Amph The Future Happens Twice - Great Book!

Several months ago I met Matt Browne in an online forum and we've been discussing various future-related scientific subjects. I found out that Matt was also a science fiction writer, having recently published his first novel called 'The Future Happens Twice - The Perennial Project'. It turned out to be a truly captivating and intellectually stimulating book exploring the concept of embryo space colonization. I was impressed by the depth and breadth of the author's knowledge in the various science fields that are at the core of the book. Many topics are presented in a straightforward manner, casually dropped into a story that equally focuses on character development. The characters are full of human desires and flaws. The best thing about the novel is its originality. If you want to be entertained, I highly recommend it. Here's a short description of the novel:

For decades scientists have dreamed of sending deep-frozen humans on interstellar missions. But until this dream comes true, they must settle for a much simpler technique available: the freezing of human embryos. However, long distance space travel of this nature poses other challenges, none more so than the management of artificial pregnancies and how to raise the children produced.

One viable solution comes in the form of advanced biotechnology and highly sophisticated androids, and a large scale project has been implemented to explore these options. To prove that it can really work, the project's scientists go a step further. Somewhere in the Nevada desert and well hidden underground, they conduct an eighteen-year-long experiment using a young starship crew unaware of their true environment. Surrounded by complex simulations, the crew believes they are approaching a distant star system, one that appears to host a planet suitable for human colonization. What they also don't know is the fact that their embryos had been split prior to the implantation in the womb devices.

The scientists' bold plan is to send the twin embryos on the real mission, pioneering the frontier of space. From both identical genes and an identical environment inside the starship, they arrive at the assumption that the future is a mere repetition of the present events. And indeed, about 42,000 years later the twins grow up with the very same android parents.

But then things start to drift away from the original plan. The real starship crew now faces a constant battle for survival. Only their fortitude and strong determination to land on the extrasolar planet averts a disaster. The reward is the new exotic world that awaits them, full of overwhelming potential.

Michale Shupe

Book details:

THE FUTURE HAPPENS TWICE by MATT BROWNE
Paperback, 732 pages, Athena Press, London
ISBN-13: 978-1844018307 - Date: June 14, 2007
Author Website: http://www.meet-matt-browne.com
Order from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/review/product/184401830X