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Anyone

Charles Soule (Goodreads Author)

3.88 · Rating details · 1,680 ratings · 356 reviews

Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge—and wariness--of technology to his sophomore novel set in a realistic future about a brilliant female scientist who creates a technology that allows for the transfer of human consciousness between bodies, and the transformations this process wreaks upon the world.

Inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a scientist searching for an ...more

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Hardcover, 400 pages

Published December 3rd 2019 by Harper Perennial

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· 1,680 ratings · 356 reviews

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Jan 12, 2020 Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader rated it it was amazing

This is one of the hardest reviews I’ve had to write because this book defies description, and it’s just so GOOD. First of all, it’s science fiction and presented in a way that anti-speculative fiction readers will still find completely approachable. There’s tons of suspense, some fantasy, great characters...

I don’t want to go into the synopsis because I’m too scared to give away any of the juicy details. It’s a book that begs to be discussed with your friends, one perfect for book clubs. I can ...more

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Feb 01, 2020 ☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: mystery

Q: “What can I do for you?... Anything for Anyone.” (c)
Q: ... there is a secret at the heart of the flash, and the world should know about it. (c)

Wow. That was chilling!
Q:
... a company called NeOnet Global released the technology that allowed the transfer of human consciousness from one body to another. These days, most people called the company Anyone, and the tech it gave the world was the flash. (c)
Q:
He was smart, unlucky, and, thank god, a terrible shot. (c)
Q:
The first of the Two Rules of th ...more

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Dec 02, 2019 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, arc, science-fiction

Whose mind is using that body?

Final review, first posted on Fantasy Literature:

Gabriella White, a brilliant neurologist and scientist who’s searching for a cure to Alzheimer’s, is at the very end of the funding for her research project. In her frustration, she recklessly pushes the power for her lab equipment, a neural stimulation system, to the maximum … and accidentally finds herself in her husband Paul’s body in their nearby house, holding their beloved 11-month-old daughter, who they call Ka ...more

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Aug 10, 2019 Tucker (TuckerTheReader) rated it liked it

Shelves: arc-physical, thriller, 3-stars, science-fiction

Many thanks to Heather at Harper Perrenial for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review

This book was one of my least favorites of 2019. See the rest on my video, The WORST Books of 2019! ☕☕

-------------------

Be anyone with Anyone!

This book started strong, with perfect pacing but, around the twenty-five percent mark, something just snapped. The plot clumsily tripped on its own feet-

-And fell flat to the ground, losing my interest in mere pages. I desperately clung to any int ...more

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Nov 29, 2019 Sylvain Neuvel rated it it was amazing

Who would you be if you could be anyone? I can tell you I’d really like to be Charles Soule and have written this book. ANYONE is an intense, superbly crafted, edge of your seat thrill ride. I loved the execution: two slowly converging storylines that collide in the most spectacular way, not to mention the most dedicated, hardcore character I’ve read in a long, long time. You really want to read this one.

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Jan 04, 2020 Jenna rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: speculative-fiction

"It's harder to hate someone if you can be them. Not impossible, but a little harder."

Most of us are familiar with the saying about walking a mile in someone else's shoes in order to understand and empathize with them. But what if we could walk in someone else's body? What if we could transfer our consciousness, literally experiencing the world through their eyes? Would we stop seeing superficial differences such as skin colour and ethnicity? Would we be more compassionate to those who are less ...more

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Dec 17, 2019 Mackenzie - PhDiva Books rated it it was amazing

This is the sort of mind-blowing, thought-provoking thriller that will not only have you on the edge of your seat, it will have you thinking in a very different way about our identities and what makes us who we are. This is truly one of the best books of 2019 in my opinion, and I’m referring to all genre!! I have been recommending this and buying copies for everyone I can think of, because it is a rare blend of socially impactful and truly outstanding fiction.

The story weaves back and forth betw This is the sort of mind-blowing, thought-provoking thriller that will not only have you on the edge of your seat, it will have you thinking in a very different way about our identities and what makes us who we are. This is truly one of the best books of 2019 in my opinion, and I’m referring to all genre!! I have been recommending this and buying copies for everyone I can think of, because it is a rare blend of socially impactful and truly outstanding fiction.

