Hey, guys! So, earlier this week I discovered that Human.4 (which I read like three years ago and absolutely loved) has a sequel, and I've been oblivious about it since 2012! Needless to say, I was beyond exited! I practically stormed the library to check the book out and then finished it in basically a day. It was great, the book before it was great, and you should read both. Since I never reviewed the first, I'll post a little about that before we get into The Future We Left Behind.
Human.4 by Mike A. Lancaster:
The Cover:
It shows an "upgrading" human arm. Its such a cool cover. The title is cool, too. A+ cover all in all.
Official Description:
Kyle Straker volunteered to be hypnotized at the annual community talent show, expecting the same old lame amateur acts. But when he wakes up, his world will never be the same. Televisions and computers no longer work, but a strange language streams across their screens. Everyone's behaving oddly. It's as if Kyle doesn't exit.
Is this nightmare a result of the hypnosis? Will Kyle wake up with a snap of fingers to roars of laughter? Or is this something much more sinister?
Narrated on a set of found cassette tapes at an unspecified point in the future, "Human.4 "is an absolutely chilling look at technology gone too far.
Is this nightmare a result of the hypnosis? Will Kyle wake up with a snap of fingers to roars of laughter? Or is this something much more sinister?
Narrated on a set of found cassette tapes at an unspecified point in the future, "Human.4 "is an absolutely chilling look at technology gone too far.
Alternate Official Description:
'My name is Kyle Straker and I don't exist any more.'
So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . .
If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.
And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too?
Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.
So begins the story of Kyle Straker, recorded on old audio tapes. You might think these tapes are a hoax. But perhaps they contain the history of a past world . . .
If what the tapes say are true, it means that everything we think we know is a lie.
And if everything is a lie does that mean that we are, too?
Plug into a gripping new generation of sci-fi.
My Review:
Considering that I read this book so long ago, I remember it remarkably well. It was really neat. There were certain moments, that I'm not going to mention because spoilers, that I would love to be able to replicate in my own writing. It's deep without trying too hard, funny without being silly, and perfect in a way that few books can manage. I'd highly recommend it!
The Future We Left Behind/ 1.4 by Mike A. Lancaster:
First of all, I'm not sure which title to use, The Future We Left Behind or 1.4. I've seen both, but they are the same book so don't be confused!
The Cover:
It shows a mechanical bee (I know it doesn't look like a bee but trust me) flying near a person's head. These bees are actually a really significant part of this book. Peter's, the main character's, dad engineered mechanical bees when the bees started becoming extinct. These fake bees crowded out the natural bees, killing them all. While that's not a very important part of the plot it shows Peter's dad's nature.
Official Description:
Thousands of years in the future the divide between humanity and technology has become nearly unrecognizable. Each thought, each action is logged, coded, backed up. Data is as easily exchanged through the fiber-optic-like cables that extend from fingertips as it might be through ordinary conversation. It's a brave new world: A world that the Straker Tapes say is a result of many human "upgrades." But no one is sure whether the Straker Tapes are a work of fiction or an eerie peek into an unimaginable past.
Nearly sixteen-year-old Peter Vincent has been raised to believe that everything that the backward Strakerites cling to is insane--an utter waste of time and potential. Since his father is David Vincent, genius inventor of the artificial bees that saved the world's crops and prevented massive famine, how could Peter believe anything else?
But when Peter meets Alpha, a Strakerite his own age, suddenly the theories about society-upgrades don't sound quite so crazy, especially when she shows him evidence that another upgrade is imminent. And worse, there may be a conspiracy by the leaders of the establishment to cover it up. A conspiracy spearheaded by Peter's own father.
Gripping and full of unexpected twists, The Future We Left Behind takes the unsettling questions raised in Human.4, and flips them entirely. What if we knew that the very way we live was about to be changed in an instant, and we could stop it? And what if everything we are sure we know is entirely wrong?
Nearly sixteen-year-old Peter Vincent has been raised to believe that everything that the backward Strakerites cling to is insane--an utter waste of time and potential. Since his father is David Vincent, genius inventor of the artificial bees that saved the world's crops and prevented massive famine, how could Peter believe anything else?
But when Peter meets Alpha, a Strakerite his own age, suddenly the theories about society-upgrades don't sound quite so crazy, especially when she shows him evidence that another upgrade is imminent. And worse, there may be a conspiracy by the leaders of the establishment to cover it up. A conspiracy spearheaded by Peter's own father.
Gripping and full of unexpected twists, The Future We Left Behind takes the unsettling questions raised in Human.4, and flips them entirely. What if we knew that the very way we live was about to be changed in an instant, and we could stop it? And what if everything we are sure we know is entirely wrong?
My Review:
This book was so cool. It picked up a thousand years after book one. At first, I was skeptical about this change but it was obviously for the best. The human race is still being upgraded and it seems like another update is imminent.
People who believe that what is detailed in book one, the Strakerites, are hated and laughed at. This led Mike Lancaster to be able to do something incredible, reference his own book within the current book. Human.4 had become a bible of sorts to the Strakerites. This probably doesn't seem very neat, but I loved this little detail! For example, at one point, Peter goes through the list of books he will read in his English class. They include Shakespeare, William Faulkner, Beowolf, Human.4, etc. It was just so gutsy and fantastic. This author won a lot of points with me by doing that.
The characters were all fantastic. They were three dimensional with their own motivations, however ill guided they were. They seemed alive. Also, there was a LOT of character development, which I'm a big fan of, especially with Peter. It was nice.
The plot was great! It was exciting and lovable and full of tension. Unrelated things built off of each other. There were twists and turns, betrayal and loyalty, love and hatred. It was just fantastic. I read this 300-some page book in almost a single sitting as a result.
I also liked its formatting. The entire situation is set up like an encrypted computer diary that someone decoded. So at the beginning of chapters, we have a line of computer code to run the next section of the diary, etc.
Quote:
"In the entire history of the world the answer to a question about the way things wok has never been 'magic', 'the supernatural' or 'pixies'.
Examples:
1) An apple falls. Was it pulled down by hands of angles? No. I think you'll find the answer to that one is 'gravity'.
2) Bright fire fizzes across the night sky. Are the Gods fighting? No, that one is an electrical discharge, and we have called it 'lightning'.
3) The sun is devoured by blackness in the sky. Surely the Gods are angry with us? Uh, no, the moon has just moved in front of the sun. We call that 'an eclipse'. "
I would strongly recommend both Point 4 books to anyone. They grapple with issues while not being heavy-handed. They are interesting, engaging, and just plain awesome. Five out of five stars barely cut it!
Phrase:
Kyle paradigm
Happy Reading!
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