Review: Short, clever, enjoyable
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 4, 2012
Most science fiction stories I read don't take place in the near future. David Wailing's "Timeline" is set in 2022 and does a great job of showing what our future may look like if current technological trends continue: everyone's activity is constantly tracked by autos (personal assistant software that does everything you want) and there's no such thing as privacy, but you can be super-productive and flag a taxi from half a mile away in a second should the need arise.Autos can even calculate your compatibility index when you meet a new person - think Match.com on steroids. The protagonist is a data analyst detective who is about to meet Mr.Perfect (according to her auto, anyway) when things go terribly wrong.The writing style is enjoyably laconic and informative, with occasional dry humor (the main character checks her tweets, veets and bleets; a clothing store plays post-dubporch music). David Wailing describes the world of 2012 in an organic, non-intrusive way: instead of monologing on how things ended up the way they did, he simply offers quick descriptions of the protagonist's surroundings as she goes about her business. The story is short, fast-paced and a great example of a cautionary tale with an unusual ending. I highly recommend it. :)