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Book Reviews of Flashforward

Flashforward
Flashforward
Author: Robert J. Sawyer
ISBN-13: 9780765324139
ISBN-10: 076532413X
Publication Date: 9/1/2009
Pages: 320
Edition: Reprint
Rating:
  • Currently 4.3/5 Stars.
 19

4.3 stars, based on 19 ratings
Publisher: Tor Books
Book Type: Paperback
Reviews: Amazon | Write a Review

12 Book Reviews submitted by our Members...sorted by voted most helpful

Leigh avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 378 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 8
Incredibly inventive and complete - Sawyer thought of every aspect one would encounter if one was to glimpse two minutes, twenty-one years into the future. He considers personal, economic, and global consequences for this one event. I haven't been so completely enthralled with a book like this in years.

What if you saw yourself twenty-one years from now, but you were married to someone else? What if you saw yourself talking to your child - one whom you haven't had yet?

This book perfectly combines hard science and philosophical brainstorming in an engaging story that can be read over one weekend.
callaflower avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 5 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4
Wow, i really liked this book. I, like many others, picked this up after hearing about or loving the TV show of the same name which was based on the book. The book is really quite different from the TV show. Where the show focuses not only on the relationships and actions of the people effected by the flash forwards it also has this big mysterious component that is trying to be figured out. The book is mostly about the people, and there isn't some freaky group of masked men or anything like that out to get people. I like this. I love thinking about how the people may have changed their actions based on their flash forwards. and do things happen like they saw them happen.
This kept me turning the pages. I couldn't put the book down. mixed in with all the other stuff was a fair amount of scientific talk. i also found this interesting, but i think that depends on your personal interest in science, specifically physics.
again, it was good. i enjoyed it very much. i recommend it for sure
reviewed Flashforward on
Helpful Score: 4
This was an incredible ride! Nice amount of hard sf facts/theory thrown about in a story with interesting characters. It is a fast read and at only 300+ pages, it makes for a good weekend read. Is the future imutable? What would you do if you could see a glimpse of your future? After reading this book, my answer to that question has changed. Highly recommended ... Can't wait to read some of Sawyer's other work.
kaos127 avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 2 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
Quite different from the TV series, but still a fun read.
hickorydickerydoc avatar reviewed Flashforward on
Helpful Score: 3
I got this book because of the television show. I thought it was an interesting concept and would make an excellent book. Other than the general premise of the flashforward it was nothing like the tv show. It was still an interesting story but not as exciting as I anticipated.
Mahala avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 192 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 3
This was a great book! Just enough "hard" sci-fi and just enough "drama" and just enough "plot". Basically the story revolves around a group of scientists who run an experiment, and something very weird happens. Every single person on earth is knocked out for 2 minutes. During that time, some people see 1 minute and 45 seconds of their life 21 years in the future. Some see nothing. Some don't survive the 2 minutes they are unconscious! What would you do if you had to solve your own murder? Could you change it? Would you marry that same person? What if you want to commit suicide? And can the scientists take another look into the future yet again? WORTH THE READ!
CocoCee avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 404 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Sci-fi, especially time travel, rarely gets me because the story is filled with science I don't understand, or the author makes up concepts and terms. Flashforward is a wonderful mix of plot, character, and something to thing about. The concept is easy to grasp: The entire world had a glimpse of the future 20 years ahead for two minutes. The ensuing chaos is well-thought out and plausible.
reviewed Flashforward on
Helpful Score: 1
Now a tv show on abc.com
Alacornlady avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 79 more book reviews
Slow to start, but an original plot and good characters.
Judyh avatar reviewed Flashforward on + 229 more book reviews
This is one of my favorite stories. I have enjoyed everything from Robert Sawyer, and this one is one of his best, in my opinion. The idea of being able to see forward in time, just in glimpses, and how people would deal with it -- it's fascinating. The idea itself seems far-fetched, but Sawyer makes a good case and the story is credible, the characters well-developed and realistic. I highly recommend it.
reviewed Flashforward on + 34 more book reviews
Very interesting book. People get a short glimpse of the future. Gives you a lot to think about.
reviewed Flashforward on
This was a real page turner for me; I couldn't put it down. I couldn't wait to find out what would happen next. This book also piqued my interest in physics and science. The author is well versed in theories in relation to what happened in the book. I loved reading the explanations of the phenomenons that occurred, very enlightening.
The plot takes you into the lives of the three main characters, highlighting the chaos that resulted from the Flashfoward. Their glimpses into their own futures cause uncertainty in what they imagined for themselves. Is the future immutable or can it be changed? They all desperately want it to be the latter. What they learned about their futures isn't what many had hoped.