Flashforward

I really enjoyed the ABC tv series, Flashforward, so when it was cancelled after one season, I decided to read the book, which was written in 1999, but primarily unfolds in 2009. I have loved sci fi probably because of Gene Roddenberry who imagined a future where people still had rich cultural heritages AND worked together on a mission to increase their knowledge and diversity beyond our home planet. Roddenberry’s future was far from perfect, but it was hopeful. Robert J. Sawyer’s future is crap, and I don’t think that I will read any more of his books. His imagination pretty much sounds like the worst parts of now.
SPOILERS AHEAD
Sawyer, a Canadian, imagines a future where in spite of all the fantastic future events that transpire, the majority of the novel consists of a male main character (all the main characters are male) obsessing about whether or not to get married to a Smurfette-a Japanese scientist. Is there a male genre that is the equivalent of chick lit? Even in this crazy future world where air travel is not only an option, but a way of life for these international scientists who are not hampered by money and readjusted their lives to improve their careers and love life, these dudes can’t see their kids after divorce because the kids live half way across the world. One of the dudes that neglects his kid IS a child of divorce who thinks about his childhood trauma for the majority of the book, but reassures himself that his child is fine, and his divorce wasn’t too bad.
Even incidental tertiary points in the book are at best awkward and at worse, a bit racist. Here are some excerpts.
“The faces in the lobby were mostly white, with a few-Lloyd stopped himself before he mentally referred to them as melanic-Americans, the term currently referred to them as melanic-Americans, the term currently preferred by blacks in the United States (page 24).” Oh, what do THOSE people call themselves NOW. What a bother. Flashforward literally has an international cast, but thanks for that dude. You can describe everyone’s international background, but this is where you get creative. You could describe the rich variety of shades a la Hunger Games to signal that there are unnamed black people from the United States. You already said white. It would have been fine and been less awkward.
“What he wanted to ask was boorish, crude. “Did she have slanted eyes?” Or maybe he would have caught himself in time and phrased it more elegantly: “Did she have epicanthic folds?” But Michiko wouldn’t have understood. She’d have thought some prejudice underlay Lloyd’s question, some silly misgivings about miscegenation. But that wasn’t it. (page 58)” This plot point is important since the character wants to know if this person looks like him, and he is a white Canadian talking to his Japanese fiancé, but couldn’t he have said, “Did she look like me?” Simpler, less obnoxious. The lady doeth protest too much.
“The President of the United States was African-American and male; there had apparently yet to be a female American president in the interim. (page 156, referring to possible future events in 2019, obviously book was written before 2008.)” What happened to melanic American? In the future, do they switch back? Or you’re not clever enough to remember what you wrote earlier, and your editor stopped reading to remind you that you changed terms?
“And yet there was something about her-something exotic. And, well, she obviously liked white guys… (referring to Japanese female scientist) (page 197)” When Sawyer introduced an Asian female character, I actually was hoping that the word exotic wouldn’t be used or that someone would have the good taste to stop him, but no. I should have bet money.
I’m so glad that I borrowed this crap from the library and didn’t give this guy a dime. Skip it!!!!