Flashforward

320 pages.Set in the LHC and the search for the Higgs Boson.Features a Flash forward and the characters attempts to understand this and the implications for their future.Interesting and detailed Quantum Physics at times.It bears little resemblance to the TV series.Features Lloyd Simcoe as the main character but in the book no FBI involvement, no Mark/Olivia Benford, no Simon Campos etc.A good read in its own right but very different than the TV series and does nothing to explain/expand of the TV themes.

The premise alone was intriguing enough to encourage me to buy this book; the entire human race experiences two minutes of their future. The book details the story of a select number of characters as they come to terms with both their visions, and with the death and destruction caused by the unexpected, world-wide two minute absence of consciousness.The book is well-paced, and punctuated with news summaries which indicate how the wider world is coping following the "Flashforward". The plot is centered around the Large Hardon Collider in Geneva (probably not a spoiler to suggest this might have something to do with it), and while the novel is punctuated with science, it doesn't detract too much from the human interest element. As well as science, there's also some Philosophy... but like the science it's "pop" Philosophy and is generally accessible. To be honest, from my perspective, there probably isn't enough of this kind of thing in it; I found the explanation of how a high-energy particle collision could interfere so acutely with human consciousness slightly wishy-washy. I get the impression you're not meant to question it too much... the LHC is a mere a plot device to enable the intriguing high-concept, and the emphasis is really more on the reaction of the characters.For all it does zip along enjoyably, the last few chapters are somewhat of a damp squib and a bit nonsensical... it doesn't really need to go where it does. I also found the general ambivalence of the world's population a little unbelievable, but who's to say that's not how they'd react?Overall I enjoyed this and recommend it.

Great book and ‘used condition’ not too bad either.

This novel by the Canadian SF writer concerns a blackout where everyone in the whole world suddenly falls unconscious for two minutes, resulting in car and plane crashes, patients dying in hospital and lesser injuries for many. During this two minutes almost everyone experiences a vision of their future 21 years hence (in 2030, the novel being set in 2009, though written in 1999). As with Sawyer's other novels, there is lengthy and interesting exploration of ethical ideas, here the clash between free will and determinism to which the glimpse into the future gives rise. Again, as in some of his other novels, there is quite a lot of hard science, here about particle physics that seems overdone at points. The characters are generally weak, and the two leading male characters, Lloyd and Theo I found irritating and rather self-centred, though they mellowed in the last part of the novel when the real 2030 came about.Some of the 1999 predictions about technology in 2009 were off beam (everyone is still using VCRs, just more advanced ones), though the novel correctly predicts that Benedict XVI will be Pope!There is a US TV series based on the central idea from the novel, though the characters are different (I just watched the first episode after reading this and it looks good).

I have to join all the other one star reviewers here, I'm afraid. The premise of a "flashforward" (not a real dictionary word) is fascinating and could make for a very good sci-fi story, but this isn't it.TV series get cancelled all the time and they normally get forgotten in the mists of time. However, even though it was shown way back in 2009, this was so good that I couldn't forget it and I've continued wanting to know what happened after the series one (annoying and inevitable) cliffhanger ending.While the principle of the flashforward is the same as the cancelled TV series, it's a completely different story with different characters where only Lloyd Simcoe is the same between the two. On top of that, what really gets me is that this is actually a boring melodrama about the ramifications of the flashforward affecting various lives in lots of negative ways rather than a gripping sci-fi thriller like the TV series, complete with cool baddies and complex, interrelated subplots. Basically nothing much happened in the story except for the start and the end: it was mostly angsty melodramatic filler page after boring page. This means that I still didn't get to find out what happened after the end of season one and that's pretty frustrating.Despite all this, there was actually something to like in it. I have a scientific and technical brain, so I did like the scientific-sounding explanations for this fictional phenomenon and enjoyed spotting where the author deviated from established science in an attempt to explain it and make it sound plausible. Inevitably though, there was quite a bit of glossing over, especially towards the end where he gave up completely, so he didn't make as much effort as he could have to appeal to readers who understand science.I think they should release another version of this book which matches the TV series storyline. There are a lot of people frustrated by its cancellation who want to know what happened so it would make good money. On top of that, if there is ever a remake, I think the interest sparked by the book would actually increase viewers rather than decrease them. It could be made just that little bit different too, helping to keep people hooked.Finally there were a few too many typos in it that I felt really shouldn't be there. It makes the work look unprofessional and sloppy, spoiling the immersion (well, what little it had, anyway). It's really not that hard to proofread a book until it reads with perfect spelling and grammar, especially with today's computers, hence this oversight was unacceptable.So, should you buy this book, or avoid it? Depends on your perspective really, especially if you've never seen the series and like boring melodrama.