Utopia

Amazon.com

It takes a lot of chutzpah to give your novel the same title as one of the most famous novels in the history of English-language literature, even if the original novel didn't spawn a literary field or two (utopian and dystopian fiction) or become an everyday term for the perfect place to live on Earth. Yet there's a postmodern appropriateness to applying the title Utopia to a novel set in a theme park that uses cutting-edge technology to create Earth's most desirable fantasy place to visit. Like Westworld and Jurassic Park, Lincoln Child's Utopia is a near-future theme-park thriller, and like Michael Crichton, Child delivers an abundance of white-knuckle thrills, chills, and shocks.

Despite its remote location in the Nevada desert, the Utopia theme park receives 65,000 visitors daily. They never dream their lives may be in any real danger. However, some of the self-programming robots are becoming erratic, so park administrators quietly bring the robots' brilliant creator from the East Coast to fix the problem before it gets any worse. Dr. Andrew Warne brings his daughter, for he doesn't believe there is anything wrong with his creations. But on the day of their arrival, a mysterious band of ruthless criminals infiltrates not only the park, but its computerized systems. The unknown terrorists appear to control everything, from the simplest robot to the most dangerous ride. And if their demands aren't met, thousands of innocent park-goers will be killed. --Cynthia Ward

Book Description

Fasten your seat belts–the white-knuckle thrills at Utopia, the world’s most fantastic theme park, escalate to nightmare proportions in this intricately imagined techno-thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lincoln Child.

Rising out of the stony canyons of Nevada, Utopia is a world on the cutting edge of technology. A theme park attracting 65,000 visitors each day, its dazzling array of robots and futuristic holograms make it a worldwide sensation. But ominous mishaps are beginning to disrupt the once flawless technology. A friendly robot goes haywire, causing panic, and a popular roller coaster malfunctions, nearly killing a teenaged rider. Dr. Andrew Warne, the brilliant computer engineer who designed much of the park’s robotics, is summoned from the East Coast to get things back on track.

On the day Warne arrives, however, Utopia is caught in the grip of something far more sinister. A group of ruthless criminals has infiltrated the park’s computerized infrastructure, giving them complete access to all of Utopia’s attractions and systems. Their communication begins with a simple and dire warning: If their demands are met, none of the 65,000 people in the park that day will ever know they were there; if not, chaos will descend, and every man, woman, and child will become a target. As one of the brains behind Utopia, Warne finds himself thrust into a role he never imagined–trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the minutes tick away, Warne’s struggle to outsmart his opponents grows ever more urgent, for his only daughter is among the unsuspecting crowds in the park.

Lincoln Child evokes the technological wonders of Utopia with such skill and precision it is hard to believe the park exists only in the pages of this extraordinary book. Like Jurassic Park, Utopia sweeps readers into a make-believe world of riveting suspense, technology, and adventure.

UTOPIA -- Where technology dazzles–and then turns deadly!

From the Hardcover edition.

Download Description

Fasten your seat belts—the white-knuckle thrills at Utopia, the world's most fantastic theme park, escalate to nightmare proportions in this intricately imagined techno-thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lincoln Child.

Rising out of the stony canyons of Nevada, Utopia is a world on the cutting edge of technology. A theme park attracting 65,000 visitors each day, its dazzling array of robots and futuristic holograms make it a worldwide sensation. But ominous mishaps are beginning to disrupt the once flawless technology. A friendly robot goes haywire, causing panic, and a popular roller coaster malfunctions, nearly killing a teenaged rider. Dr. Andrew Warne, the brilliant computer engineer who designed much of the park's robotics, is summoned from the East Coast to get things back on track.

