed scientists and an FBI team. The book only focuses on scientists
2)...moreI watched Flashforward for several episodes on ABC because I thought the concept was interesting. Unfortunately, the execution was bad and I bailed on the show half-way through the season. Apparently I wasn't the only one as it was cancelled. The concept still appealed to me though and I was interested enough to read the book.

The book is much better than the show. Some differences:

1) The show followed scientists and an FBI team. The book only focuses on scientists
2) The show had a flashforward of 6 months. The book has a 20 year flashforward.
3) The show made some bizarre plot decisions so that there would be an action element. The book didn't condescend to this.
4) The show had characters debating cause and theory, but only secondary to the action element. The book spends A LOT of time debating cause and effect and the theory of how the flashforward worked.

Some similarities:

1) The show used names from the book, but the names were assigned to characters that weren't in the book (example: a relative of one of the scientists in the book has a name that is assigned to an FBI guy in the show) Kind of disconcerting having seen the show and now trying to read the book.
2) The concept of a flashforward.

Moving beyond the show, the book is one that poses some really interesting philosophy questions? If you were happily engaged today, but saw your future and you had another spouse, would you still marry your current fiancée? If you saw the future and you were in a career different from what you were currently studying, would you continue your studies? If you were single today, but saw yourself with someone in the future, would you attempt to find and date that person today?

I thought the author did a good job talking about physics. I understood the concepts he was explaining, but at the same time, thought they were academic enough to be true to the characters having the discussions. The book is about scientists though so there is a lot of discussion about scientific theory and physics. You may have to scan those pages if you are not interested in that type of stuff.

I almost always am content to let a story unfold, but it was the first book in a long time where I really really wanted to flip to the end and see what happened. I thought the author provided good closure on the story and I was satisfied with how things ended up. 3.5 stars.(less)

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Oct 28, 2010

Silver Thistle rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2010

Robert Sawyer always finds great stories to write about. His ideas always draw me in and I think I'm in for a fantastic tale. Then I reach the end and I feel like it could have been more.

Flashforward had a great pull - See your own life 20 years into the future for 2 minutes and try to work out how to get there.

It was a brilliant start and a real page turner. I loved reading about everyone's flashforward, I was rivited by all the connotations that flashforward threw up. E...more

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Oct 06, 2010

Jordi Balcells rated it

Libro en el que se basa vagamente la serie de televisión del mismo nombre.
En el libro el salto no es de seis meses, sino de 21 años (como al final de la serie). En el libro hay muchos menos personajes, supongo que porque las series de TV tienen que tener más personajes danzando por ahí. Los tres personajes principales son Lloyd, Michiko y Theo. Lloyd es un físico canadiense trabajando en el LHC del CERN, prometido con Michiko que es una ingeniera que trabaja en el mismo equipo, y finalmente...more

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Sep 27, 2010

Christine rated it

Shelves: 2010-reads

Theo and Lloyd are two scientists working on the high energy, acclerated particle experiment at CERN. In the midst of the experiment something completely unexpected happens and everyone is given a glimpse into their own future, precisely two minutes 20 years into their future. When everyone comes back to the present the world is understandably in complete turmoil. Theo’s future is bleak indeed and he begins a journey to tempt the fates and change his own future while Lloyd begins to question ...more

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May 15, 2010

Thee_ron_clark rated it

Shelves: science-fiction, action

After catching the first episode of the series modeled after this book, I figured I would enjoy reading about it as well.

The story is about a scientific experiment that causes everybody on the planet to black out if they are already awake and to catch a two-minute glimpse of themselves 21 years in the future. Some find that they see nothing, because they are dead at that point. Those who are sleeping during the event are unable to distinguish their dreams from the visions.

