The Future We Left Behind

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? -- "Journal"

Review :
Lancaster's science fiction novel is a read as quick and compelling as its predecessor, Human.4 (Egmont USA, 2011). The inhabitants of this London know no other reality than the one which began when an alien force upgraded humankind. Peter Vincent does not believe the theories established by the Straker tapes until Amalfi enters his life and shares proof that not only has he evolved due to alien intervention, but another upgrade is imminent. Connected to an all-knowing, all-seeing Link with virtual reality capabilities, the teens in Lancaster's book share eerie similarities to today's society. Some plot developments lack motivation and characters are not fully fleshed, but Lancaster's storyline and message are clear enough to carry this novel. A reference to a secret diary written by Kyle Straker's girlfriend Lily indicates there could be a third installment in this series. --Library Media Connection -- "Journal" In this companion to Human.4, scattered bits of data and corrupted files have been compiled to unveil a brave new world on the brink of revolutionary change, a change that many believe was predicted a thousand years before by the legendary Straker tapes, a sort of audio Nostradamus. Peter Vincent has been raised to believe that those who believe in the Straker tapes are delusional; when he falls head over heels for Alpha, a self-professed Strakerite, he is forced to reexamine his assumptions, especially when she shows him evidence that the human 'upgrades' mentioned in the tapes are real and that another upgrade is looming. Desperate to prevent the prophesied change, Peter uncovers a vast conspiracy to cover up the reality of the Straker tapes, a conspiracy led by his own father. Told through layers of unreliable narration, the story explores the limits of human memory and the perils of relying on networks and technology to store and access humanity's collective knowledge. This truly thought-provoking outing gives the reader plenty of big questions to grapple with, including how you know what you know, the line between science and faith, and the very nature of humanity. The characters are less well realized than the concepts, but there's still plenty of passion between Peter and Alpha. Fans of Anderson's Feed (BCCB 11/02) will recognize the challenge to technological overreliance, and they'll find this stimulating read well worth contemplating. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books -- "Journal" The events of Lancaster's Human.4 (2011) are thousands of years in the past, so distant now that Kyle Straker's account of humanity being 'upgraded' by alien forces is considered superstition except by true believers known as Strakerites. But now it's time for a teen named Peter to upload his story into the worldwide shared-space of the Link--and with a ', ' we're off. Peter's a skeptic, too, until he meets cute Strakerite Alpha, who has uncovered a clue that links both of their fathers to a long-disbanded scientific committee charged with debunking the Straker Tapes. Secretly, though, the committee concluded the opposite, that humankind arrogantly believes they are the creators of their own evolutionary destiny, when really it is as alien forces periodically upgrading our abilities for their own purposes. Lancaster effortlessly incorporates into his whiz-bang plot big ideas of science versus religion, along the way borrowing from the sf masters: the large-canvas orchestrations of Asimov; the yearning nostalgia of Bradbury; the who-stole-my-memories paranoia of Dick; the pro-gaming, pro-hacking bent of Doctorow; and the spirituality of Clarke. Fans of Human.4 didn't see this giant leap forward coming--and that more than anything is the hallmark of great sf. --starred, Booklist -- "Journal"