On the day Warne arrives, however, Utopia is caught in the grip of something far more sinister. A group of ruthless criminals has infiltrated the park's computerized infrastructure, giving them complete access to all of Utopia's attractions and systems. Their communication begins with a simple and dire warning: If their demands are met, none of the 65,000 people in the park that day will ever know they were there; if not, chaos will descend, and every man, woman, and child will become a target. As one of the brains behind Utopia, Warne finds himself thrust into a role he never imagined—trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the minutes tick away, Warne's struggle to outsmart his opponents grows ever more urgent, for his only daughter is among the unsuspecting crowds in the park.

Lincoln Child evokes the technological wonders of Utopia with such skill and precision it is hard to believe the park exists only in the pages of this extraordinary book. Like Jurassic Park, Utopia sweeps readers into a make-believe world of riveting suspense, technology, and adventure.

Utopia: Where technology dazzles—and then turns deadly!

"As far as plot, action and suspense are concerned, Utopia could hardly be improved upon, but that is only the first of Child's achievements. His characters are first-rate, as is his writing.... Utopia is a sensational piece of popular entertainment. If you're looking for intelligent fun, it doesn't get much better than this."
   WASHINGTON POST BOOK WORLD

"A beautifully crafted scare-fest.... Utopia's gadgetry is heaven for techno-thriller fans, and the threats from the sabotaged attractions are startlingly inventive. Here's hoping for a sequel."
   PEOPLE MAGAZINE

"The blend of technological jargon and suspense results in a real thrill-a-minute read."
   BOOKLIST

"The novel's namesake—a cutting-edge, futuristic theme park—is a tour-de-force of the imagination, one of the most extraordinary settings for a thriller I've ever read."
    DOUGLAS PRESTON, NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING CO-AUTHOR OF RELIC AND RIPTIDE.

"In this ultra-entertaining new novel, Lincoln Child weaves fascinatingly plausible technologies and a frighteningly believable tale. It's Brave New World meets Jurassic Park."
    DAN BROW

Customer Reviews:

Roller coaster ride with a lot of fun.......2007-09-01

I have read several of his books and they all are page turners and keep you guessing. The action keeps going and you never know what to expect next. He is a good thriller author.

Enjoyable Action/Predictable Ending.......2007-07-31

This book is 430 pages of well-paced, interesting, enjoyable action that is marred considerably by the fact that the reader will see the ending coming from about 300 pages away. After the first 100+ pages, it's obvious who the 'inside guy' is and you can make a pretty good guess on how various characters' skills and personalities will play out in the story's culmination.

It seems that predictability is common in Child's works - so if you aren't bothered by it in his other books you'll like this one. If, on the other hand, you want your mysteries to remain mysterious throughout, don't expect too much from this.

Entertaining thriller.......2007-06-13

Utopia is the story of a robotics expert called in to work at a state-of-the-art theme park in the Arizona desert. Once there, he is startled to find the robots are malfunctioning. Could the glitches be the result of park mismanagement, or could it be something more sinister?

I really enjoyed listening to Utopia. The book was well read, and entertaining even at high speed on my iPod. I did find myself rather annoyed with the protagonist's daughter Georgia and the bratty way she was possessive of her dad. This may be realistic but I found it a tad creepy. I liked Sara Boatwright, but the protagonists new love interest seemed a carbon copy of the love interest in Deep Storm.

Overall, a good book. I probably would've cut the Georgia character or made her younger. She seemed a little too old to be such a brat.

A roller-coaster thriller ... literally!.......2007-04-25

Dr Andrew Warne is a brilliant computer engineer with some very avant garde theories in the field of artificial intelligence and robotic learning. Warne's hardware designs and his cutting edge software - "The MetaNet", an operating system that allows large numbers of robots loosely tied together in a common network to operate quasi-autonomously and to learn and improve from their day to day activities - have been used to create the wildly successful theme park "Utopia" located in the Nevada desert. Following in the tradition of Disney World's "kingdoms" but light years beyond in conception and execution, Utopia uses a fanciful, creative blend of technology, engineering, holographs, robots, set design and special effects to create an astonishingly, indeed almost frighteningly realistic set of worlds in which awe-struck patrons can enjoy a completely immersive experience - Victorian England, Camelot, a spaceport, a turn of the century American boardwalk seaport in the style of Atlantic City and a re-creation of Atlantis, still under construction!

