Two characters - Leonard Fox, a former professor who spends most of the book ruing his past liberalism, and Danny Oz, a poet who fled Israel after 6 million Jews were murdered by the Muslim "Global Caliphate" - seem to have been created for the sole purpose of explaining why the left wing has destroyed America. Simmons seems unable to keep himself from stopping his book dead with frequent ideological rants. But as a political novel - and it would be very difficult to argue that Flashback isn't one, even though Simmons himself attempts to do so in a recent post on his website - it's a disaster. Simmons is an excellent storyteller and a master at cinematic pacing, and the best parts of his book are summer-blockbuster fun. Eventually, of course, their paths cross.Īs an action piece, the novel is enjoyable. Nick is an ex-cop investigating the years-old murder of a wealthy political scion Val is on the run from California after killing a fellow gang member. Among the addicts are Nick Bottom and his estranged son Val. Not surprisingly, most of the country is dependent on a powerful drug called flashback, which lets the user re-experience the good times of the past. Sports stadiums have been converted into prisons, conservative talk radio has been banned, and Los Angeles teachers are required to carry guns. Because of "staggering entitlement programs," the economy has tanked - and America is down to "forty-four and a half" states. The book takes place in what's left of the American West, about 20 years in the future.
It's a scary, dystopian sci-fi thriller, combined with yet another genre: the political rant. Flashback, his new novel, is no exception. In novels like Song of Kali (1985) or Drood (2009) and those in Simmons' Hyperion series (1989–1997), you're never really sure whether you're reading science fiction or mystery, horror or fantasy, or maybe all at once.
One of the reasons Dan Simmons is such a popular author is that he refuses to be confined by genre. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Flashback Subtitle A Novel Author Dan Simmons
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