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Andrew Blencowe
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The Last Bastion of Civilization: Japan 2041, a Scenario Analysis Kindle Edition

by Andrew Blencowe (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 169 ratings
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Trump, Brexit, Putin: Where Are We Heading?

If you’re a contrarian, or simply wish to imagine a radically different future, The Last Bastion of Civilization will challenge your current world-view.

Written as a series of letters and short essays, each of the 18 chapters attacks a present-day assumption with a counter-punch argument of its own.

Sometimes controversial, always challenging, it’s a future to consider given today’s world affairs.

Andrew Blencowe is the CEO of an international software company and writes alternative fiction thrillers. He lives in Japan.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    196 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publication date
    February 11, 2016
  5. File size
    1364 KB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Andrew Blencowe discovered at an early age what it was like to live on the edge of life. During his high school years he dropped out to become a motorcycle racer. Smitten by computers in his early twenties, he went on to become founder and CEO of an international software company with offices on five continents. It is his international perspective and a drive to challenge assumptions that influence his writing interests. As a weekend student of history, one point he noticed over and over was how a seemingly trivial action had such immense consequences. Regarding this point of minute actions, it is akin to a 1,000-ton boulder balanced precariously on a steel knife edge; at present still, but with the smallest nudge, an army of men cannot stop the monolith from rolling down the hill. Another reoccurring point was how people's time frames are always myopically short; Zhou Enlai, when asked in the early 1970s about the significance of the French Revolution, was reputed to have answered, "Too early to say". This myopia is daily becoming worse and worse as the destruction of the intellect by mobile "telephones" accelerates. Combined with iPads and other electronic reading devices, the ability of the human mind to think and ponder disturbance-free is being destroyed one interruption at a time. These are some of the main threads in Blencowe's novels - the arrogance and massive overconfidence in the new (blithely and wrongly considered better); the panoply of quick fixes rather than a thoughtful analysis of the unexpected consequences of these often dangerous modern expedients.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01ASBL4GO
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hamilton Bay Publishing (February 11, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 11, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1364 KB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 196 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 169 ratings

About the author

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Andrew Blencowe

Andrew Blencowe

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Andrew Blencowe discovered at an early age what it was like to live on the edge of life. During his high school years he dropped out to become a motorcycle racer. Smitten by computers in his early twenties, he went on to become founder and CEO of an international software company with offices on five continents. It is his international perspective and a drive to challenge assumptions that influence his writing interests.

As a weekend student of history, one point he noticed over and over was how a seemingly trivial action had such immense consequences. Regarding this point of minute actions, it is akin to a 1,000-ton boulder balanced precariously on a steel knife edge; at present still, but with the smallest nudge, an army of men cannot stop the monolith from rolling down the hill.

Another reoccurring point was how people's time frames are always myopically short; Zhou Enlai, when asked in the early 1970s about the significance of the French Revolution, was reputed to have answered, "Too early to say".

This myopia is daily becoming worse and worse as the destruction of the intellect by mobile "telephones" accelerates. Combined with iPads and other electronic reading devices, the ability of the human mind to think and ponder disturbance-free is being destroyed one interruption at a time.

These are some of the main threads in Blencowe's novels - the arrogance and massive overconfidence in the new (blithely and wrongly considered better); the panoply of quick fixes rather than a thoughtful analysis of the unexpected consequences of these often dangerous modern expedients.

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
169 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Julie S.
4.0 out of 5 stars A Work of Writing That Has Its Own Controversial World View!
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2018
Verified Purchase
Name of the Book: The Last Bastion of Civilization: Japan 2041, a Scenario Analysis

Author: Andrew Blencowe

Publication Date: Hamilton Bay Publishing on February 11, 2016

Book Length: 196 pages

A Close Look At The Plot/Story -
The premise of The Last Bastion of Civilization: Japan 2041, a Scenario Analysis is genuinely unique in the description. It is a creative work that appeals to all those who have their world view on what the worldview should be like today. What this book does is clear, and that is to challenge your world view with its unique worldview if that makes any sense. It's controversial in tone.

