The Future We Left Behind by Mike A. Lancaster

The Future We Left Behind by Mike A. Lancaster
Publisher:  Egmont
Publish Date:  November 13, 2012
Pages:  384
ISBN: 978-1606844106


This is the second book, but I was fine reading it as a stand alone.



There's two schools of thought, you either believe in the Straker ta;es...or you don't.  The tapes were recorded almost a thousand years ago.  There's no scientific proof to back them up, so they're seen almost as a fairytale.  The tapes were made by a boy that insists that the human race is regularly given an upgrade by aliens, that perhaps they're farming us.  But he and a few others managed to escape the upgrade and he tells the story.

Peter Vincent's dad is a scientist and has taught him that the Straker Tapes are nonsense.  Peter is slowly beginning to question how things are.  People all have a 'link' - they automatically are connected to a sort of internet.  They receive updates constantly on the weather, people they know, play games, talk to friends - all within their heads.  Everyone is a bit separated.  He enrolls in a class where he actually reads a book instead of just loading the information.  He finds it fascinating and loves the critical thinking. 

Then he meets Alpha, a new girl at school.  She lives on the other side of town and is a Strakerite.  As Alpha and Peter talk and discover more, the danger grows.  It's interesting to see what the Straker Tapes are and how they fit in. 

The characters were well done and interesting.  I'll admit that getting into the first chapter or two took me a bit of effort, but it was worth it.