Tuesday, January 27, 2015

The Shape of S--- to Come - Steve Lowe & Alan McArthur

As you may have guessed by the title, this book is a look at the future - or more specifically, the future as it looked from 2012 (ha ha). The book covers topics such as one of my favorite things, robots (I want a talking robot so much - and I do in fact feel ripped off because as a child I was certain we'd have talking robots like C-3PO by now). It also covers more practical topics such as energy and food, which are increasingly problematic as our population increases and our climate changes.

But don't be put off by my lackluster description! Although the book covers serious topics, it does it in a highly comedic manner, and is rather funny. The tone of the book reminded me of comic shows I see on BBC America, for example Top Gear or The Graham Norton Show - it's breezy and irreverent. This book is a fast read and an enjoyable look at the future. It would be fun to reread it in another 10 years to see how accurate it turns out to be. The authors apparently have a series of similar books that I suspect are great fun; I'll have to add them to my virtual TBR list. Recommended.

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