Twenty One Thirteen (2113)

By: Allen Jesson

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Synopsis

This book is basically divided into three parts:

  • The far past story of Jay, who must leave his wife and ill son to search for water.
  • The near future story of Dave, who can clap his hands and instantly change the screen scene on the wallpaper of his 87th floor apartment.
  • The far distant future stories of Dave 2, Dave3...

Review

Author Allen Jesson set himself to the remarkable task of connecting the past, the near future and the distant future all in one story, exploring the question what it might be like in different ages if we could live forever. The novel begins by making me stop and think about the choices people of the distant past had to make without the conveniences of the plentiful water, food and shelter we enjoy in America today. I can relate... even in the 1800's some of my own ancestors had to count their potatoes and ration them by the number of days until the next crop could be gathered in.

Jesson chose to sweep his readers from the distant past to the near future and from there on to a distant future where one could choose to live forever...young. Or not. I found a lot of food for thought in this novel, but I also became somewhat skeptical because at times it seemed altogether too easy for his characters to chart their own futures.

While it is very well-written, the novel's many 1 or 2 page chapters - 43 chapters in this 169 page book - tended to jump the story about before I had really gotten into the previous couple of pages. The story began with hard and tragic times in the distant past and left me searching for the too few turns to good times as it progressed.

Note: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

*Reviewed by guest reviewer, Delores Goodrick Beggs.

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