The story weaves back and forth between two narratives—the story of a scientist named Gabby who accidentally invented the Flash, and the story a few decades later of a mysterious young woman named Annami who is on a covert mission to reveal the dark underbelly of the technology and hopefully put a stop to it. I found both narratives equally compelling to read, though Annami’s is a bit more action-packed, and Gabby’s is more intellectually driven (at first).

When Gabby is seeking a cure for Alzheimer’s and accidentally flashes herself temporarily into her husband’s body, she is torn between the terror of finding herself in another person, and the scientific curiosity of what this discovery could mean. One aspect to Gabby’s character that is particularly relevant is that she is a black woman, and because of that, Gabby’s mind instantly goes to the social implications of this discovery: is it harder to hate someone for outward characteristics if anyone could be behind the physical façade? Could this technology reduce racism and classism? Could it make people more tolerant?

A few decades later and we see what the Flash has become. Regulated and legal now, there are two foundational rules about the Flash: 1. A person has to return to their host body before flashing to a new vessel (no flashing between vessels); 2. If one dies, both die (when you are in another body, if either your body or the one you are in dies, both of you die). These are paramount to maintaining order with the Flash, and preventing people from using it for bad reasons.

But as Annami shows us, there is a very dark side to the Flash. A sort of underground lawless market where someone for a price can use a body anonymously for any purpose they choose. And as we learn, there may be even worse things happening than that. Annami is on a mission to expose the problems with the technology, but to do so she needs to make money and fast. So she begins to rent her body out on the darkshare…

There are so many fascinating and dark characters in this book! From the woman who runs the darkshare location that Annami is using, to the financer of Gabby’s research, and a bunch of others who I won’t name because I don’t want to spoil it!

This book was truly unputdownable and definitely one of the best books I read this year. Thought-provoking, edge of your seat, thrilling concept, and excellent execution! Thank you to Harper Perennial for my copy. Opinions are my own. ...more

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Dec 05, 2019 posthuman rated it really liked it

Shelves: hard-sf, suspense, thriller, immortals

Anyone is a dazzling technothriller romp into a near future world where anyone can become....well, anyone else.

Driven, obsessive neuroscientist Gabrielle White has nearly exhausted her funding to research a potential Alzheimer's cure that manipulates a patient's neural signals with laser light patterns, when an accident sends her consciousness tumbling through the aether and directly into her husband's body.

If only she can figure out how to get back to her own body and somehow bring this techn ...more

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Jan 04, 2020 Barbara rated it really liked it

Shelves: suspense, sci-fi, thriller

Science fiction/speculative fiction is not a genre that I am attracted to. I’m more of a realistic fiction sort of gal. Charles Soule’s “Anyone” is fantastic. His characters are realistic. He incorporates good drama. How he thought of this idea, and thought it thoroughly through, well that’s amazing.

Gabrielle White is the strong, steadfast protagonist who is a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Her project is funded by a wealthy businessman. Gabby’s home and workplace (a barn t Science fiction/speculative fiction is not a genre that I am attracted to. I’m more of a realistic fiction sort of gal. Charles Soule’s “Anyone” is fantastic. His characters are realistic. He incorporates good drama. How he thought of this idea, and thought it thoroughly through, well that’s amazing.

Gabrielle White is the strong, steadfast protagonist who is a scientist working on a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Her project is funded by a wealthy businessman. Gabby’s home and workplace (a barn that has all her equipment where she administers her test runs) is all owned by a millionaire businessman. As the story opens, she’s running out of money and time to make her breakthrough. Frustrated, she throws caution to the wind and accidently creates a technology that can transfer one person’s thought essence into another person’s body. In other words, she figured out a technology that could make it possible to “be” someone else.

She realizes the potential this technology could have on society. She wants to hide her findings so she can control it so that the technology doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, specifically the businessman who is financing her experiments. She sees it as a way to create empathy, to literally walk in someone else’s shoes. She sees the social impact as well as medical impacts.

As expected, evil businessman learns of the potential technology and ruthlessly uses Gabby’s family as bargaining chips. And the story become complicated.

The story jumps to twenty-five years from now and the reader learns that the technology exists, and the world is significantly different. Author Soule really thought through what could be done with this idea, how it would change the world. He writes the shady side of the technology well, educating the reader how something with great potential can cause immense harm when in the wrong hands.