...more

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Mar 31, 2010

Lucy rated it

After watching the tv series I heard that it was based on a book, the theme of the show intrigued me so I got the book, it is very different from the show, the premise is that the characters in the book in fact take a glimpse at their lives 21 years into the future, as apposed to the few months that feature in the show. It is a thoughtful book, posing the question, if we were to know our future how would that affect our present day lives…? Do we have free will, is the future set in stone or can ...more

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Mar 09, 2010

Kat Hagedorn rated it

Shelves: reviewed, sci-fi

http://tinyurl.com/yl7nlst

Forget the book, watch the series.

Sawyer is not that good a writer, but his ideas are phenomenal. There's a lot of stumbling around in the book-- mostly via descriptions of the physics that take pages, and descriptions of the characters that don't advance the plot or make us care for the characters any longer or any more than we do.

I was particularly confused by the ending. I'll admit that the physics has to be explained, and that Saw...more

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Jan 22, 2010

Alyce (At Home With Books) rated it

How would you change your life if you knew what awaited you twenty years in the future? Would you try to change your fate? Would it even be possible?

Flashforward explores the answers to these questions through a cast of characters whose consciousness is temporarily and accidentally displaced into their future selves for a few short minutes.

This book presents a lot of food for thought about the permanence of our future, and the question of free will. The main question being: I...more

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Jan 10, 2010

Brendan rated it

Shelves: 2010, book-club, fiction, scifi

The selection for my science-fiction book club's meeting this month is RJS' "now a major television series" novel, Flash Forward. The novel tells the story of an experiment at the LHC which seems to project the entire human consciousness ahead 21 years, or thereabouts, for 2 minutes. A whole bunch of people die because of it (the people all blackout and crash their cars and so on). Various interesting stuff happens, and a solid, thought provoking, quick-paced story ensues. Some additio...more

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Dec 29, 2009

Kenny rated it

Shelves: fiction-scifi

"FlashForward," the inspiration for the hit ABC television series, is nothing more than that: inspiration. It is hardly anything like the series, and thank goodness for that, because Sawyer is such a poor writer that one can only explain his numerous awards as being given for clever concepts, not execution. His book is full of hackneyed situations, paper-thin characters, a bumpy and unsatisfying storyline, and a climax that is not climactic but ultimately depressing and pointless. Give...more"FlashForward," the inspiration for the hit ABC television series, is nothing more than that: inspiration. It is hardly anything like the series, and thank goodness for that, because Sawyer is such a poor writer that one can only explain his numerous awards as being given for clever concepts, not execution. His book is full of hackneyed situations, paper-thin characters, a bumpy and unsatisfying storyline, and a climax that is not climactic but ultimately depressing and pointless. Given his views about the purpose of life, one wonders why Sawyer writes at all.

When everyone on earth goes unconscious for two minutes and sees a two-minute slice of their future twenty years hence, you'd think this would make for pretty good storytelling, focusing on the free will/destiny argument popular since Socrates. Instead, Sawyer lets the cat out of the bag early, making CERN scientist Lloyd Simcoe responsible for the flashforward, due to an experiment in which he was searching for a mysterious theoretical particle, the "Higgs boson." So on the first page, all possible metaphysical and spiritual explanations for the flashfoward are crushed, leaving only the dry, boring, and ultimately unsatisfying physics explanations, which go on for pages in which scientists argue among themselves according to their own personal biases and frankly non-scientific beliefs.

And in the end, when the book had a possibility of salvage, when scientists again replicate the flashforward twenty years in the future, Sawyer once again proves he's no storyteller, or at least proves he cannot tell stories to humans but should stick to writing computer code. Simcoe finds himself in an impossibly distant future, when the earth and its sun have disappeared, galaxies have collided, and only a few select souls (notably, Nobel Prize winners... the best we had. You're joking, right?) survive in metal bodies.

But for what purpose? It turns out that mankind was nature's most horrible joke: utterly alone in the universe and now almost entirely gone, there was never any purpose or reason for our existence. Sawyer says we were a fluke to begin with, we have no analogs anywhere in the universe, and thus our demise is inevitable and meaningless.

