Customer Reviews

Forever Pleasure: A Utopian Novel

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have read the other reviews, each one of them awarding the book five stars (that's one of the reasons why I bought the book), and I am astonished.

Maybe there is a cultural difference here? I suppose the reviewers are (mainly? exclusively?) American; I'm European. Why am I astonished and why I'm talking about a cultural difference? In my opinion the book gives the impression to have been written by a teenager for teenagers. The main person, John, shows himself to be an absolute idiot who "travels" through time just by falling in some kind of holes - we're not talking about a scientist. And after landing in the new future time, he's main, or only, interest is to chase women, if possible two at the same time. Our "hero" John, by the way, makes absolutely every mistake one could do. Imagine a barbarian from 5th century A.D. travelling to our time and behaving exactly as he would in his century - that's what our John does. Didn't the American readers notice that? Is this again a cultural difference: for Americans it's normal that an American goes somewhere in the world (not necessarily into the future) and that he behaves exactly like in Boston? Surely there are many Europeans that behave in that respect just like Americans, but the mere fact that I noticed that, but noone of the other reviewers, suggests that the cultural difference is real.


But let me mention one unbeatable passage of the book, without revealing too much of the content (I don't want to ruin the "pleasure"): at one certain moment some people are travelling (this time intentionally) through time, and someone advices the passionate and teenager-minded John not to do it because the consequences could be disastrous and the like. But our John, whose little mind is only occupied by girls (and who is a good example for the famous sentence about cosmologists: "Often in error, never in doubt") says that nothing will happen because he has "experience in time travelling". Goodness! It is as though you would stumble, fall - and declare yourself an expert on gravity and its causes and consequences.

Maybe all this is some kind of at least entertaining literature for American eyes; for European eyes, it's not even that.

You would possibly now ask: if the book is really so bad, why did you read the whole of it?? Well: if I want to criticise something, I ought to be informed about it.

PS: if someone tried to learn a couple of Esperanto words or sentences from the book, let me get this straight: the author doesn't know Esperanto - and he took no effort in looking for someone who could help him. He obviously just consulted an (online) dictionary and translated English sentences word by word, which results in incomprenhensible Esperanto words meaninglessly (un)linked to each other. I often succeeded in understanding the Esperanto sentences only by translating them mentally into English - so bad were they.

Forever Pleasure is a real wonderful entertaining book that I have read in my life.
The story headed me to a perfect world;It took me away from the real life which so many chaoses happening nowadays.
I enjoyed reading the book during my lunch hours and felt nothing to worry about anything happening around.
The beautiful world in the book makes me dream about the future life. Expecting if it will be in movie, How amazing! I can't wait.

The story is awesomely original and in the fine tradition of landmark utopian novels. Eastman focuses on what truly startling technology that will be available in the future and the possibilities for benefiting and corrupting mankind. Cloaked in the guise of an almost surreal science fiction novel, the concept of the 'pursuit of happieness (pleasure)' is pushed to its ultimate extreme: You will experience pleasure, there is no other option... There is a lot of humor and the bizarre possibilities of a future society are presented well. I think some of the characters will live on in future literature especially Jenay the thousand year old 'girl' who by choice looked and acted like a 16 year old in some ways and like a mature representative maven of arcane future technology in others. The book left me bemused and wanting to read more.

Eastman delivers a sci-fi novel that should now be on the shelves of every brick and mortar bookstore. The protagonist, John Seeger, is a realistic representation of a late 1980's man unwittingly thrown into a future where machines bear the brunt of human labor; in turn human beings live in a utopian world with nanotechnology that has all but eliminated those pesky seven deadly sins. What is most fascinating about this book is that Eastman has successfully melded a real discussion of the pitfalls and triumphs of futuristic science and technology with an intriguing storyline loaded with action, humor and a bit of steamy robo-sex.

You won't be able to put this one down. The characters are engaging and the idea of a future of hedonistic pleasure based on innate human desire is tempting and thought-provoking to say the least. Great read!!!!

Forever pleasure is a breath of fresh air. A utopian novel that is not ashamed to revel in our deepest pleasures and transports us to a better place. Another reviewer's oomplaints about why someone who has been physically transformed into a teenager should think like one completely misses the point. This book is a positive hopeful look at what can be, set in a unique and scientifically thought out manner, with a good story to boot. Highly recommended!

Finally! After 2000 years of proposed governments Eastman actually hits the bull's-eye with his pleasure soaked society. The story's main character travels through a future of happiness, micro technology and secrets in what is called a "direct technocracy". This government effectively eliminates market systems, price systems, politics, politicians and heads of state. Any reason we couldn't form a DT today?

Later, John ends up in yet another social system that lacks a labor market and is engineered for high-end recreation and physical pleasure, a "hedonistic techarchy". You can have all your wealth, youth, looks, and fame Hilton sisters. With just the shirt on my back, give me a time machine and I won't look back!