It’s a crazy story that becomes a major page-turner thriller. I am amazed at the different ideas and the clever situations Soule created. The characters are well developed and even the futuristic ideas are realistic. This is supposed to be made into a movie. I will watch it!
...more

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Oct 30, 2019 Karen’s Library rated it it was amazing

Shelves: netgalley, sci-fi

Charles Soule outdid himself with his new techno thriller and I was completely hooked from the very first chapter.

I had a pretty major book hangover when I finished and couldn’t get the story out of my head for a few days.

Anyone switches back and forth between current day and 25 years in the future and focuses on tech that transfers consciousness into another human. The possibilities of what could happen using this kind of tech are endless and Soule hits on so many uses that made my head spin, ...more

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Nov 24, 2019 Toya (the reading chemist) rated it it was amazing

As soon as I found out that the main character was a female Ph.D. scientist, I needed a copy of Anyone like my life depended on it. And that synopsis? This girl was sold.

Dr. Gabrielle “Gabby” White is a Ph.D./M.D. cognitive neurologist who is desperately trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Following the birth of her daughter Kat, Gabby decided to stay home and pursue her research by converting her barn into a state of the art lab, which is privately funded by Hendricks Capital while Paul co As soon as I found out that the main character was a female Ph.D. scientist, I needed a copy of Anyone like my life depended on it. And that synopsis? This girl was sold.

Dr. Gabrielle “Gabby” White is a Ph.D./M.D. cognitive neurologist who is desperately trying to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. Following the birth of her daughter Kat, Gabby decided to stay home and pursue her research by converting her barn into a state of the art lab, which is privately funded by Hendricks Capital while Paul continues his tenure track position as a music composition professor. Gabby finally reaches her breaking point when the funds for her research is essentially depleted, and she has no groundbreaking results to show for. In a last ditch effort, she uses the last of the funds for one final experiment…one where she ends up transferring her consciousness to Paul and controlling his body. With this incredible breakthrough, Gabby must find a way to hone this technology as well as hide it from the greedy hands of Hendricks Capital.

Fast forward 25 years, and the flash technology that Gabby developed has become ubiquitous in society. People can pay to transfer their consciousness to anyone at anytime, and it is 100% legal. As with all “good” things, the black market finds a way to exploit this technology by giving rise to darkshare dens. These are places where people can rent bodies for all matters of insidious activity…for a price, of course.

"During that time, Annami would be unaware, and her rider could use her body for whatever he or she wanted, anything at all. Drugs, sex, crime…anything." – Anyone

The chapters alternate between Gabby and the development of the flash technology and 25 years in the future, which follows our other main character, Annami. I was completely enthralled with Gabby’s timeline for constructing this technology and the science behind it. I’ll be honest, I definitely had several science nerd moments. There were times that I could wholeheartedly relate to Gabby as a scientist who has been caught up in the grunt work of research and both the highs and lows that you experience. That being said, I also enjoyed Annami’s timeline and the consequences of the world that was forged following the implementation of the flash technology. We are always in search of cures to so many different ailments and diseases, but that future gives a glimpse of what could potentially happen when science crosses a line that society isn’t ready for.

I absolutely tore through this book and read it in one sitting. The pacing of this story was spot on, and I honestly couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. This multifaceted story focuses on so many important topics such as race, identity, ethics, and morality; just to name a few. There were so many twists and turns throughout the story, and the way the two timelines come together was spectacular.

Overall, Anyone is a masterfully written and compelling sci-fi thriller that takes you on a wild ride. I honestly can’t recommend this one enough!

Thank you to Harper Perennial for providing an ARC for review. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up! ...more

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Jan 03, 2020 The Captain rated it did not like it

Shelves: walk-the-plank

Ahoy there mateys! It is with a sad heart that I have to make the first read of the year walk the plank. I really didn't want to start out 2020 in this way but alas. I was very much looking forward to this read as I enjoyed the previous novel I read by the author and the crew has been saying good things about this one. When me library hold came in just in time for the new year, I thought it was a sign of good things to come. Blast!

The problems started from the very beginning. There be two Ahoy there mateys! It is with a sad heart that I have to make the first read of the year walk the plank. I really didn't want to start out 2020 in this way but alas. I was very much looking forward to this read as I enjoyed the previous novel I read by the author and the crew has been saying good things about this one. When me library hold came in just in time for the new year, I thought it was a sign of good things to come. Blast!

