A tale set in the future with echoes from today's news
598586
Although Speculative Fiction is not my usual genre, I was intrigued by the plot of The Breeding Tree by J. Andersen. It involves a futuristic lab where babies are created artificially and, at random, allowed to live or die depending on whether or not they are deemed perfect.

Well I was completely caught up in this gripping tale that sent ripples of concern through me as I read. Although the setting is in the future, the plot seems to align itself with todays news. And it should frighten us all if we consider the potential ramifications of science and the loss of concern for lifeespecially lives that are not perfect.

This story made me realize how easy it is for humans to de-humanize others in their obsession with practical science taking precedence over mans soul. Although written for a YA audience, this book is a must read for everyone.
2262975
This will take you on a ride.  The book goes from one unexpected event to another and the reader remains as clueless as the characters for quite sometime.  This is a contemporary tale that has meaning in today's world.  I found it very interesting and enjoyable.
1137309
Hashtagged: This Is How the Future Started is a captivating story about where we're all headed if we don't watch out.

It is, by turns, illuminating and horrifying, imagining what may happen if the millions of Facebook friends, Tweeters, InstaGrammers, and other Social Media users around the globe don't voluntarily throttle it back some and gain perspective about the prodigious amounts of personal information they are shooting into cyberspace.

I loved this book. It is the well-written tale of Maddy Smith and her journey to a not-so-distant future, where an authoritarian governmentaided by the ever-evolving technology spawned by an unchecked Internet Goldfingerthreatens personal liberties in a very real and chilling way.

Yes, it is science fiction, but just barely. The author manages to weave the story of the hunt for her beloved and long-lost father, a charming and far-sighted innovator in hashtag land, and a merry band of technological misfits known as The Dinner Club, into a full-out glimpse of an apocalyptic future that may yet await us all.

As I said, it is a cautionary tale of where our digital footprints will lead us if we're not more careful. But it is mostly just a good reada true page-turner that, as they say, you won't want to put down.

There many good turns of phrase:

"Some days the adventures were virtualknowledge gained, technology explored."

"Truly winning is about more than employing the various techniques of strategy and the so-called rules of people. It's about layering those with a bit of art."

"'Focus on the pattern, indeed.' This was a phrase that I heard many times in my life. I can still hear his voice today."

"This would have been their version of a Rave, all lined up and sniffing the cocaine of the futurea time-traveling man."

Five stars for Hashtaggedand a warm welcome to an outstanding storyteller.
897026
The setting for this novel, the attempted takeover of a well regarded daily newspaper by an overseas newspaper proprietor focussing on product profit rather than product quality, means that there is plenty of contemporary resonance. A good story with an eye to the current concerns about the future of quality newspapers.
1077208
Feed is a refreshing quick read, fast-moving and full of inventions in both future technology and literary style. The perspective of a teenager is perfect for bringing to life a future world of space travel, constantly changing fashions and environmental gloom. The narrator, like many teens, is both world-weary and discovering the world at the same time. And the world he lives in has a lot to say about our own. Anderson extends the experiences and worries of early 21st century America into a future world that's part enticing, part terrifying, and endlessly imaginative. The writing feels fast and almost slapdash, with passages of great lyricism jammed up against inarticulate yet realistic dialog and references to future technologies that are sometimes only half conceived but always intriguing. The cherries on top of this are the names and words, which are chosen with perfect pitch and surprisingly often become vocabulary lessons. The underlying story is simple but sometimes quite moving, with insights into human nature that feel true. Well worth a read at any age.
4871301
Great characters and an active story.

