Flash Forward

What would you do if you were given a glimpse 21 years into your future. In Flashforward, everyone on earth is given a 2 minute window into the future after a scientific experiment does wrong. What if what you saw can make you rich or famous? Would you use that information? What if you saw nothing? Does that make you dead in your future? What if you're a killer in the future? Would you alter your life to do what you could to change your future before it happens? Is the future fixed? Can it be changed?

To find out read Flashforward. Another great sci-fi tome from Canada's greatest sci-fi writer Robert Sawyer.

Read on a recommendation and as far as sci-fi goes, it's a good story. Some of the science went a little above my head (ie. quantum theory, black holes, time travel) but really enjoyed the concept. Interested in how the tv series will pan out.

A very entertaining read by a Canadian author. What would you do, if you had a glimpse of your future? Is the future set? Can a murder be prevented? This fast-paced tale grapples with these types of issues, as it follows the lives of scientists involved in an experiment which temporarily jumps the world's collective consciousness ahead 21 years. Has one of the best chase scenes that I have ever read. For me, the story bogs down a bit once in a while when getting into scientifc explanations (let's just say physics is not my forte), but that doesn't detract from the overall pace of the book.

One of my favourite books, by Canada's King of Science Fiction. In this tale, an experiment pushes everyone ahead in time by about 20 years - in consciousness only - and gives them the view from their own eyes in the future, but with no ability to do anything but ride along with what is happening in the future.

Everyone in the world is tossed at this futuresight, and one main character is more specifically affected: he saw nothing. Someone contacts him with an e-mail after the event, saying that in the future, while reading a newspaper, there was an article about the murder of this man.

What would you do if you had twenty years to figure out who was going to kill you, and why, and could you stop it?

Filled with much more than that - how would people react if they knew where they'd be twenty years in the future? - the book grabs you and keeps you interested from start to end. Vintage Sawyer stuff!

Flashforward has the main protoganists, the scientists, quickly assuming a time-shift took place early in book. While the rest of the world panics and believes in this, it's unbelievable that scientists in 2008 could 24 hours after the Flash Forward. The subplots, Canadian content, philosophical questions about freedom, and neat prognostications for the next decades hold interest to the finish, but they're insufficient to overcome the readily acceptance of a time-shift by scientists for a great book. The scientists appear heavily influenced by science fiction. This one gets a 2 and a 1/2 goes for the cool cover design. Sawyer has produced better novels.

This is the first science fiction novel I've ever picked up and this author is now on my "to buy list." Great plot twists, interesting characters and ideas that are just mind blowing. I read this book faster than any book I read this past year, it was so engrossing. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to be thrilled.

I chose this book to read for a millenium themed Independent Study Unit at school. I was a little bit hesitant about science fiction because it has never really been my "thing" but I was pleasantly surprised. The story was very well paced from start to finish and a bit eerie at times with similar facts from the book to real life. It almost made me wonder what a deja vu really is. I was very impressed with the book and would recommend it to anyone, whether they typically enjoy science fiction or not. This one is a keeper.

Nice to read a sci-fi that is set in Canada: for a Canadian the in-jokes and tongue-in-cheek comments about our political & social situation are very amusing. Science authenticity seems believable...but then again I'm not a rocket scientist.... good engrossing read for those that like technology.