When a series of bizarre accidents, injuries and even fatalities occur in the park, circumstances seem to point the finger of blame at problems in the MetaNet and Warne is summoned by Sarah Boatwright, Utopia's CEO, to supervisor the dismantling of his pet creation. Naturally, this does not sit well with Warne and he strenuously insists there is nothing wrong with the network. With the assistance of the park robotics expert, Theresa Bonifacio, he hurriedly struggles through a forensic hunt for the proverbial needle in a computer haystack and frantically debugs his code virtually line by line. As a very nasty chap, who styles himself John Doe, enters the park and calmly attempts the extortion of a copy of the park's invaluable state-of-the-art holographic software threatening the lives of Utopia's 65,000 guests, it now seems clear that Utopia has been the target of a well coordinated team of terrorist thieves - including very sophisticated hacking and tampering with the MetaNet.

The next four hours erupt into a non-stop series of adrenalin charged confrontations with the terrorist team as the good guys attempt to foil the thieves' escape with the software CD and their plot to explode the dome covering Utopia which would almost certainly kill thousands of innocent guests.

"Utopia" is a techno-thriller, the first (and quite clearly very successful) solo effort by Lincoln Child, one half of the Child/Preston duo famous for their Aloysius Pendergast series that started with "Relic". Child has enough output behind him that it is safe to label the style of this novel as vintage - wonderful characterization, enough romance to be heartwarming without indulging in even a hint of prurient sex or sappiness, and high speed action juxtaposed with a number of technical explanatory sidebars that explain, inform and educate on a wide variety of topics that, almost magically, seem to happen without slowing the action and the novel's pacing and plot.

Highly recommended for those that love their thrillers (and Child's next book "Deep Storm" is just as good!)

Paul Weiss

Fantastic.......2007-04-10

Lincoln Child is a fantastic writer.
I own and have read all of his books.
Exceptional mystery and suspense with high tech information thrown in.
I recomend all of his books.

Average customer rating:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too
Book Review for This Side of Paridise
Good Book
An introduction to suspense
Paradise Trashed

This Side of Paradise
Steven L. Layne
Manufacturer: North Star Books (IL)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0971233691

Book Description

Something wicked this way comes; in this case it's Jack Barrett's father, whose inherent drive for perfection has spiraled into a raging obsession ever since he began working for the mysterious Eden Corporation. When his father forcibly relocates the family to Paradise, a village that is literally owned by Eden's enigmatic CEO, Jack uncovers a sinister plot that threatens the lives of everyone he loves. Delving even further into the secrets of the village, he soon learns just how high the price for perfection can be . . . and to what lengths some people are willing to go to obtain it.

Customer Reviews:

Courtesy of Teens Read Too.......2007-03-25

Jack's father has always been a perfectionist, but lately, his need to control every aspect of the family's life has stepped up a notch. Mr. Barrett, Jack's dad, has been offered a wonderful opportunity with the company he works for, the Eden Corporation. Eden owns a gated village in Paradise, a nearby town, where only the most successful and devoted employees are invited to live. The village is all-inclusive and there is no need to ever leave. The village even has a school for the children of the employees.

Mr. Barrett's family isn't handling the news of the move very well. His wife has been drinking more and more since Mr. Barrett's controlling nature has intensified. Troy, the youngest child, has used his rebellious attitude to spark conflict within the household. Gram, Mr. Barrett's mother and the boys' biggest protector, doesn't mince words when it comes to how crazy she thinks moving the whole family to a strange community is, and Jack, the oldest son, tries to keep the peace by attempting to please his father and trying to keep Troy under control.