The First Law of Thermodynamics deals with the conservation of energy. It states that matter cannot be created not destroyed. In Sawyer's limited view, this means life has no meaning, but to the spiritually minded (and the truly open-minded) this means that our existence alone proves that we are supposed to exist. We are a form of matter and have thus always existed; we have a purpose. And no matter what faux-philosophical debates occur in the book (and there are way too many), free will exists and destiny doesn't. Thus our choices give our lives meaning.

I recommend you conserve your energy and skip this unsatisfying book and instead watch the television series, where the creators are truly creative: the flashforward is only six months away, the characters are for the most part not scientists, and free will remains intact in a meaningful universe and Llloyd Simcoe and his creator are mere bit players in the bigger story.(less)

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Dec 21, 2009

Tony Gleeson rated it

Robert Sawyer reportedly is NOT happy with the current TV series based on his book. I have not seen it so I can't comment. But the book is very different from what I had expected, given the hype of the show. It's really an interesting psychological study of how people treat prophecies that they believe to be true, and how some of those prophecies might become self-fulfilling. It's quite touching in the traumas, emotional turmoils and resolutions of its several major characters over time. That...more

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About Robert J. Sawyer

Robert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew ...moreRobert J. Sawyer is one of Canada's best known and most successful science fiction writers. He is the only Canadian (and one of only 7 writers in the world) to have won all three of the top international awards for science fiction: the 1995 Nebula Award for The Terminal Experiment, the 2003 Hugo Award for Hominids, and the 2006 John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Mindscan.
Robert Sawyer grew up in Toronto, the son of two university professors. He credits two of his favourite shows from the late 1960s and early 1970s, Search and Star Trek, with teaching him some of the fundamentals of the science-fiction craft. Sawyer was obsessed with outer space from a young age, and he vividly remembers watching the televised Apollo missions. He claims to have watched the 1968 classic film 2001: A Space Odyssey 25 times. He began writing science fiction in a high school club, which he co-founded, NASFA (Northview Academy Association of Science Fiction Addicts). Sawyer graduated in 1982 from the Radio and Television Arts Program at Ryerson University, where he later worked as an instructor.

Sawyer's first published book, Golden Fleece (1989), is an adaptation of short stories that had previously appeared in the science-fiction magazine Amazing Stories. This book won the Aurora Award for the best Canadian science-fiction novel in English. In the early 1990s Sawyer went on to publish his inventive Quintaglio Ascension trilogy, about a world of intelligent dinosaurs. His 1995 award winning The Terminal Experiment confirmed his place as a major international science-fiction writer.

A prolific writer, Sawyer has published more than 10 novels, plus two trilogies. Reviewers praise Sawyer for his concise prose, which has been compared to that of the science-fiction master Isaac Asimov. Like many science fiction-writers, Sawyer welcomes the opportunities his chosen genre provides for exploring ideas. The first book of his Neanderthal Parallax trilogy, Hominids (2002), is set in a near-future society, in which a quantum computing experiment brings a Neanderthal scientist from a parallel Earth to ours. His 2006 Mindscan explores the possibility of transferring human consciousness into a mechanical body, and the ensuing ethical, legal, and societal ramifications.

A passionate advocate for science fiction, Sawyer teaches creative writing and appears frequently in the media to discuss his genre. He prefers the label "philosophical fiction," and in no way sees himself as a predictor of the future. His mission statement for his writing is "To combine the intimately human with the grandly cosmic."
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Quotes from Flashforward

“Naturally, one does not normally discuss plans to commit murder with the intended victim.” — 8 people liked it

“As laser-bright moments; diamond-hard memories; crisp and clear. A future lived, a future savored, a future of moments so sharp and pointed that they would sometimes cut and sometimes glint so brightly it would hurt to contemplate them, but sometimes, too,
would be joyous, an absolute, pure, unalloyed joy, the kind of joy he hadn't felt much if at all lo these twenty-one years.” — 2 people liked it

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