- Title: Email from the Future: Notes from 2084
- Author: Michael Rogers
- Series: N/A
- Genre: Sci-Fi
- Publishing Date: April 21st, 2022
- Publishing Co.: Practical Futurist
- Length: 276 pages
- Format: Paperback, Audiobook, Kindle Unlimited
- Acquired: Given free paperback in exchange for an honest review
- Amazon Link: Email from the Future: Notes from 2084
It’s 2084, and Aldus, an elderly robot repairman, is writing the history of the 21st century for his grandson, Luca. Born in 2010, Aldus lived through it all—the War on the Warming, the repair of the planet, the rise of true artificial intelligence, automation everywhere and much more. “I was but a foot soldier,” Aldus tells his grandson, “but there is value in that perspective.
Aldus also fears his time is short. Unlucky members of his generation sometimes experience long-delayed side effects from childhood infection with the early century virus COVID. Aldus could be among them, and so his writing may have a literal deadline.
Final Judgment: 4.5 Stars out of 5
Rogers creates a tantalizing futuristic world that could be within our grasp if we–as the entire human species on Earth–band together and start working to saving our planet. 2084, though it is only a little over 60 years away, which doesn’t sound that far, is a completely different world from what we know here in the 2020s. Rogers crafts a world where humans work together to combat all the negative influences we’ve wrought over the centuries, and it is something beautiful. Something to look forward to. Something to strive for. We readers follow a Gen Z “old” man by the name of Aldus and his diary writings about the world he’s grown up in, listening to him rambling about his family, his health, and all the changes that have occurred since the 2020s. Rogers weaves a hard sci-fi world with a sympathetic character-driven plot to entice his readers and persuade us that there may be a way we can salvage ourselves.
The first thing noticed about this novel is the science behind the science fiction. I am not a hardcore sci-fi fan, and so there were so many things that simply went over my head. Rogers even went into detail attempting to explain certain concepts to the layperson, and I could not even grasp that. Fortunately, a repertoire of scientific knowledge or know-how about sci-fi in general is not a requirement for enjoying this book. Although, perhaps you devout sci-fi fans out there will be even more intrigued that I was, as you can understand all the evidence behind the actions!
With the form of an older Gen Z writing to his young grandson about the changes in the world, and how it’s so different from the 2020s when Aldus was a child, we readers are given an anchor point to hold onto. We know what a Gen Z looks like. We know about Covid and the many changes that it brought to our world in such a short time. Aldus simply expands those changes, explaining how permanent some “will” be.
It was honestly fascinating to see how large of a difference 60 years can make. And it is all believable. I may not be able to speak about the science, but I can speak about the social aspects and they all make sense. Rogers is calling on humanity to do something. We know that we are experiencing climate change. We know that societal expectations on relationships and identities needs to change, that love and marriage and religion and AI and social media and public transportation and the job market are all facing their own issues right now in our current society. Luckily, he provides a blueprint for a possibility to see through to what life could be in small chunks of chapters, each focused on a specific aspect of life.
Well written and highly persuasive, this character-driven hard sci-fi novel is something that is surprisingly easy to read, even for those of us less left-minded. It also forces us to call into question our current society, and ask ourselves if this is the direction we want the Earth to keep turning. Is there something more we can do?
Highly recommend for anyone open-minded!
The Book Dragon 