The problems started from the very beginning. There be two timelines in this novel and the transitions between them were jarring and confusing. The technology in this book deals with "the flash" where ye can put yer consciousness into another person's body. Cool if creepy. In the past timeline, ye follow the scientist who created the technology, Gabby. In the future timeline, the flash has transformed society. Ye follow Annami who is using the dark sides of the technology for revenge. The illegal uses of the flash were the most interesting.

In addition to the awkward time shifts, I ended up hating Gabby. I was sympathetic to her situation at first. She is running out of money, is desperate for her project to work, and the loan sharks are coming to get her. I get that she wants to maintain control of her experiment but she shouldn't have signed for that loan. Once the action ramps up, Gabby makes one bad decision after another and continually puts her family in danger. Her pride is annoying and misplaced. She wants to change the world in any way she can (doesn't matter) and she also wants EVERYONE to know her name. Aye, she be smart but she has no common sense.

While the concepts of the flash were interesting, I found meself asking too many questions about inconsistencies and ramifications of the technology. I understood that it had changed the world but the plot seemed to have holes and too many coincidences for me. The tech never felt real but seemed more like something out of a bad sci-fi channel made for tv movie. The more I discussed the technologies possibilities with the First Mate, the more problems I found and the grumpier I got.

And I hated the twist through the entire ridiculous ending. The book is split into multiple parts and I liked two and three the best. I get the book's appeal but it didn't work for me. To the sharks it goes. Arrrr! ...more

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Oct 29, 2019 Dennis rated it liked it

Shelves: science, supernatural, 2019-read, sci-fi, contemporary, dystopian

3.5 stars

I was hesitant to pick up Charles Soule's upcoming release, Anyone because I really didn't enjoy The Oracle last year. However, I heard nothing but fabulous things about this book so I decided I'd venture into Soule's world of writing one more time. Anyone takes place between two alternate timelines, following the creation of "the flash"—technology that allows its user to transfer their consciousness into another person's body, while the host's unconsciousness basically turns of ...more

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Dec 12, 2019 Mogsy (MMOGC) rated it really liked it

Shelves: review-copy, thriller-suspense, science-fiction, audiobook

4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/12/16/...

Having very much enjoyed Charles Soule’s debut The Oracle Year, I simply could not wait to get my hands on his new novel, and I’m pleased to say I was impressed once again. Not only that, it appears he has outdone himself by writing something even more unique and mind-blowing, if you can believe it. Ratcheting up the excitement and knuckle-blanching action, Anyone is a relentless sci-fi thriller that would also make any fa 4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/12/16/...

Having very much enjoyed Charles Soule’s debut The Oracle Year, I simply could not wait to get my hands on his new novel, and I’m pleased to say I was impressed once again. Not only that, it appears he has outdone himself by writing something even more unique and mind-blowing, if you can believe it. Ratcheting up the excitement and knuckle-blanching action, Anyone is a relentless sci-fi thriller that would also make any fan of Blake Crouch or Black Mirror feel right at home.

Told through multiple timelines, the story first takes us inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan where brilliant neuroscientist Dr. Gabriella White is on the verge of a breakthrough in her Alzheimer’s research project. Unfortunately, her funding is also about to run out, leading Gabby to throw caution to the wind and risk it all in an act of desperation. To her horror, after experimenting with her equipment in a way she’s never had before, she finds her mind mysteriously transported into the body of her husband Paul. And thus, “flash technology” was born, a process which allows an individual to transfer their consciousness into another person’s body, a process which would change the world forever—for of course, no discovery this big can stay buried for long.

In fact, its effects could be seen right away, as another timeline of the story takes us twenty-five years into the future and use of flash technology is rampant. Gabby’s original vision for her invention, which was to help society heal divides and increase equal opportunity, has largely been lost. Now anyone with enough money can rent a body for however long and whatever reason, and anything the law won’t allow can be circumvented in the thriving black market called the darkshare. So long as there’s demand, there is certainly no shortage of people offering up themselves as vessels for someone else’s “out of body” experience.