Who is the main character or goal in this book?
There is no central character in this book. What this book has is a series of essays, as well as, letters that do their own thing and this thing is to attack an assumption that is present-day and present a sort of convincing counter-punch argument that is fascinating in delivery.

What is the primary objective of this book?

The objective of this book is to help the reader to imagine a different and more radical future. The structure of the book is meant to be unusual and being unusual it can hit home. It gives readers a future to consider when looking at the world affairs of today.

My Personal Experiences -

Can I relate to the characters or goal in this book?

I surely can relate to the objective of this book. We all hope for a better future than the one we are currently living. What this book does is offer varying takes on what the future is and should be about by definition.

My Opinion -

Did I like the book?

Yes, of course, I honestly did like the book. The writing is fast-paced and very readable. The topic is fascinating and in-depth from start to finish.

What part of this book did I like the most?

I liked the entire book. I can't say that I was drawn to one part more so than the other.

What is my least favorite part of the book?

There isn’t any least favorite part of the book at all.

Would I change any part or parts in this book?

I would not change any part of this book. It’s great as it is.

What Is My Recommendation For This Book? -

Would I recommend others to read this book?

I would recommend this book to all those out there who have vision. We each have our take on what the future should be about, and this book gives us something to think about in that area.

Who would be the one to enjoy this book the most?

This book appeals to all those who love exciting content that grabs the attention and keeps it.

How Many Stars Does This Book Get In Rating?

****

Julie A. Sullivan did write the following review

 The Last Bastion of Civilization: Japan 2041, a Scenario Analysis
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msmoon
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read - it will make you think
Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2018
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This book is a speculative take on the future of the world. It’s written as a collection of publications documenting studies done at various institutions. The publications take place in the future but talks about the past and how the past created the future. It’s a really unique take on writing.

Andrew Blencowe has taken materials he researched and created a timeline of sort to chronicle the downfall of the leading power countries and the rise to power of Japan. It begins with Japan’s advance robots who are capable of running a business completely on their own and who’ve become Japan’s most dependable source of companion for its people. Blencowe includes a very believable story to the robots’ creator.

Blencowe talks about electric power being the main source of electricity the world uses and how one power company was able to create an endless supply of electricity so that no competitors can out-succeed them. This leads back to the robots because the robots are what built the power plants.

Further on, we get to see how other countries sabotage themselves in their greed to become a super power. Leading power countries thinking they can outsmart less powerful countries/smaller countries find themselves trapped or embarrassed by their own mistakes. We also learn about the downfall of the most powerful country, the United States. Blencowe’s story about the new president in 2041 is a bit on the humor side. To be honest, I read it with a smile, but I can see how it can possibly happen.

This was very interesting speculative fiction based on very well researched materials. I liked that Blencowe included reference materials at the end. I totally recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in how the world will be in the near future.
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Nia Bwell
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Analysis in Japan Becoming a World Super Power
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
The scenario analysis for 2041 Japan was an interesting read to say the least. The first chapter doesn’t hold back any punches by mentioning the flaws and misconceptions that have occurred in history. One fact which struck me the most were the mentions of WWII. The author outlines how the winning side of the war was never accused of war crimes despite the rape of German women during this time amongst others that occurred. The author also did an interesting comparison of how Japanese culture is more productive compared to American culture due to the focus on family and working in harmony with other people.

The book goes on to describe the future and buildup of Japan from this first chapter into a very intricate, and at times very complex, description of the country becoming a ruling superpower in the world. During my time spent with the book, I was giggling over Hoshi’s approach to inventing robotic hands to being fascinated by the TRC (Total Robotic Reconstruction) movement. The move from using people in factories to just robots sounded like a science fiction world, but with how technology is moving forward today I can easily see this happening.

