The Tomorrow File
Sanders who is best known for his bestselling mystery series, takes a stab at the dystopian genre in this novel about a future society where behavior modification and genetic manipulation are used to tell people who to love, what to wear, and what to think. First printings, especially in nice condition, can be difficult to find.
Hardcover. First Edition, First Printing. Octavo, cloth binding with gilt lettering. New York: Putnam, 1975. ISBN: 0399115110. #10646.
Fine in near fine dust jacket with some edge wear to extremities. Overall, a nice presentable copy.
The Tomorrow File by Lawrence Sanders, more widely known for his bestselling mystery and crime novels, including The Anderson Tapes which launched his popular Edward X. Delaney series and the Archy McNally series, is a departure into speculative fiction. Set in a dystopian late 1990s, this world is characterized by drastically expanded bureaucratic power following the weakening of the White House in the 1970s. Alongside this, technology advances at a breakneck pace, demanding constant adaptation from the populace.
Central to the narrative are Nicholas Bennington Flair and his lover Paul Bumford, referred to as “users” in this society, who find themselves entangled in a web of intrigue, murder, and bureaucratic machinations. The plot revolves around an assignment by their boss, Angela Berri, to investigate the murder of a man named Harris which leads to the arrest terrorist leaders over the age of thirty, labeled "obsos" for their inability to adapt to the modern world.
The novel unfolds across three distinct sections, each delving deeper into the bureaucratic and technological complexities of Sanders’ imagined 1998, navigating a society rife with medical experimentation, genetic ratings, birth licensing, and assigned genders. In this world, the United States, now simply called the United States without “of America,” is expanding, with the United Kingdom poised to be its latest addition.
Sanders' vision of the future, while not accurate in terms of technological predictions, especially regarding computers, is nonetheless creative and filled with meticulous world-building. His portrayal of 1990s values, slang, fashion, and makeup is a notable attempt to bring the era to life. However, the narrative is also marked by an overwhelming focus on sexual content and explores potentially unrealistic rapid political changes.
The Tomorrow File stands out for its imaginative depiction of unchecked bureaucratic and technological growth, offering a glimpse into a world where governance and policy are increasingly disconnected from the civil sphere. While arguably too dense and ambitious, and clearly overshadowed by Sanders' more mainstream body of work, The Tomorrow File remains an interesting blend of intrigue, science fiction, and dystopian elements.