One of these individuals is named Annami, a young woman who is willing to risk the darkshare if it means making money quickly. Everyone knows flash technology can be dangerous if you allow someone you don’t know to use your body. When a person flashes their mind into someone else, their own body lies in a dormant state. The person’s whose body is being occupied, on the other hand, their consciousness goes somewhere in limbo, in a process no one can really explain. Once they return to themselves, they have no recollection of the entire period their body was being occupied. Sadly, Annami learns this the hard way, when following her darkshare experience she awakens to the scene of a bloodbath, with no idea what her body had been used for.

At first, it’s anyone’s guess what these two timelines have to do with each other. Gabby’s thread mainly deals with the origin of flash technology, and as you can imagine, that’s one journey fraught with peril and suspense. Not only is Gabby bewildered by her own invention, struggling to understand it through haphazard experimentation, she also gets in trouble with some powerful people by borrowing more money than she can pay back. I enjoyed her storyline so much, it was almost irritating the way the narrative kept bouncing back and forth between the present and the future, when all I wanted was to find out more about Gabby. Don’t get me wrong; Annami’s story was intriguing too in its own way, mainly because we got to see how life in the future has altered by flash technology. Not too surprisingly, there’s a lot of misuse and corruption, and Ammani’s world reminded very much of a Blade Runner style dystopian.

Still, the complete lack of connection between the two timelines grated on my nerves—at least at first. But as the plot developed, as both threads starting coming together to form a bigger picture, that was when the real fun was unleashed. And that’s the genius behind this novel. It takes a bit of patience and commitment, but if you’re willing to give it the time it needs and watch it unfold, it will reward you in a big way. Even when you’re on alert for clues and you think you know where the story is going, you might be surprised. This one is full of unexpected twists and turns, and so much of what you read will floor you with its sheer imagination and creativity.

Speaking of which, flash technology can be a bit confusing to grasp, and that might be my point of criticism. Much like in The Oracle Year, the concept behind of Anyone relies on the reader to suspend their disbelief and not ask too many questions, working best as “what-if” novel. If what you want are explanations based on hard science, this probably won’t be for you, but if you’re looking for a suspenseful, fast-paced sci-fi thriller with a unique and innovative premise, I think you’ll find this one will bend your brain nicely and get your pulse racing.

Audiobook Comments: It seems like every other book I listen to these days is narrated by Emily Woo Zeller, but I’m certainly not complaining! I loved her voices for all the characters (especially since there was so much body swapping), and it was impressive the way she switched between Gabby and Annami’s parts, making the transitions seem smooth and natural. I’ll always be a big fan of her work, and I thought her performance in the Anyone audiobook was fantastic as always. ...more

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May 22, 2020 Kate rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2020

4.25/5stars

this was REALLY fantastic! This was honestly what I was hoping from "Recursion" by Blake Crouch - it was so unique and fast-paced and interesting. I really love how well Charles Soule writes female characters (and all characters honestly) so respectfully and well. I also love how he makes such great social commentary while also being wicked entertaining. ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 JANELLE || WHATSHESEEES rated it really liked it

Shelves: sci-fi

This was my third Sci-Fi this year and I have to say I am a big fan now of this genre. Each book just keeps getting better and better! ⠀
⠀
This one took me two days and completely sucked me in. I was a little bit confused and overwhelmed with what I was learning about in the beginning but that changed very quickly. The articles in this book helped summarize what had officially been going on ever since the Flash was created. ⠀
⠀
Insanely as this book was I can definitely see someone trying to gain co ...more

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Dec 23, 2019 Tammy rated it really liked it

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: A thrilling and completely entertaining read from start to finish, Charles Soule once again knocks it out of the park with Anyone .

Anyone is a December release that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get to by the end of the year, but I’m so glad I decided to pick it up. I had so much fun with this story! Charles Soule wowed ...more

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Sep 25, 2019 Loring Wirbel rated it really liked it