I enjoyed the change of tones in the book with each chapter being presented as a written paper from different professionals in their field. The reader is introduced to scientists, journalists, and told through these publications about how Japan has sought out success through smart planning and investments. Along with the downfall of some of today’s superpowers, with a strong emphasis being put on America in almost every chapter.
While I did enjoy the book for the most part, my only real problem is with the rapid change of tone and idealization of Japan. The first 1/3rd of the book read like a comedy to me. The 2/3rd sounded like a true analysis of HOW Japan is superior, with the last third of the book exploring how Japan utilizes labor laws and robotic technology to take over a massive mining operation in Australia.

I do agree with the author in the fact Japan is superior in some aspects when compared to America, but I also feel Japan was idealized far too much. While I do agree individualism is a big problem with America, a complete focus on working in groups and family is not perfect by any means either in Japan’s culture. Instead there should be a balance of the two, but I digress.

Overall, I did enjoy this book. I felt it was well written, researched, and it was entertaining to read about the author’s thoughts on how Japan could potentially become a super power. Certainly worth reading for people who enjoy researching this subject matter.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Marta Cheng
4.0 out of 5 stars Speculative Fiction or a Prediction About the Future?
Reviewed in Canada on March 22, 2016
Verified Purchase
The Last Bastion of Civilization by Andrew Blencowe is, by the author’s own account, a work of “speculative fiction”. The term “speculative fiction” means a category of fiction that includes elements, settings and characters whose features are created out of imagination and speculation rather than on attested reality and everyday life. The book chronicles, through a series of essays and letters, Japan’s rise as the new superpower through economic, cultural and technological advancements. Unfortunately, where one country becomes a new superpower, another must fall in its wake and in this case, the U.S. inevitably becomes a shadow of its former self. Blencowe’s work is both insightful and thought-provoking and presents a scenario that could very well happen and ultimately, it’s up to the reader whether he or she “buys into” the author’s speculations on what the future holds for us all. However, before we bluster and off-handedly discount what the author has to say, let’s keep in mind that it wasn’t all that long ago that books on man’s forays into space were considered speculative fiction and dropping the A-bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki near the end of the Second World War was supposed to seal the fate of one faction of the human race – now fast forward to the twenty-first century and where exactly is that faction of the human race? A force to be reckoned with, both on the technological and economic fronts. The book makes you wonder whether this is speculative fiction or a prediction about the future…
2 people found this helpful
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MathewBartlett
3.0 out of 5 stars Creative Fiction or Socio-Political Protest?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2016
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As a commissioning editor I search out new authors for a living so this book was an exciting prospect. I got the impression (correctly or not) that Amazon’s own Man in the High Castle MAY have provided some of the inspiration for this book, though that is my own conjecture. However, as I began to read I found that the main thrust of the author was a ‘rant’ (I mean the thoughtful kind so popular with the bloggers) concerning current social and political situations. The speculation concerning future events appears to be an extension of what the author imagines could be the outcome of perverse political policies or social/moral problems in the present, yet this unfortunately left me feeling that I was dealing more with an angry protest than with a work of creative fiction, and that the author’s views of present policies were more important to the overall direction of the book than any genuine enquiry into how the world might change over the next 30 years. It was at this point I lost my way somewhat, for since the book (as it seems to me) depends so heavily on the author’s own political views—and since they differ so greatly from my own—I rather felt left out of this discussion about my own future.I appreciate this may be a somewhat subjective comment, as I’ve considered carefully whether this were my own fault, but I genuinely think not—I think the author missed opportunities to engage me more fully as a reader who was not 'reading from the same page' shall we say.
Not to be too unfair to the author, however, the picture he presents of the future gives rise to one startling question – what if some or any of it might prove true? There may indeed be food for thought here, but the reader will not be fooled into thinking any of the author’s prophecies are anything other than ‘speculative fiction’. I wish him well for all future projects.
6 people found this helpful
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Quinn Agathoni
1.0 out of 5 stars So sorry.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 22, 2017
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I found the political position of the author written too boldly to ignore and still enjoy the book. Sorry I love the concept but the delivery less so.
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