[Gifted] Darren Dash very kindly gifted me an advance copy of his upcoming book, Father Of The Future. Father Of The Future is an adult science-fiction tale about, you guessed it, time travel.

Although Darren writes books for younger readers under the Darren Shan name, this one is definitely not for the kids. There’s lots of strong language and adult activities. So, let’s dive into this book review.

What Father Of The Future Is About

As I mentioned earlier, Father Of The Future is about time travel.

The story follows Cassique, a Fixer from the year 2853, whose job it is to travel back into the past to correct issues that would prevent the future he knows from unfolding. The more Cassique time travels, the more he wonders if things truly were better back then.

Cassique’s world is sterile; there’s no borders and languages, no landmarks, or artists.

After meeting two Originals (people from the past who are preserved in the future to answer Historian’s questions) he has even more doubts about his so-called utopian world and Father, the super-computer that runs it. While people in the past struggled more, Cassique begins to feel that they had something to live for beyond spending most of their time in virtual reality.

What I Thought

I’m normally not into sci-fi but Father Of The Future is much more accessible than most of the other books in this genre; it’s not particularly long or hard to follow. It’s actually a fairly short book.

Although the first few pages had me scratching my head, I was pulled into the future world pretty quickly. Darren does a really great job at creating a feeling of unease as we watch Cassique grow more disillusioned with his world.

It was also a refreshing take on time travel, as we’re not brought through the usual stories where characters return to an unfamiliar future. It still dealt with the idea of trying to maintain your own timeline, but done so in an interesting way.

Father of the Future couldn’t be more relevant. It forces us to think about AI, free will, reproductive freedom, and whether increasing trend of minimalism and the convenience of modern-day life are worth it.

I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought you would. If you’re also hesitant to read sci-fi, I’d still recommend it.

If you liked this book, you might also be interested in A Clockwork Orange. You should also check out Darren’s other books under the Darren Dash name; Sunburn and Midsummer’s Bottom.

For more time travel, you’ll love The Umbrella Academy.