One emerging popular topic in sci-fi and speculative fiction is the notion of a detailed neural map of a person being used or abused to create new concepts of immortality, or to create distributed intelligence across a fluctuating group. This theme has been used in Cory Doctorow's Walkaway, in Neal Stephenson's Fall, and now in Anyone, the second text-based novel by graphic novelist Charles Soule. Soule's first effort at a traditional novel, The Oracle Year, had a fascinating story line, but cha One emerging popular topic in sci-fi and speculative fiction is the notion of a detailed neural map of a person being used or abused to create new concepts of immortality, or to create distributed intelligence across a fluctuating group. This theme has been used in Cory Doctorow's Walkaway, in Neal Stephenson's Fall, and now in Anyone, the second text-based novel by graphic novelist Charles Soule. Soule's first effort at a traditional novel, The Oracle Year, had a fascinating story line, but character development suffered in places. The new novel represents a step forward by developing interesting protagonists - and not typical heroes, by any stretch. The book is a bit unnerving from the opening pages because the characters often display that Game of Thrones quality of being both angels and scoundrels at once. They are scarcely stereotypical characters, though the flash-hacker Annami bears some resemblance to Blade Runner or Neuromancer characters.

Sure, there's an apparent source of good and light battling a global demonic force that has developed the newest type of social network - a brain-sharing technology that allows humans to transfer their consciousness to other people's bodies for a finite period of time. In theory, the technology's inventor, a scientist from rural Michigan named Gabrielle White, should be our Joan of Arc, though White's obsession with keeping her technology from the hands of corporate barons makes the reader slowly begin to wonder if the ethical choices would be any better if she were in charge. Soule is subtle in showing that heroes can have deeply-rooted problems, and we do not easily move to suspect either White or Annami of motivations that might be less than pure.

Soule brings us to the obvious conclusion that shared-consciousness platforms will have the same problems as any technology platform - since they were invented and perfected by humans, they still will be subjected to the whims of the ruling class that always end up taking control of everything. In fact, we begin to almost get annoyed with Gabrielle White for her naivete: no, the people will not rise up if they are only given the truth; instead they will choose to forget as long as the technology barons provide them with a soothing toy lulling them to sleep with an illusion of species solidarity.

Given Soule's appropriate level of gentle jadedness throughout the book, it is interesting that he chooses to end it with an epilogue of hope. Somehow, it appears that the worst tendencies of the technology managers are foiled, and we all learn to expand as a species by experiencing a oneness across all bodies and cultures and genotypes. Aw, c'mon, Charles, hope is for dopes! These are humans we're talking about! Everything will not be all right in the end, because we will snatch defeat from the jaws of victory and screw things up royally. It's in our DNA.

The book also suffers from a less-than-satisfying explanation of the technology behind "the flash," as neural patterns will not be replicated by mere moire patterns from lasers. The problem is, Soule would have a hard time explaining multi-layer convolutional neural networks, even to those well versed in cognitive neuroscience, because when you get to multiple hidden layers and "controlled hallucination," even the experts who build the damned neural networks can't explain how they work. Nevertheless, the book engages in some magical hand-waving of the "Well, it's very electric and dangerous" variety.

Despite these minor quibbles over neuroscience-for-dummies and a fairy-tale happy ending, I found this to be a great read, and a significant leap forward from his first novel (which was fascinating in its own right). I'll be reading Stephenson's significantly longer and more convoluted novel The Fall next, and I'll look forward to comparing the two works. ...more

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Jul 29, 2020 Xavier Hugonet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: arcs

Anyone is a sci-fi thriller written by Charles Soule.

I’ve first read Soule through his works on comic books. His experience as an attorney led him to write, for example, memorable runs on Daredevil and She-Hulk for Marvel. In spite of having heard a lot of good things about The Oracle Year, it seems I never made the time to get to it before his new novel came to my attention.

Anyone has nothing to do with law and attorneys. There are some attorneys in it, and a few harsh negotiations of rather Anyone is a sci-fi thriller written by Charles Soule.

I’ve first read Soule through his works on comic books. His experience as an attorney led him to write, for example, memorable runs on Daredevil and She-Hulk for Marvel. In spite of having heard a lot of good things about The Oracle Year, it seems I never made the time to get to it before his new novel came to my attention.

Anyone has nothing to do with law and attorneys. There are some attorneys in it, and a few harsh negotiations of rather brutal contracts, but it’s foremost a speculative sci-fi thriller, narrated through different timelines, mainly two, and the third person point of view of several characters.

Fifteen minutes into our future, Gabrielle White is a neuroscientist. She obtained funds from a venture capitalist, on not very good terms, to research a cure for Alzheimer through light waves. She wants to change the world. The money is almost gone, and she has nothing to show for it. She spends the last of it in a final Hail Mary experiment, and it fails. The seal of the tube containing Wilbur, the diseased lab rat, isn’t perfect. Light from her high power laser filters out, drawing mesmerizing patterns on the ceiling of her makeshift lab/barn... and she wakes up in the body of her husband, holding their infant girl.

