Anticipation Day by Jeff Michelson is a daring and cerebral YA sci-fi novel that explores the boundaries between human consciousness, artificial intelligence, and the digital dreamscape. Set in a near-future world, we’re initially with Dr. Joshua Lee as we see his initiation into a secretive technological project that aims to redefine American life through immersive simulations. Then we find ourselves years later, where a group of suburban friends who are each facing emotional crossroads prepare to step into their first ‘Anticipation Day,’ an annual event where they live out personalized, fantasy-like experiences. But as they dive deeper into their digital dreams, the lines between illusion and identity begin to blur. What unfolds is a gripping examination of self, escapism, and whether artificial fulfillment can truly satisfy the human soul.

Author Jeff Michelson has a unique point of view that is confidently put across with vivid prose. This speculative vision of a dangerous new world is unnervingly plausible and brilliantly layered. In a time when the AI revolution and fears surrounding it are in full flow, this is a clever and thought-provoking novel that challenges readers to reconsider the future of AI and the cost of simulated happiness. The characters are realistically drawn with great dialogue that furthers the plot. The natural progression of discovery for this band of naïve heroes means that readers are emotionally invested and discovering everything alongside them. This makes for a gripping combination of philosophical inquiry with compelling storytelling. What results is a sophisticated exploration of technology’s promise and peril, wrapped in emotional storytelling that sticks in your mind long after you’ve closed the cover. Overall, I highly recommend Anticipation Day for fans of forward-thinking and accomplished science fiction.

Anticipation Day by Jeff Michelson is a young adult sci-fi novel that explores the intersection of artificial intelligence, personal desire, and the fragility of human identity. Set in a near-future landscape shaped by technological marvels and emotional complexities, the novel begins with Dr. Joshua Lee receiving a call in a London pub—an invitation to participate in a secretive AI project that will redefine American life. Six years later, in a sleek suburban neighborhood outside Denver, a group of longtime friends, Alexandra, Eric, Patrick, Mike, and MaryAnne, gather on the eve of their first experience with Anticipation Day. As they prepare to enter the virtual world, the novel unpacks each character’s emotional history and unresolved dreams, giving the reader an intimate look into what drives them to seek refuge in fantasy.

Jeff Michelson artfully blurs the boundaries between the real and the simulated, creating a vivid dreamscape that becomes increasingly introspective. As the characters navigate their individualized experiences, they confront personal fears, revisit painful memories, and chase elusive happiness, all under the watchful eye of the technology guiding their journey. Anticipation Day echoes the speculative insight of Philip K. Dick and the emotional depth of Kazuo Ishiguro. Like Dick’s explorations in Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, Michelson questions the nature of reality, agency, and the ethical boundaries of technology. Similarly, the novel’s introspective tone and focus on memory and identity resonate with Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go, where characters confront unsettling truths beneath seemingly utopian designs. In Michelson’s work, the future is not just imagined, it’s interrogated, with narrative layers that blend character-driven storytelling with speculative suspense. He is among the masters of the sci-fi genre.