Naomi Alderman

The more I thought about The Power, the less I liked it, but I saw enough buzz about this that I tried it, and I found it quite readable. Three billionaires—a barely hidden Elon Musk stand-in, a Steve Jobs-ish type, and a woman who might have a model in a Chinese billionaire but was less placeable—prepare to escape the apocalypse and control the future. Meanwhile, people in their inner circle—one grown child, one exiled founder, and one trusted assistant—are trying to figure out what they can do to reverse the damage these greedy, tyranny-supporting, environment-destroying monsters have done. And the trusted assistant’s new lover, a survivalist, is trying to learn more about what she’s gotten herself into, especially when the software she didn’t know she had on her phone helps her avoid an assassination. The narrative moves briskly; the repeated references to Job/Sodom and Gomorrah largely work well. I was left with the sense that it was somewhat less than the sum of its parts—the best I can say without spoiling is that it felt a lot like a really elaborate Twilight Zone episode.… (more)