Gabrielle White changed the world.

25 years in the future, the flash has been made commercially available by a company nicknamed Anyone. As their marketing states, anyone can now be anyone for a few minutes or for days. Consciousnesses jumping into vessels on a pay per minute basis. Endless possibilities. Society has been utterly transformed by this innovation. The planet has been saved in the process. However, any technological advancement can be abused. If most people use the legal « lightshare » network system, anonymous renting of bodies also happen through the way less legal « darkshare ». Servers and nodes not owned by the NeOne Net corporation. Crime has changed, as well. Light or Dark, two rules are embedded in the system : if one dies, both die, and you have to return to your prime body before being able to do another share.

Annami is a young girl who starts using the darkshare after having quit her job at NeOne Net. She knows secrets about the flash. She has revenge in her mind. And, even if chased by Neone’s security goons, she has a plan. To enact it, she needs a large sum of money. Renting her body on the darkshare is a good way to get it. However, after her very first share, she wakes up in a room with a dead body, and a killer after her.

Charles Soule does a great job at weaving two thrillers together, set in two different timelines. One directly following Gabrielle White’s invention and her efforts to steer it in the right direction, and the other following Annami on her revenge quest. Of course, as we learn more about the events of the past, the two timelines converge towards an explosive finale. Each alternating chapter is written with fast pacing, and are equally fascinating. You never feel the need to skim over a timeline to get back to the other. The writer creates a compelling gallery of three dimensional characters, with well defined motivations, even if some of the antagonists can be comic-booky at times. But, we all love to hate a good villain.

This is a book that also brings quite a few philosophical and societal questions. What would entail the sudden appearance of such a technology in our lives ? Charles Soule guides us towards a variety of topic to ponder, both good and bad, while never losing the plot and pace of his story. The ending is perfect.

Now, I really have to make time for The Oracle Year.

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC provided in exchange for this unbiased review. ...more

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Jan 19, 2021 Nancy Mills rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction

What a fast moving book! I had a hard time putting this novel down. All kinds of things happening at once and lots of flashbacks so you have to pay attention, but very well crafted and unique.

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Dec 07, 2019 Hope rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This sci-fi story, just published on 12/3 (get it immediately) should be voted BEST sci-fi/thriller of the year! I am even putting it above Recursion by Blake Crouch and I also loved that book! If you loved Recursion or Dark Matter, I think you should read this book immediately!!! One of my all-time favorite stories and here's why:

I love the idea of being able to be "anyone" - and this book is set in a future where that can happen via transference of your "consciousness" into another body altoge ...more

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Apr 17, 2020 Alysia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobook, quarantine-2020

If you like Black Mirror you will love this book.

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Nov 27, 2019 Nursebookie rated it it was amazing

ANYONE by Charles Soule

“BE ANYONE WITH ANYONE”

Dr. Gabrielle “Gabby” White, a cognitive neurologist has but one last chance. Go big or go home. Her funding for her Alzheimer’s research has dried up and nothing to show for. Through this last act of desperation and last glimmer of hope, she made this last test in her hi-tech lab Inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan funded by Hendricks Capital, to make it count. And boy did she do it. Ladies and gents, let me introduce you to the Flash!

It is when G ...more

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Nov 26, 2019 Katee rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy_scifi, 2019

Thank you to Harper Perennial for a copy of this book.

What if you could drop into the body of anyone you wanted? Wanted to become Bill Gates for a few hours? How about a movie star or a rock star? With the technology developed by Anyone this fantasy has become a reality.

Anyone is a sci-fi book asking for an adaptation (don't worry one is in the works) with alternating timelines. One is making of the flash technology that allows individuals to transfer their consciousness into another body. The o ...more

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Jan 08, 2020 Mridu aka Storypals rated it it was ok

Though the concept is what kept me engaged with this book, the story was not much for me to stay and continue reading.

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I am going back to all the books I read, never reviewed because I AM A USELESS HUMAN. :/ (no I am not, I know)

#AnyoneBook was my second read of the year.

