2084

By: Elliot Ackerman, James Stavridis USN

Narrated by: Keith Szarabajka, Eric Yang, Pun Bandhu, Eunice Wong, Emily Woo Zeller

“Gripping…Ackerman and Stavridis stage a harrowing global conflict that pits military might against an appetite for justice… equal parts haunting and entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

A gripping drama and chilling prophecy about the possible path to war for a planet devastated by climate change

In their novel 2034, decorated military officers and award-winning authors Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis imagined a war between the US and China. In their follow-up novel, 2054, they envisioned a breakdown in American politics fueled by a radical advance in AI. Now they make their boldest, most astonishing, and arguably most necessary leap—imagining the consequences of a climate war.

By the year 2084, the world is divided into the equatorial countries that bear the brunt of the climate crisis—led by Nigeria, Brazil, and Indonesia—and wealthier countries like China and the US, beset by their own problems after a series of civil wars. Tensions between the two sets of countries have reached a breaking point, until finally the so-called Reparationist nations of the equator decide that only military force can bring them justice.

A fascinating and disturbingly plausible extrapolation from current realities, 2084, like other classics of the genre such as Kim Stanley Robinson’s The Ministry for the Future and Neal Stephenson’s Termination Shock, deploys a global cast of characters, all protecting their interests as the fate of human civilization hangs in the balance. Individuals often seem small in the face of the forces that drive global change, but in the end human agency proves surprisingly decisive. Big doors can swing on small hinges. We have it within ourselves to write a different destiny, if only we can imagine it.

Critic reviews

“Gripping . . . Ackerman and Stavridis stage a harrowing global conflict that pits military might against an appetite for justice . . . equal parts haunting and entertaining.”— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

The unintended consequences of war

Character development and the authors imagination especially regarding alliances and the reasons countries choose sides along power lines

Too much about naval maneuvering not enough about climate change

I enjoyed the first two this is way too much of a reach into the future in terms of creating a show global social change. The Naval maneuvering was redundant to the previous ones, and not all that realistic, the more important issues were left unsaid.

I was very impressed about the details on what the effects of climate change were on the world 80 years from now.

I loved how the previous characters had taken and been woven into the new version of this book 30 years later from the 2054 book.

Boring and highly technical

Well, this book was technically accurate, and the military aspects were spot on, the storyline was terrible. It was hard to finish. What is even harder is that I love Admiral Stavridis. You can tell he contributed to the technical and military aspects of the book and what future war would look like. I think the writer could’ve done a much better job on the storyline and the interaction of the characters.

not up the standard of 1984

book seems to be a bit nieve in how the future will evolve. if USA and China go to war it will be nuclear, resulting in catastrophe. I believe this to be unlikely to recover from in a 30 yr period of time. couldn't finish the book