Tomorrow's World

by Davie Henderson (contributor)

In a world on the verge of environmental catastrophe, supercomputers have determined that the only way to sustain life is to run communities logically by rationing every resource and monitoring every action to make sure it is in accordance with the Common Good. Amidst a division between Names (naturally born people) and Numbers (those created through genetical engineering), detective Ben Travis and his Number partner Paula are on the case of a murdered plant prospector. They end up discovering a fatal corruption that leads Ben to uncover a random emotional error in his a belief in love. On the run in the ruins of a world that has been abandoned for 60 years, Ben and Paula encounter other survivors and rediscover the reverence for nature, life, and love.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

350 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Amelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have perferred an unhappy ending oddly enough. Don't 100% understand the science behind the end of the book. Overall a good read, makes you think hard about your current world footprint, and what it could mean for the future. Enjoyed the interaction between the main characters and the 'bad guys' was a nice ...twist.

[Chris · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was hooked in by the high tech, dystopian world Henderson builds right from the start of Tomorrow's World. Unfortunately, then things got serious. It had a few good points, lots of bad points and plenty of 'meh' points. Hence, I gave it a very 'meh' rating of 1 star (as there is no 1.5 star rating). I didn't hate it; I didn't think it was decent, either.

I'm not exactly an activist when it comes to supporting environmental issues, but I don't find discourse on the subject offensive and love to hear other people's viewpoints. That being said, the "classroom scenes" in Tomorrow's World, while interesting at times, began to get tiresome. I get it! We trashed the planet! We suck! We didn't deserve all of what mother nature provided us and therefore shall burn in Dante's Inferno for all time! Henderson beats us over the head repeatedly for our current/past crimes against nature. You get the distinct impression that if the main character of the novel were to ever meet you in person, he would find the most painful, yet environmentally friendly way to kill you... slowly.

That beef aside, the biggest disappointment for me was the introduction and discussions about the 'genetic divide' and the climax/follow up of that point that never happened. In the novel, the human race is divided among 'Names', good old homo-sapiens like you and me, and 'Numbers', generically engineered, super-logical test tube babies. Names and Numbers don't get along very well. Henderson goes out of his way to illustrate this fact. He gives us 'the deets' on why everyone can't just get along. He even gives us the sense that things are so bad that something's gotta give! Then... he... drops the whole subject and moves on to what he REALLY wanted to write about which was 'love conquers all' and 'save the trees.'

The romantic interest for our hero just happens to be a Number. She's an ice queen, she's cold and calculating, she's his boss, she's stunningly beautiful and she happens to be the one Number who believes in love. Okay, I'm cool with that. But as the novel reaches its climax, Ms Ice Queen melts and turns into a straight up human... pretty much. I had thought that somehow their bond would show the way to Names and Numbers alike that everyone CAN get along! But seeing as the only thing our hero really likes about his love is the stuff that is more Name than Number, I guess they're not the perfect couple for bridging the 'genetic divide'. So who will accept this challenge? I don't know. Neither will you, if you read this book.

I think I'm done venting now. I did like the flash back sequences via diary entries of the "end days" before the world went fully into the shitter and everyone had to live in big, concrete apartments with a super-AI controlling their every bowel movement. I also liked the super-AI named the Ecosystem which ends up having a bigger role to play in the book than I anticipated.

Fun surprises, the high tech gadgetry, high tech drugs, the interesting characters and dystopian sleuthing saved this novel for me. I wish there was more of THAT and a little less of my gripes, but every book isn't everyone.

[MustRead · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually made me think as to what is going to happen to us if we keep up trashing our planet.In a world where people are forced to live in closed quarters, where going outside means death,where global warming, chemicals, and pollution has poisoned the planet to the point where it is not habitable any more. A story between two unlikely people. Ben Travis is the natural born human and Perfect Paula is genetically engineered to perfect the flaws of a typical human. They work together as detectives but despise each other at the same time. Perfect Paula thinks he's an arrogant stupid human, he thinks that all "perfects" are rubbing their intellect in his face. Both characters have to work together to solve a murder and it takes them "outside" into the world of ruins. Where they have to risk their lives to not only solve the murder but to survive.
I recommend reading this book, it is different and it's not one of those thoughtless books which you forget after reading. I read it a few months ago and i still think about it. It's that good.

[C Jon Tice · Rating 2 out of 5]

In a world where life outside is unlivable and procreation is unstable, a socialist system has been created to regulate every aspect of life, right down to birth rates. Computer created humans, numbers, are forced to interact with their imaginative name counterparts especially during criminal investigations where the cold hard facts don't usually answer all the questions. But one names unusual suicide raises suspicion, and the following investigation reveals more than the system wants people to know.

The overall environment was believable but the author put way too much personal opinion and explanation into the downfall of the environment when he should have put that much effort into the story. I did enjoy some of the journal entries but like everything else they led away from the storyline so I just skimmed them after a while. The ending was flat. I was expecting an uprising against the system but a convenient solar flare made everything better and they all lived happily ever after. The end.

[Barry Bridges · Rating 1 out of 5]

Henderson started off well enough, deteriorated into preaching his gospel of dystopia, and drug the reader to the end with cheesiness. There was no fiction to this science. The environmental concerns are real and well-documented. The take over of control by an emergent computing power is old hat. I had great hope, he seemed so interesting, I was completely willing to endure the classroom lectures defining his vision of the future, patiently waiting on the plot twist that never came. Sad, sad waste of an opportunity.

[Zac Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good science fiction. The story and characters are good, but the obnoxious environmentalism tends to annoy me. The ending is stupid... a freak solar flare burns all the pollution and disease out of the atmosphere and our intrepid heroes, who had left the safe-haven of their computer-run biodome to die in the toxic wastelands, are miraculously saved. Yay.

[Edmund Lester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murder mystery story set in a Philip K. Dick style future world.

A bit predictable but the world is reasonably well relised and the prose style is easy to read.

[Beck · Rating 3 out of 5]

Do any environmentalist books bother with subtlety? That said, I still enjoyed it.