Flashforward (Mass Market Paperback)

by Robert J. Sawyer (Author) "The control building for CERN's Large Hadron Collider was new: it had been authorized in A.D. 2004 and completed in 2006..." (more)
Key Phrases: cryostat cluster, time displacement, access station, Lloyd Simcoe, United States, New York (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
What would you do if you got a glimpse of your own personal future and it looked bleak? Try to change things, or accept that the future is unchangeable and make the best of it? In Flashforward, Nobel-hungry physicists conducting an unimaginably high-energy experiment accidentally induce a global consciousness shift. In an instant, everyone on Earth is "flashed forward" 21 years, experiencing several minutes of the future. But while everyone is, literally, out of their minds, their bodies drop unconscious; when the world reawakens, car wrecks, botched surgeries, falls, and other mishaps add up to massive death and destruction.

Slowly, as recovery efforts continue, people realize that during the Flashforward (as it comes to be called) they experienced a vision of the future. The range of visions is astounding--those who would be asleep in the future saw psychedelic dream landscapes, while others saw nothing at all (presumably they'd be dead). But those who saw everyday life 20 years hence have to come to grips with evidence of dreams forsaken (or realized). Soon, the physicists who caused the Flashforward are struggling to help the world decide whether the future is changeable--and whether the experiment is worth repeating. Robert J. Sawyer has captured a truly compelling idea with Flashforward, and he fully explores what such an event might mean to humanity. Fans will find this to be his best work to date, although the ending seems rushed after a detailed buildup. --Therese Littleton --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly
A science experiment that unwittingly shuts down all human consciousness for two minutes is the catalyst for a creative exploration of fate, free will and the nature of the universe in Sawyer's soul-searching new work (after Factoring Humanity). In April 2009, Lloyd and Theo, two scientists at the European Organization for Particle Physics (CERN), run an experiment that accidentally transports the world's consciousness 20 years into the future. When humanity reawakens a moment later, chaos rules. Vehicles whose drivers passed out plow into one another; people fall or maim themselves. But that's just the beginning. After the horror is sorted out, each character tries desperately to ensure or avoid his or her future. Trapped by his guilt for causing so much destruction and driven by a need to rationalize, Lloyd tries to prove that free will is a myth. Theo discovers that he will be murdered and begins to hunt down his killerAtempting fate as in the Greek dramas of his ancestors. Some people start on their appointed roads early, others give up on life because of what they've seen. Using a third-person omniscient narrator, Sawyer shifts seamlessly among the perspectives of his many characters, anchoring the story in small details. This first-rate, philosophical journey, a terrific example of idea-driven SF, should have wide appeal. (June) FYI: Sawyer is the president of the Science Fiction Writers of America.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Tor Science Fiction; 1st edition (April 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812580346
• ISBN-13: 978-0812580341
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (79 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #30,411 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Four solid leaps into the future, October 10, 2000

By	Bill Mac "hmcs_kenogami" (windsor, ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Flashforward (Hardcover)

I have always been partial to Robert Sawyer, as he is Canada's greatest borne and bred and still resident science fiction writer. Perhaps I tend to give him the benefit of the doubt especially when he rejects the staple of most Canadian writers; the government grant. That being said, I liked Flashforward. It is a good, solid, well researched, and well written novel. It's perhaps not his best but it's good.

Flashforward is set at CERN in 2009. Its primary protagonist is a Canadian scientist working at CERN trying to detect the illusive Higgs boson. The new ultra-high energy experiment causes everyone to see through their own eyes what they will be doing some 20 years in the future for two minutes. When the experience is over there have been accidents and deaths as a result. Some people see futures they don't like. Others see nothing indicating that they won't be alive in 20 years. Flashforward is an exploration of the problems caused and philosophical points raised.

Do we have free will? Is the future predetermined? Why do some relationships succeed and others fail? These are but some of the questions that Sawyer raises. Typical Sawyer themes are present including his interest in longevity/immortality. I am impressed that Sawyer can approach so many of his recurring themes from a fresh angle every time.

Sawyer's novels all appear well researched with the science not front and centre but well supported. If one is a techie then there is technical content. If one isn't then the technical content doesn't get in the way of the story.

Flashforward is a good novel but not without some weaknesses, principally in the ideas that it presents. For instance, Sawyer implies that the world of 2030 will have greater sexual freedom than today/2009. How much greater freedom could there be? On the one hand Sawyer implies that greater sexual freedom would be a good thing. On the other his protagonist regrets that someone had his divorced fiancée before he did. Sawyer also skips over the effects of marital breakdown and absentee parents on the development of children. Perhaps Sawyer will tackle these issues in his next novel.

While I like to wave the Canadian flag as often as possible, I think that Sawyer has overdone it. Some of the Canadian references make great in-jokes for Canadian readers and don't detract from the story. However, Sawyer gives some Canadian institutions, particularly the CBC, far more prominence than they receive internationally.

Flashforward is worth reading. One of the subplots has a thrilling climax. It will make the reader think. The ending is a little untidy but so is life.

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Overreaching, July 6, 2003

By	WFK "alt historian" (Wolfsberg, Austria) - See all my reviews

The one thing that made this novel a somewhat mixed pleasure is the authors need to explain all. Not only the question why and how a flash forward is possible, if we live in a predetermined universe or if we can change our fate, but to top it with his vision about the fate of humanity.

That last piece was a) totally unnecessary for the rest of the story, but b) left a very stale taste in the mind. In other words: it diminished an excellent book to (just) very good.

I observed the same thing in "Calculating God". If Sawyer just knew when to stop, it would IMHO make his novels so much better. A similar story is told by James Hogan in "Thrice upon a Time" and since it is much more focused, it is a better novel.

In this one the potential is there for so much more, but the author overreaches. In a way he was on flash forward too...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Riveting concept, November 7, 2008

By	JustAReader "JustAReader" (Virginia) - See all my reviews

Flash Forward is an engaging story with a very cool concept we all wish we could experience. The philosophical questions a peek into the future raise will rack your brain. Can we change our future? Would you want to? Sawyer brings these and many more issues to the surface for us to ponder. Well written, fast paced, characters with depth, riveting plot: a recipe for a good read.