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The Long Lost Future
Randall didn't know he had a destiny until it interrupted his lunch one day; and it was bigger than he could possibly have imagined (his destiny, not his lunch).
That's when he met the mysterious Marcus Han - brainier than a clumsy butcher's floor, and secretly the richest man in the world, he would be Randall's companion and mentor through the challenges they must face in their struggle to stop the entire Galaxy from vanishing.
With a supporting cast of talking trees, mutant psychics, bungling cops, extremely refined resistance operatives, military trained birds, enlightened mushrooms, hallucinating AI units, cutlery collecting crabs, and his definitely EX-girlfriend to help him, he must travel back in time to the twenty-first century and begin again in a new, less tyrannical, timeline.
If his departed dad, the World Police, the Planimals, or the ancient aliens don't stop him first that is...
That's when he met the mysterious Marcus Han - brainier than a clumsy butcher's floor, and secretly the richest man in the world, he would be Randall's companion and mentor through the challenges they must face in their struggle to stop the entire Galaxy from vanishing.
With a supporting cast of talking trees, mutant psychics, bungling cops, extremely refined resistance operatives, military trained birds, enlightened mushrooms, hallucinating AI units, cutlery collecting crabs, and his definitely EX-girlfriend to help him, he must travel back in time to the twenty-first century and begin again in a new, less tyrannical, timeline.
If his departed dad, the World Police, the Planimals, or the ancient aliens don't stop him first that is...
298 pages, Paperback
Published February 14, 2017
About the author
Ian Cattell
3 books11 followersIan Cattell is a software developer who wanted a change from staring blankly at a computer screen all day. So he decided to write a book.
Yeah, I know…
Over the next six months he learned that there are many advantages to writing a book compared to writing software, the main one being that he doesn't have to re-write it whenever Microsoft decides it's “time”.
He enjoys astronomy, baking organic bread, and trying to figure out why some people insist on using Macs - but when his neighbour is out he likes to play his drums. He's got a Roland TD-11KV with the extra CY-12 Crash cymbal and double kick pedals, he runs it through a 150W Mosfet PA amp via a BOSS...
Oh… your eyes have glazed over... never mind.
Yeah, I know…
Over the next six months he learned that there are many advantages to writing a book compared to writing software, the main one being that he doesn't have to re-write it whenever Microsoft decides it's “time”.
He enjoys astronomy, baking organic bread, and trying to figure out why some people insist on using Macs - but when his neighbour is out he likes to play his drums. He's got a Roland TD-11KV with the extra CY-12 Crash cymbal and double kick pedals, he runs it through a 150W Mosfet PA amp via a BOSS...
Oh… your eyes have glazed over... never mind.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
November 3, 2018
I loved this! It's part Discworld, part Hitchhiker and ALL funny! I especially loved the Star Trek and Blues Brothers references.
If Ian writes another book that is even half this good then I shall snap it up in an instant. Not only an extremely pleasant bloke, but a highly entertaing author.
If Ian writes another book that is even half this good then I shall snap it up in an instant. Not only an extremely pleasant bloke, but a highly entertaing author.
August 9, 2017
The Long Lost Future mixes horrible dystopia in the spirit of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell (and a wink at H G Wells) with seemingly plausible science reminiscent of that of Kim Stanley Robinson, a touch of less plausible but interesting fringe science, and heaps of humour in the spirit of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, P G Wodehouse, Jerome K. Jerome and Stephen Leacock to mention a few.
Embedded in an endless smattering of delightfully cringeworthy puns and reference jokes, is a fascinating and remarkably serious plot that twists and turns with reckless abandon, providing insightful commentary on contemporary society, human/posthuman condition and transhumanism. A classic type of satire of corporate and technological struggle for progress at the cost of human quality of life, mixed with novel ideas about the origin of life and accelerated evolution.
Read it! It's got everything!! Sex! Violence! Mutants! Moustaches! A thousand elephants!!! (Well, maybe not the elephants. I think...)
I'm personally eagerly awaiting the sequel, which, rumour has it, is well under way.
Embedded in an endless smattering of delightfully cringeworthy puns and reference jokes, is a fascinating and remarkably serious plot that twists and turns with reckless abandon, providing insightful commentary on contemporary society, human/posthuman condition and transhumanism. A classic type of satire of corporate and technological struggle for progress at the cost of human quality of life, mixed with novel ideas about the origin of life and accelerated evolution.
Read it! It's got everything!! Sex! Violence! Mutants! Moustaches! A thousand elephants!!! (Well, maybe not the elephants. I think...)
I'm personally eagerly awaiting the sequel, which, rumour has it, is well under way.
January 9, 2018
absolutely brilliant book,would recommend this book to anyone with a sense of humour
October 15, 2022
Confusing and challenging time travel sci-fi, packed with action and humour... and a familiar use of footnotes.
December 29, 2017
If your a fan of science fiction and time travel then you will love this book. If I could give more then 5 stars I would as it's one of the best books I've read in a long time
May 18, 2018
Verily I say unto thee...
That this was a very fun read. Fortunately (and unfortunately at times) I picked this as the book I would read when waiting for the wife to get out of work. It made the time go by, but because I chose to read it while waiting, it left me wanting more sooner.
It was worth it, though. It served its purpose, and thensome. I was thoroughly entertained, and cannot wait to read more from Ian in the (not lost) future. Pick it up - it's well worth the read!
That this was a very fun read. Fortunately (and unfortunately at times) I picked this as the book I would read when waiting for the wife to get out of work. It made the time go by, but because I chose to read it while waiting, it left me wanting more sooner.
It was worth it, though. It served its purpose, and thensome. I was thoroughly entertained, and cannot wait to read more from Ian in the (not lost) future. Pick it up - it's well worth the read!
April 12, 2022
I am always looking for time-travel books, so I was glad to find this one. The plot was well put together, with an ending I wasn't expecting, but which wound up the story perfectly. Laughed and had fun, and had a few thought-inspiring moments throughout the book. Heartily recommend!
February 8, 2018
The influence of the likes of Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams is clear in this first novel by Ian Cattell. The use of words (and numbers) is clever, the jokes are actually funny and the characters and plot development keep the reader engaged from start to finish - although you'll have to follow the plot carefully to actually locate the start and finish, as this story has more twists and turns than a cheap sat-nav.
If you like clever, funny, classic 'hard' SF then this is definitely worth a read - in fact I found it worth a second read straight away, and the last book that had that effect upon me was written by one Terry Pratchett.
Highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
If you like clever, funny, classic 'hard' SF then this is definitely worth a read - in fact I found it worth a second read straight away, and the last book that had that effect upon me was written by one Terry Pratchett.
Highly recommended, and I'm looking forward to more from this author.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews