Toronto science fiction writer Robert J. Sawyer has made a name for himself by finding intriguing premises and relentlessly pursuing their repercussions. With Flashforward he does this again and does it well.

In Sawyer’s latest novel, a team of scientists has designed a nuclei-collision experiment that they hope will detect a rare particle. Instead, after the experiment is activated, everyone on Earth gets a two-minute peek at what they will be doing during a two-minute period 21 years in the future. Although the visions show people doing routine things, the impact for humanity is profound. Struggling writers see that in two decades they’ll still be waiters; others see themselves happy in careers they didn’t expect and consequently get an early start in that direction.

The flashforward also has a deep effect on the two main scientists. One sees himself married to a woman who is not his current fiancée. The other scientist sees nothing during the experiment but finds out from others’ visions that in 21 years he will have been murdered.

With no real villain, the story focuses on the effect of the experiment on the two research scientists. Fortunately, Sawyer is deft at creating interesting and believable characters. Additionally, the premise here is provocative and Sawyer skillfully speculates on the impact of this sneak peek into the future.

If the story has a weakness, it is that the characters spend too much time pursuing ideas that don’t seem credible. At one point, one research scientist carries on believing – with no evidence – that the other scientist will be his eventual murderer. Meanwhile, the other scientist spends most of the book convinced that the future is immutable; that everyone’s lives will be just as they are in their visions. Of course for that to happen everyone – including the media – would have to forget about the revelations of the flashforward. These missteps distract from an otherwise fine yarn.