Oracle Year (Soule)

The Oracle Year 
Charles Soule, 2018
HarperCollins
416 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780062686633


Summary
A clever and witty first novel of a twentysomething New Yorker who wakes up one morning with the power to predict the future.

Knowledge is power.

So when an unassuming Manhattan bassist named Will Dando awakens from a dream one morning with 108 predictions about the future in his head, he rapidly finds himself the most powerful man in the world.

Protecting his anonymity by calling himself the Oracle, he sets up a heavily guarded Web site with the help of his friend Hamza to selectively announce his revelations.

In no time, global corporations are offering him millions for exclusive access, eager to profit from his prophecies.

He's also making a lot of high-powered enemies, from the President of the United States and a nationally prominent televangelist to a warlord with a nuclear missile and an assassin grandmother. Legions of cyber spies are unleashed to hack the Site—as it's come to be called—and the best manhunters money can buy are deployed not only to unmask the Oracle but to take him out of the game entirely.

With only a handful of people he can trust—including a beautiful journalist—it's all Will can do just to survive, elude exposure, and protect those he loves long enough to use his knowledge to save the world.

Delivering fast-paced adventure on a global scale, as well as sharp-witted satire on our concepts of power and faith, Marvel writer Charles Soule's audacious debut novel takes readers on a rollicking ride where it's impossible to predict what will happen next. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—July 18, 1074
• Where—Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
• Education—B.A., University of Pennsylvania; J.D., Columbia University
• Awards—(see below)
• Currently—lives in Brooklyn, New York City, New York


Charles Soule is a Brooklyn, New York-based novelist, comic book writer, musician, and attorney. While he has worked for DC and other publishers, he is best known for writing Daredevil, She-Hulk, Death of Wolverine, and various Star Wars comics from Marvel Comics (Darth Vader, Poe Dameron, Lando and more), and his creator-owned series Curse Words from Image Comics (with Ryan Browne) and Letter 44 from Oni Press (with Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque.)

His first novel, The Oracle Year (2018) is the story of a 20-something man who can see the future and way this ability changes the world.

Awards and recognition
Soule's series Letter 44, illustrated by Alberto Jimenez Alburquerque, was an official selection of the 2016 Festival International de la Bande Dessinee in Angoulême, France, recognizing it as one of the finest graphic titles published in the French language for 2015.

"Power Couple," volume 1 Superman/Wonder Woman, received the 2015 Stan Lee Excelsior Award.

The Twenty-Seven series (with Renzo Podesta) and the She-Hulk series (with Javier Pulido and Ronald Wimberly) were included on the "Great Graphic Novels for Teens" list from the Young Adult Library Services Association in 2012 and 2016, respectively. (From the author's website and Wikipedia.)

Book Reviews
[A]nyone will enjoy this comically fast-paced tale about Will Dando, who wakes up one day with 108 wacky and world-shattering predictions.
Washington Post


This volatile and unpredictable novel will entertain and keep you guessing until the very end.
New York Journal of Books


[A]wildly entertaining first novel.… Although the premise is a bit shaky, the relentless pacing, richly developed characters, and brilliant ending make this apocalyptic speculative thriller an undeniable page-turner.
Publishers Weekly


Soule’s background in comics shows in this dark, rollicking tale.
Booklist


A man who can see the future—in cryptic fragments—wreaks havoc on the world stage as millions wait breathlessly for every single prediction.… A thrilling, noodle-bending adventure that keeps readers guessing until the very end.
Kirkus Reviews

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