Anyone

by Charles Soule Narrated by Emily Woo Zeller

Overview

Charles Soule brings his signature knowledge-and wariness-of technology to his sophomore novel set in a realistic future about a brilliant female scientist who creates a technology that allows for the transfer of human consciousness between bodies, and the transformations this process wreaks upon the world.

Inside a barn in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a scientist searching for an Alzheimer's cure throws a switch-and finds herself mysteriously transported into her husband's body. What begins as a botched experiment will change her life-and the world-forever...

Over two decades later, all across the planet, “flash” technology allows individuals the ability to transfer their consciousness into other bodies for specified periods, paid, registered and legal. Society has been utterly transformed by the process, from travel to warfare to entertainment; “Be anyone with Anyone” the tagline of the company offering this ultimate out-of-body experience. But beyond the reach of the law and government regulators is a sordid black market called the darkshare, where desperate “vessels” anonymously rent out their bodies, no questions asked for any purpose - sex, drugs, crime... or worse.

Anyone masterfully interweaves the present-day story of the discovery and development of the flash with the gritty tale of one woman's crusade to put an end to the darkness it has brought to the world twenty-five years after its creation. Like Blade Runner crossed with Get Out, Charles Soule's thought-provoking work of speculative fiction takes us to a world where identity, morality, and technology collide.

With its blend of science fiction and thriller, Anyone is a must-read for fans of speculative fiction who love stories about the dangers of technology and the consequences of playing god.

HarperCollins 2024

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2020 - AudioFile

Emily Woo Zeller’s fast-paced narration underscores the life-and-death stakes in this speculative sci-fi thriller, which traverses two near-future timeframes. Scientist Gabrielle White accidentally discovers an astonishing technology for transferring consciousness into the body of another person. Fast-forward 25 years, and a young woman, Annami, navigates a disturbing future in which Gabrielle’s technology allows bodies to be rented and abused. Both women become targets, and neither can trust the realities and alliances that shift around them. Reflecting this instability, Zeller employs a staccato tone that fuels the story’s action and adds to its growing mood of agitation. Listeners will be captivated by Zeller’s bold, even strident, voicings of Gabrielle and Annami as she channels their fierce resilience and courage in a world in which nothing is as it seems. S.A.H. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

“Fast-paced and suspenseful. Soule’s uncomfortable vision of the future will please readers of cutting-edge speculative fiction. ” — Publishers Weekly

“An imaginative, time-fragmented thriller about the bitter and potentially deadly consequences of body-snatching. Readers won’t feel that they’re on the edge of their seats as much as they’re on a balance beam above a pit of lava while trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube.” — Kirkus Reviews

“With his second novel, Anyone, Charles Soule establishes himself as an author that readers of speculative fiction will love for years to come. The book will leave you thinking about gender, power, and what it means to be human for long after the final chapter.” — Jennifer Wright, author of Get Well Soon: History’s Worst Plagues and the Heroes That Fought Them

“Soule has wrapped a sharp, prescient investigation of the human mind inside a breakneck thriller that will have you riveted until the very last twist. Anyone is truly a book for everyone.” — Peng Shepherd, author of The Book of M

“I spent much of my childhood inside DARPA, where my father was Deputy Director, and this book captures the imagination and double-edged sword of our greatest scientific leaps. The same technology that can cure the world’s ills might also cause us to spiral into our own greed, selfishness, and vanity. Charles Soule’s Anyone is a remarkable, consequential novel and a terrifying wake-up call.” — Susan Henderson, author of The Flicker of Old Dreams

“A scientist's experiment gone wrong leads to a technology, called "flash," that changes the world. Charles Soule (The Oracle Year) gives this conventional sci-fi theme a rollicking 21st-century update in Anyone... . . Fans of N.K. Jemisin will devour this mind-bending novel.” — Shelf Awareness

“Anyone is an intense, superbly crafted, edge of your seat thrill ride. I loved the two slowly converging storylines, not to mention the most dedicated, hardcore character I’ve read in a long, long time. Who would you be if you could be anyone?  I’d really like to be Charles Soule and have written this book.”  — Sylvain Neuvel, author of Sleeping Giants

 ”Explosive”  — Booklist

Booklist

”Explosive” 

Shelf Awareness

A scientist's experiment gone wrong leads to a technology, called "flash," that changes the world. Charles Soule (The Oracle Year) gives this conventional sci-fi theme a rollicking 21st-century update in Anyone... . . Fans of N.K. Jemisin will devour this mind-bending novel.

Susan Henderson

I spent much of my childhood inside DARPA, where my father was Deputy Director, and this book captures the imagination and double-edged sword of our greatest scientific leaps. The same technology that can cure the world’s ills might also cause us to spiral into our own greed, selfishness, and vanity. Charles Soule’s Anyone is a remarkable, consequential novel and a terrifying wake-up call.

Peng Shepherd

Soule has wrapped a sharp, prescient investigation of the human mind inside a breakneck thriller that will have you riveted until the very last twist. Anyone is truly a book for everyone.

Jennifer Wright

With his second novel, Anyone, Charles Soule establishes himself as an author that readers of speculative fiction will love for years to come. The book will leave you thinking about gender, power, and what it means to be human for long after the final chapter.

Sylvain Neuvel

Anyone is an intense, superbly crafted, edge of your seat thrill ride. I loved the two slowly converging storylines, not to mention the most dedicated, hardcore character I’ve read in a long, long time. Who would you be if you could be anyone?  I’d really like to be Charles Soule and have written this book.” 

Booklist

 ”Explosive” 

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173513007
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	12/03/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

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