Review: The Future We Left Behind by Mike A. Lancaster

The Future We Left Behind (Point 4) by Mike A. Lancaster
Release Date: November 13, 2012
Publisher: Egmont USA
Source: Egmont USA through Netgalley
Links: Amazon / Barnes & Noble / Goodreads

My Rating: 3 put of 5 stars

Synopsis: 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 says is a result of many human "upgrades." But 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 has 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 crop 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 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?

          This book was a quick read and while I felt like the plot goes at an easy pace, for some reason it took me a while to finish it. I don't know whether or not it was because I was in a book hangover because of The Evolution of Mara Dyer or because I had my occasional bout of ADD.

The main character, Peter Vincent, was a little bit more likeable than the one in Human.4. He is this teenage boy that keeps trying his hardest to please his father but who is also trying to do what he wants to do. He wants a chance to explore and figure things out for himself: to take a literature class instead of all the science courses he is expected to take. To learn more about the world he lives in instead of just believing everything he is told. I think everyone can relate to Peter because who hasn't experienced that or felt the same way; the pressure to live up to their parents' expectations but also being able to make your own decisions and choices.

There were some sci-fi terms and gadgets mentioned in this book that had me a little confused. I'm not much of a sci-fi girl so sometimes I just found myself reading over some parts. There was also a word/saying that really annoyed me for some reason. Peter, Alpha, and Perry said it frequently which leads me to believe that it's sort of a slang that kids and teenagers use. The word is hex. As in "what the hex?" "What the hex are you doing?" I kept thinking to myself that they should just say hell or heck instead.

Overall, I found The Future We Left Behind to be an okay read. I'm curious to see if the author will continue with the series. He left it really open-ended but in a way that if he doesn't, it's okay. I really like how Mr. Lancaster make you wonder about evolution and if things were really like in the books, it would just be plain creepy.