Jeff Baker is the inventor of a crystal data technology which produced the Datasphere, an enhanced internet where any information is accessible.

City & Guilds is calling on Government and industry to put renewed focus on young people’s skills and careers as the UK enters an economic recession And that's about it, at some point this story becomes some sort of erotic romance novel, graphically depicting the sex between Jeff and Annabel. At times it's downright creepy with Annabel drawing comparisons between Jeff and his son's sexual performace. Worryingly, young people seem to be rapidly losing hope as they face what they see as a hostile labour market with limited opportunities to get a foot on the ladder and progress – suggesting they are being let down by the education system, Government and employers alike. Which is an interesting concept, which could have been explored in many different interesting ways.The report highlights for donors the benefits of charities that are preventing truancy and exclusion in schools, showing that: The futuristic concepts put forward in this book were intriguing, particularly the collapse of the film and tv industry, due to unstoppable Internet piracy. A commonplace of recent "hard" SF is the idea of very long lifespans and rejuvenation of the body. Hamilton has used it himself in his space-opera series. Here he decides to make it the focus of a stand-alone novel, examining the impact on the very first recipient and his family.

The novel was first published in the US in August 2006 in a new edition which had been re-edited for the US market. do not believe that their education has equipped them with the skills they need to get the job they want. Get FREE skills and careers training today! Generation gives you skills and connects you with employers to find a job fast. EXPLORE Get Into Teaching And the ending was terrible because it suddenly ended on a soppy note, leaving me with a ‘WTF did I actually read!’

If Peter F Hamilton really is ‘Britain’s No. 1 Science Fiction Writer’ (as the cover of my copy of Misspent Youth testifies) then the whole genre has got to have gone to the dogs. All I got here was bad descriptions of sex, poor characterisation and a non-existent plot. I’ve noticed some after reading and reviewing more books now than ever. The story plot can be amazing and the writing terrible or the other way round. In this case, Misspent Youth had an interesting idea, with great writing, but the story progression just went down the drain. That is until the final quarter, where it starts getting real interesting. Actually, the last 25% of the book is what saved it for me. It certainly set an interesting premise for the Commonwealth Universe, which I'm very interested in. Especially since I've heard a lot of good things about "Pandora's Star", the first book of the series ("Misspent Youth" is meant to be a prequel). Work with educators and employers to optimise existing skills interventions and fully utilise funding pots. I'd hold up Sara King's Legend of Zero series as one that, by contrast, more effectively develops characters you end up caring about.

Set in 2040, Misspent Youth portrays a fairly bleak future. It centers on Jeff Baker, inventor of the ultimate data storage system and thus chosen as the worlds first recipitent of Rejuvination. The start was great, creating a futuristic England with an uptight Sue, a tired out Jeff and a young Tim. From the very start, I can tell that these characters weren’t the epitome of good and that’s what makes the character realistic, promising character progression. Hamilton’s style of writing is descriptive, something that I’m not used to reading, but done in a way that’s not long-winded. Passionate about people and pizza? Explore early careers pathways with PizzaExpress! EXPLORE Pret Apprenticeships & Careers Following a trend of chronically high youth unemployment, the research – based on a survey of 5,000 18-24-year-olds living in the UK – reveals that 13% are currently unemployed (not in work or studying) and a further 3% are economically inactive – equating to approximately 859,000 young adults out of work and education across the UK. Young people should be forming a critical part of the UK’s recovery story and harnessing their potential will be essential if we are to come out of the other side of another recession with a brighter future ahead. Crucially, if we don’t fix this now, we risk storing up more problems for generations to come, exacerbating productivity shortfalls and social inequalities in the long term.

Recommendations

The man who made it possible gave the tech away instead of getting filthy rich. And so he became a massive celebrity... who is eventually made the recipient of the first real fountain of life treatment, turning his old body into that of a man in his early 20's. And here is where the problem lies. There is no one to like in this novel, apart from Jeff’s sister Alison, who is written as a kind of elderly rebel, and whose character seems far more real than the selection of cardboard cut-outs who share the novel with her. His son Tim has a fairly typical frustrated life as a rich teenager, living with his famous father and distant mother. Tim is extremely happy when he starts going out with gorgeous Annabelle. She likes him, but she has a troubled home life and Tim's drinking problem reminds her of her father. Although 'only' written 20 years ago, so much has changed in the sexual political landscape in those 20 years, that the long, repetitive passages about Jeff's sexual adventures really seem like something from a bygone age, the misogynistic 1970s, perhaps? We get extensive descriptions about nubile teenage bodies bursting from flimsy/skin-tight clothing. We learn how 'expert' these teenage girls are at doing what Jeff needs/wants. Etc etc etc. Misspent Youth follows the effect his reappearance has on his family and friends – his considerably younger ex-model wife Sue, his teenage son Tim, and his long-term pals, now themselves all pensioners, who start resenting what Jeff has become.’

Several times there were characters that call out the protagonists for the a-holes they actually are and the response is: "Yeah, I'm flawed, and there's no reason for me to change." In the end, it's a treatise on young man's follies (when he's actually an old man) in love and family. He's almost the same age as his son. His sex drive is driving him crazy. His wife, all his friends, everything is a mismatch. After all was said and done, this book was too much about popular-culture-bound men's awkward take on sex and relationship, mostly on sex, than about anything to do with larger issues like politics and/or technology's impact on society and/or the consequences of messing with the human body and lifespan and/or etc. Any one of which would have made this more interesting.

The whiny teenage son, the trophy wife, the slutty girls and the newly nympho scientist all make for hard going. The only likeable character is an aunt who makes a few appearances. Misspent Youth is set in the same universe as Hamilton's later Commonwealth Saga, consisting of Pandora's Star (2004) and Judas Unchained (2005). Jeff Baker is mentioned in the prologue to Pandora's Star and Annabelle Goddard is also mentioned in Judas Unchained. In addition, the rejuvenation and datasphere technologies established in Misspent Youth are shown in a vastly more sophisticated form in this series. Pandora's Star is set in 2380, approximately 340 years after the events of Misspent Youth. Help young people of all ages to be more aware of the broader education and career opportunities available to them. When you apply for a Pret Apprenticeship or junior role, you’ll belong to a community of achievers. Get support on your own unique career journey! EXPLORE Prezzo Restaurant Careers Now, where Hamilton makes it good is his characters and the interpersonal stuff. The focus is nowhere else.