Flashforward is a science fiction novel by Canadian author Robert J. Sawyer first published in 1999. The novel is set in 2009. At CERN, the Large Hadron Collider accelerator is performing a run to search for the Higgs boson. The experiment has a unique side effect: the entire human race loses consciousness for about two minutes. During that time, nearly everyone sees themselves in the future (by about 21 years). Each individual experiences their own future through the senses of their future self. This "flashforward" results in countless deaths and accidents involving vehicles, aircraft, and any other device needing human control at the time of the experiment. The novel inspired the 2009 television series FlashForward. (born April 29, 1960) is a Canadian science fiction writer. He has had 19 novels published, and his short fiction has appeared in Analog Science Fiction and Fact, Amazing Stories, On Spec, Nature, and many anthologies. Sawyer has won over forty awards for his fiction, including the Nebula Award (1995), the Hugo Award (2003), and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award (2006).

Sawyer was born in Ottawa and is now a resident of Mississauga.