Content levels
Hero archetypes
Heroine archetypes
Protagonist archetypes
Tropes
Themes
Synopsis
In a world on the verge of environmental catastrophe, supercomputers have determined that the only way to sustain life is to run communities logically by rationing every resource and monitoring every action to make sure it is in accordance with the Common Good. Amidst a division between Names (naturally born people) and Numbers (those created through genetical engineering), detective Ben Travis and his Number partner Paula are on the case of a murdered plant prospector. They end up discovering a fatal corruption that leads Ben to uncover a random emotional error in his partner: a belief in love. On the run in the ruins of a world that has been abandoned for 60 years, Ben and Paula encounter other survivors and rediscover the reverence for nature, life, and love.
Is Tomorrow's World appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 13 and up.
Parents should know this dystopian sci-fi contains murder investigation themes, surveillance state elements, and environmental catastrophe. The romance is subtle and fade-to-black, with themes about rediscovering emotion and humanity in a controlled society.
What to know going in
This book has moderate violence, mild sexual content, and mild language. Content notes include murder, grief, and environmental catastrophe (see the full list above).
Publisher ages reflect reading level; our rating reflects content maturity — they can differ.
Who'll love this
Teens will engage with the mystery plot, the forbidden romance between a detective and his AI-created partner, and the exploration of what it means to be human in a world ruled by logic.