2054 Audiobook By Elliot Ackerman, James Stavridis USN cover art

2054

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2054

By: Elliot Ackerman, James Stavridis USN
Narrated by: Junior Nyong'o, Brian Nishii, Eunice Wong, Emily Woo Zeller, Vikas Adam
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From the acclaimed authors of the runaway New York Times bestseller 2034 comes another explosive work of speculative fiction set twenty years further in the future, at a moment when a radical leap forward in artificial intelligence combines with America’s violent partisan divide to create an existential threat to the country, and the world

It is twenty years after the catastrophic war between the United States and China that brought down the old American political order. A new party has emerged in the US, one that’s held power for over a decade. Efforts to cement its grip have resulted in mounting violent resistance. The American president has control of the media, but he is beginning to lose control of the streets. Many fear he’ll stop at nothing to remain in the White House. Suddenly, he collapses in the middle of an address to the nation. After an initial flurry of misinformation, the administration reluctantly announces his death. A cover-up ensues, conspiracy theories abound, and the country descends into a new type of civil war.

A handful of elite actors from the worlds of computer science, intelligence, and business have a fairly good idea what happened. All signs point to a profound breakthrough in AI, of which the remote assassination of an American president is hardly the most game-changing ramification. The trail leads to an outpost in the Amazon rainforest, the last known whereabouts of the tech visionary who predicted this breakthrough. As some of the world’s great powers, old and new, state and nonstate alike, struggle to outmaneuver one another in this new Great Game of scientific discovery, the outcome becomes entangled with the fate of American democracy.

Combining a deep understanding of AI, biotech, and the possibility of a coming Singularity, along with their signature geopolitical sophistication, Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis have once again written a visionary work. 2054 is a novel that reads like a thriller even as it demands that we consider the trajectory of our society and its potentially calamitous destination. Fiction Spies & Politics Military Political War & Military Thriller & Suspense Espionage Genre Fiction Computer Science War
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Critic reviews

“Stavridis is not just a novelist, but also Admiral James Stavridis, formerly supreme allied commander at NATO. He and Ackerman are the authors of the bestseller 2034. In this follow-up, it is 20 years after the nuclear war between the US and China when the US president collapses and dies during an address to the nation. Conspiracy theories spread, and civil war ensues. Meanwhile, computer scientists and intelligence experts believe they know what lies behind the assassination: a profound breakthrough in AI. This sounds thrilling and provocative, and one to devote a good chunk of time to reading.” —New Scientist

“A captivating thriller . . . At its core, 2054 is part who-dun-it, part House of Cards political thriller, part sci-fi, and part-klaxon warning.” —The SCIF

“[A] propulsive thriller. . . The authors have created an enjoyable, intelligent and ultimately frighteningly plausible vision of a future replete with new technological threats.” —Financial Times

“This taut, chilling, provocative page-turner is one part Crichton, one part Clancy, and might just make you think these truly are the good old days.”—Michael Hainey, AirMail

“Gripping and imaginative . . . an enjoyable techno-thriller that explores the chaotic, self-destructive potential of human ingenuity.” —Booklist

“2054 is a compelling, terrifying and totally plausible thriller of future world history and calamity–not so far away–crafted into a sophisticated geopolitical narrative superbly handled by this unique partnership of retired admiral/NATO supremo, and a prize-winning literary writer of beautiful novels who also happens to be a decorated Marine who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Excellent–and a worthy sequel of their thriller 2034.” —Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The World: A Family History
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Definitely a departure from the first book in the series, but very interesting direction taken by the authors. Worth checking out if you were a fan of the previous book.

Interesting follow up not what I expected but fascinating

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This novel was solidly OK, but I did not find it enlightening or memorable. The best thing was the characterization. Some of the plot is a what-if extension of current politics (and I enjoyed this). The other part of the plot is an exploration of the “singularity” and AI (which I found very weak). Overall I found it worth my time. I had not read 2034, but have added it to my list.

The narration was clear and good.

Hit and Miss

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Strange idea to do sci fi with a living person as the center of the plot. The characters were mostly stereotypes and the performances of them were annoying. Sara Hunt is an obsession of every character but she only presents as as mythological. I don’t recommend.

Weak characters. Weak plot.

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Story was pretty anticlimactic, although, perhaps that’s the way the authors hope the future will play out; anti-climactic. Biggest complaint, they had both male and female voice actors, why would they have a female voice actor narrating a male part? Seemed cartoonish and silly to me.

Disappointing, as sequels often are 

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I found this a great follow up to the prequel of 2034. The main characters oh once again representing some new characters and over 20 years, passed by the events taking place in 2034. Concepts projected actions denied within this story could be used as a warning for many leaders to consider.

Great follow up to 2034

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