The concept was amazing and at par, I thought I would be invested and maybe even eat the book, however as appetizing as it sounded, it was confusing, jarring, awkward time shifts, annoying and to put it in just simple words, ...more

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Dec 31, 2019 Katie (katieladyreads) rated it liked it

V confusing but interesting and I’m sure any sci-fi fans would like this.

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Dec 21, 2019 Elizabeth Tabler rated it liked it

I received a copy of this from the Publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.

I truly enjoyed The Oracle Year, Charles Soule debut novel that dealt with tech and the future. That is why I was so stoked to get my hands on a copy of Anyone. It was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019. Sadly, I did not connect with Anyone.

Anyone is told through multiple and interconnecting narratives. The first narrative takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the lab of Neuroscientist Dr. Gabriella W I received a copy of this from the Publisher in exchange for my open and honest review.

I truly enjoyed The Oracle Year, Charles Soule debut novel that dealt with tech and the future. That is why I was so stoked to get my hands on a copy of Anyone. It was one of my most anticipated reads for 2019. Sadly, I did not connect with Anyone.

Anyone is told through multiple and interconnecting narratives. The first narrative takes place in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the lab of Neuroscientist Dr. Gabriella White. White is about to break through to a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. But, instead of finding a cure to Alzheimer’s, she discovers something else, something more powerful and changing for the human race as a species. Anna discovers something that she aptly names The Flash, an ability to remove oneself from your body and transport you to another body. She discovers this by transporting herself into the unsuspecting body of her husband, Paul.

The other timeline and narrative takes place 25 years into the future. We are introduced to the character Annami. Annami is a woman desperate and willing to trade her body away to earn money. She dark shares. This means she allows her body to be taken over by anonymous people to do anything they want. The price is high, but so are the repercussions for Annami. We start with her character waking from a bloodbath and someone trying to kill her, and she has no idea why.

For most of the novel, the reader has no idea why these two narratives play back and forth. For me, that was one of the significant weaknesses of the story. I did not care about either protagonist in any meaningful way. The characters I thought were more interesting, Paul and Soro, where refrigerated. I had no idea why Soule even introduced these characters if they were going to be treated as used tissue and thrown away. Another detractor, this is a personal thing, I disliked both Anna and Annami. Both of them had this tense desperation about them that was offputting — desperation in the face of intelligent decisions.

The story itself was cool. Soule does well in writing intense sci-fi/mystery plots. Much like Oracle year, the tech twists in this story were remarkable. It had a very Cryptonomican/Altered Carbon feel to it. But the lack of connection between relatable characters and the fresh plot grated on me. I almost DNF’ed this but kept going because I knew he was going to tie it all together at the end. In the end, I rated this three stars for a cool story, but my connection and enjoyment stopped there.

If you would like to read more of my reviews or various other bookish things, please come by my blog
at https://beforewegoblog.com/

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Dec 01, 2019 Basic B's Guide rated it liked it

Thank you Harper Perennial for the free book.

“Inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a scientist searching for an Alzheimer’s cure throws the switch—and finds herself mysteriously transported into her husband’s body. What begins as a botched experiment will change her life—and the world—forever…Over two decades later, all across the plant, “flash” technology allows individuals the ability to transfer their consciousness into other bodies for specific periods, paid, registered, and legal. Society ...more

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Dec 11, 2019 FanFiAddict rated it really liked it

★★★★☆+

Thanks to the publisher and author for an advance reading copy of Anyone in exchange for an honest review. Receiving this ARC did not influence my thoughts or opinions on the novel.

Anyone is a no holds barred, over-the-top riveting roller coaster ride of a novel that had me channeling my inner Jesse Pinkman throughout its entirety.

Having enjoyed Soule’s debut, The Oracle Year, a year ago, I knew that I had to get my hands on Anyone and see what all the hubbub was about. To say that the ear ...more

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Dec 05, 2019 Crystal Zavala rated it liked it

Shelves: publisher

Anyone tells the story of how a new technology is invented and takes over the world using alternating timelines.
Dr. Gabrielle White is trying to cure Alzheimer's when she accidentally discovers how to transfer a person's consciousness into another person. Dr. White's research is funded by a startup capital firm called Hendricks Capital. This discovery is clearly monumental, but Dr. White knows that Hendricks Capital owns a significant part of her research. How will she keep that information from ...more

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