Earlier today we participated in the Canada Reads Live Chat with FlashForward author, Robert J. Sawyer. It was fun chat with lots of interesting discussion.
Here are Robert J. Sawyer‘s answers to our questions:
FFB: What inspired you to write FlashForward and which aspect do you hope the TV series brings to the forefront?
RobertJSawyer: Roco, I was inspired by a 20th-anniversary high-school reunion. Everyone was saying “If I’d only known then what I know now, things would be better.” …I wanted to test that proposition: that knowing the future, even if it was bad, would be a good thing. For the TV serious, it’s that philosophical debate that I mos want them to keep intact … and the ARE.
FFB: Thanks for your answer – do you personally believe that knowing the future on such a mass level is a good thing for humanity?
RobertJSawyer: Roco, the question is whether knowing it we can change it. If we CAN change it, then, yes, the foreknowledge is a great thing. If people could see just how bad climate change is going to get, for instance, we might actually do something about it in time to stop it.
Many thanks to Hannah Sung for hosting and moderating the Live Chat. To read the entire transcript, head on over to the Canada Reads Bookclub blog!
FlashForward premieres Sept. 24th on ABC.