Also, was way ahead of its time in predicting the direction if technology. Hopefully less accurate on the future of society.
2642145
happening in the world today from some who cares about our future and our childrens future!!  Thanks for the interesting read and I  hope to hear more from you in the future.  I really like your News Network  The Blaze!!
903792
An outstanding  book that could have been ripped from today's headlines.  It was very up-to-date with information in our world today.  Interesting characters participating in an exciting and believable plot. Be prepared for surprises!
3979094
A compelling tale cleverly told; compulsively readable and the reader will want an extra bite at the end.  I am lobbying for a prologue and epilogue in an updated edition to help put the story in context for those who didn't live through the tech bubble.  That would make it five stars.
4227494
This book is set in the not too distant future, and the predictions made of the changes that have taken place in the world are a bit frighteningly possible. There is a plan for Egypt to be accepted in the European Union and the citizens to be given the rights and privileges of all the other member states. Early on in the story the Prime Minister, Bryce, has a confrontation with a woman whose son had been killed in Afghanistan. She feels that her son died for a useless cause, as Afghanistan was handed back to the Mullahs in the end. The drug trade flourishes as before and the Territories were divided up again between the Warlords. To her disgust, the Taliban delegates had been welcomed to Downing Street, and Bryce tries to justify this as the reality of politics; terrorists of yesterday as today's politicians.
The woman feels that the Cairo treaty will be the final nail in the coffin for Britain, its culture and values. People are leaving Britain in droves but this has been covered up by manipulation of the statistics.
The two million refugees from surrounding wars, camped in the Egyptian desert, will all be eligible for E.U. citizenship and most will predictably head for Britain. Brice wants to delay the singing of the treaty and comes up against forces determined to take over his position and power.
One of the bombs is detonated at a mosque and hundreds of people are killed at prayer. Thing go wrong very quickly and revenge is sought by Islamic forces.
This is a courageous book which looks at the very bad things that happen in politics and it dares to deal with the topical subjects of an Islamic takeover of Britain and other E.U. countries, and a flourishing underground right wing organisation.
Some parts of the plot seem very credible and others just too far fetched, like the collusion of future members of the royal family in the conspiracy and the plan to build the biggest mosque in Europe in Whitehall. Nevertheless this is a book well worth reading, it is excellent writing, and I have no problem recommending it.
3490741
A dark depiction of the future which is looking more and more likely.
2368639
Nice story set in a future where the (inter)net dies and people are let to wonder what happened.

I was expecting that it might get a bit "tech heavy", but it turned out to be a lot more about how people change behaviour as desperation starts to kick in.

My wife read it as well, and I was surprised that she seemed to be as addicted as I was, despite her being very un-nerdy. This reflects that the fact that the human aspect in this book is as strong, if not stronger, than the tech side.

Although I would not call it high literature, the story was totally gripping, with some nice twists along the way. A bit like Dan Brown meets The Day After Tomorrow.

An unexpectedly good book for the 99cents asking price.
1353887
Originally written in 2006, this novella was (and still is) ahead of its time. The technology described at the beginning of the book is now underway in the real world, albeit with simulated rat brains instead of humans... but the book takes place in 2017, so there's still time!

This work is a striking example of hard sci-fi speculation that doesn't veer off into a spy or action piece to cover a lack of any real ideas. It was refreshing to read something that stayed true to a description of possible futures and real consequences of technology instead of "The secret society is shooting at me, better upgrade my brain enhancements again so I can move faster!" I was getting fed up reading the same lame premise over and over from other more popular books, so this was very refreshing.

Anyone interested in the possibilities of AI, brain transference (maybe there's a more technical word?), and long-term human evolution will enjoy this book.
168174
The author spins a tale of time travel that provokes thought. He is well read and uses fiction and fact to make the read believable
3853872
A well-thought out tale of a future society not so hard to imagine. I won't reveal the cause or provide any arguments against it but it's certainly plausible. And that is why it's doubly frightening. I think it's very enjoyable and has the plot and characters that will keep you absorbed.
2058330
Wow, what a great story and so relevant in today's society. David Antocci did a fantastic job of drawing me into a surrealistic tale of adventure, murder, greed, also including unpredictable combinations of circumstances. What I found extremely troubling for me is although this is a fictitious, well written tale, I could easily see as becoming a real scenario. Take the time to read the book and see if you don't agree.
1265605
In this fun sci-fi story, the religious institutions of today completely take over the government of tomorrow.  There's a fast-paced story with plenty of chase scenes and twists and turns, but the essence of this book for me was the scary dominance of religion over all governmental bodies and decision-making.  Though the future depicted in this book was somewhat bleak, I found hope in the central character's "re-birth" into a brave and independent thinker.  Hence, Jimmy Stu lives!