THE FUTURE IS YOURS

4 stars out of 5

My best suggestion after finishing this book? Don't read it right after you've smoked a joint. Heck, don't even try it after you've had a couple of beers. It's mind-boggling enough without any outside help.

That's not to say I didn't thoroughly enjoy it - truth is, the story is highly thought-provoking and tantalizing; if you could see a year into the future, would you look (especially knowing there's nothing you can do to alter what you now know happens)? On a much larger scale, if this kind of technology were possible today, what would it mean for the U.S. military (to know who won the war or who is secretly (until now) building up a nuclear arsenal? International relations (which of today's friends will be tomorrow's enemies)? Or how you treat your mother-in-law now that you know she won't be around for Christmas next year?

On a basic level, the story tracks the progress of The Future, a high-tech business started by college friends Ben Boyce and Adhi Chaudry. The actual technology, beyond having heard the term "quantum computing," was beyond me - but once I got the gist of what was happening, it simply didn't matter. Ben is the outspoken motivator and public relations guru; Adhi is the socially shy mastermind behind the technology. Their goal is to launch their company, which builds and sells desktop-type units that allow end users to link to their futures - and for all intents and purposes (including raising tons of start-up money), they'll be off and running right on schedule.

But there's many a slip twixt the cup and the lip, and once the secret gets out, opposition rears its questioning head in the form of government investigations not unlike today's quibble over the pros and cons of social media. All that is woven throughout using emails, text messages, blog posts and even Congressional testimony that shifts in time to create one of the most unusual book formats I've ever read (not to mention sort of freaky, but by golly, it works). Needless to say, I couldn't wait to finish; I can't say much more about the plot without giving too much away, but the ending brings a surprise that, given the rest of the book, really shouldn't have been.

Extra kudos for originality and entertainment value - and thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

The Future is Yours by Dan Frey (Del Rey, February 2021); 352 pp.