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Thirty Seconds from Now
10 pages, Unknown Binding
First published September 1, 2011
1 person is currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
John Chu
67Ìýbooks85ÌýfollowersJohn Chu is a microprocessor architect by day, a writer by night. His fiction has appeared or is forthcoming at Boston Review, Bloody Fabulous, Asimov's Science Fiction, Apex Magazine and Tor.com. His story "The Water That Falls on You from Nowhere" won the 2014 Hugo Award for Best Short Story.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 25, 2015
This review was originally posted on
Thirty seconds from now is a short story about a guy called Scott who has the ability to see into the future. Scott’s version of precognition involves seeing multiple versions of the future, depending on people’s actions. He tries really hard to stay in the present and juggles a beanbag to help him retain his focus. When he’s in his dorm room one day, he sees a guy outside his door who looks ‘clearer� to him than anyone else ever has.
I found the idea behind Scott’s ability really interesting and I was surprised he’d managed to make it as far as university without it sending him completely mad! It’s kind of like chaos theory (I think) in that he sees the many possible outcomes of seemingly random actions.
The plot was really interesting and I liked the way we saw his and Tony’s relationship play out. Although it wasn’t exactly an HEA, I liked the decision Scott made at the end of the story. There is some good characterisation, which can be difficult in such a short story and I think it helps that the author focuses on just two characters.
All in all, this is worth a read.
You can find this story at
Thirty seconds from now is a short story about a guy called Scott who has the ability to see into the future. Scott’s version of precognition involves seeing multiple versions of the future, depending on people’s actions. He tries really hard to stay in the present and juggles a beanbag to help him retain his focus. When he’s in his dorm room one day, he sees a guy outside his door who looks ‘clearer� to him than anyone else ever has.
I found the idea behind Scott’s ability really interesting and I was surprised he’d managed to make it as far as university without it sending him completely mad! It’s kind of like chaos theory (I think) in that he sees the many possible outcomes of seemingly random actions.
The plot was really interesting and I liked the way we saw his and Tony’s relationship play out. Although it wasn’t exactly an HEA, I liked the decision Scott made at the end of the story. There is some good characterisation, which can be difficult in such a short story and I think it helps that the author focuses on just two characters.
All in all, this is worth a read.
You can find this story at
August 29, 2021
I liked the idea and it was a cute story. But I expected a different ending. Some plot twist maybe.
January 9, 2016
I read this as part of The Time Traveller's Almanac.
First up, this story is not a time travel story, which is disappointing in relation to it's inclusion in The Time Traveller's Almanac.
That said, it is about precognition, and is nevertheless an interesting tale. In this story we meet Scott, a young man at college who is a juggler. He is a juggler as it helps him to focus on now instead of scanning future possibilities that exist in the place where he is located. As he sits on the floor of his room juggling, he deliberately steps into the future and sees a person who is not blurred. This apparently means that this particular future is certain, not just a possibility. The story then unfolds as Scott scans further and further into the future, tracing the events that will take place involving this unblurred individual.
An intriguing take on the concept of alternative realities. Not something I class as falling within time travel, but in this instance one can almost understand its inclusion into the Almanac, as Scott almost time travels, thanks to his precognitive abilities.
First up, this story is not a time travel story, which is disappointing in relation to it's inclusion in The Time Traveller's Almanac.
That said, it is about precognition, and is nevertheless an interesting tale. In this story we meet Scott, a young man at college who is a juggler. He is a juggler as it helps him to focus on now instead of scanning future possibilities that exist in the place where he is located. As he sits on the floor of his room juggling, he deliberately steps into the future and sees a person who is not blurred. This apparently means that this particular future is certain, not just a possibility. The story then unfolds as Scott scans further and further into the future, tracing the events that will take place involving this unblurred individual.
An intriguing take on the concept of alternative realities. Not something I class as falling within time travel, but in this instance one can almost understand its inclusion into the Almanac, as Scott almost time travels, thanks to his precognitive abilities.
October 1, 2017
In Time Traveler's Almanac.
Read
June 14, 2019I like hopeful endings, and this did not have that. It was clever for what it was.
April 9, 2024
An SF story that looks at one person's view of the multiverse.
Shorter than 10 Sigmas and with more of an emotional punch.
Shorter than 10 Sigmas and with more of an emotional punch.
December 21, 2015
I read this in The Time Traveler's Almanac. There's actually no time travel in it at all.
March 4, 2016
I loved this story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
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