Eventually, the day comes and the family packs up and moves to Paradise. Jack's mother has gone ahead in order to get the house ready so it is just Mr. Barrett, Jack, Troy, and Gram following the moving van. Once they reach the entry gate, Jack sees a site that leaves him speechless. Jori is a beautiful girl that works at the entry gate of Paradise and a girl that he definitely wants to get to know better, but for some reason, Mr. Barrett doesn't want him to have anything to do with her. His exact words are, "She doesn't belong in Paradise." This statement is just one of the things Jack, Troy, and Gram consider strange when they get settled in their new community.

Everyone seems too happy, their mother hasn't been seen since they've arrived, and Mr. Eden, the owner of the Eden Corporation, has been sneaking into the Barrett's house at night and taking Troy somewhere after knocking him out so he won't wake up. The boys, with a lot of help from Gram and Jori, attempt to get to the bottom of all the mysteries and find a way out of Paradise.

THIS SIDE OF PARADISE is a science fiction thriller reminiscent of The Stepford Wives. It was awarded the Hal Clement Award for best science fiction novel for young adults in the United States. This is Steven Layne's first novel and is far from perfect, but at the same time, has many characteristics that will appeal to young readers.

Reviewed by: Karin Perry

Book Review for This Side of Paridise.......2007-01-09

What would someone do if their father was crazy and made them move to a city where everyone is perfect, and then they found out they could not leave? Jack Barrett, Troy Barrett, and Gram Barrett faced this in the interesting book This Side of Paradise by Steven L. Layne.
The Barretts were a happy family until Mr. Barrett started working for Mr. Eden and forced his family to move to Paradise which is owned by Mr. Eden. Soon they learn about a secret that could destroy their lives.
One thing that I thought was fantastic was the plot of This Side of Paradise. It always made me want to read more. An example is when Jack found out that he could not leave Paradise and I wanted to know why so it made me keep reading. I liked the theme of this book because it taught me that not everything should be perfect and that not everything can be perfect. Finally, I liked the characters. My favorite character is Gram. I liked her because she was caring and knew a lot about people even before she met them. She showed this when Troy got beat up by his father and she helped him and cared for him.
This book would be appropriate for young teens. I really enjoyed This Side of Paradise by Steven L. Layne and I know someone else will too.

Good Book .......2006-05-12

'This Side of Paradise' by Steven Layne was a very good book. It's about two brothers named Jack and Troy who move to a community named Paradise because their dad gets a new job. Everything in Paradise seems like it's perfect; but it's not. The plot of this book was very suspenseful and mysterious. There are many cliffhangers that keep you wanting to read more of this book.

An introduction to suspense.......2006-04-22

I read this boook two years ago and loved it. I would have given it a '5' and ranted on how good it is. It was never my favorite book however, I read Lord of the Rings in [...] (before the movies) and that will forever remain my favorite book. However, this book is more of an introduction to suspense than a great novel. It's intened for preteens who havn't seen much great literature, and are easily entranced by stories more complicated than what they have been reading at the time. The perfect ages for this book are 10, 11, and 12.

The book isn't as elequent as most other novels, It does stick to simple words. This isn't neccisarily a bad thing, however. Jack's mindset seems to be more of a preteen than of a Junior. This makes it better for the preteen audiance however. And yes, this book comes with cheesy teen romance.

The Author seems to drop TOO many hints. Reading it again, it seems a little too obvious what is going to happen. He italicises key words, and the 'gollum' scene is almost painfully obvious.

My main problem with the book is the author can't seem to decide wheather he wants the story to be dark, or humourous. My least favorite part of the book is when they are in the middle of the climax, and suddenly out of the blue there is a humourous scene with Troy. It is completley out of place and irksome.

In conclusion, this book is an enjoyable read. If you buy it, you won't regret it. It probaly deserves 3 stars, but it's written for preteens, I'll give the author an extra star because it fits the audiance. Like Harry Potter, it's not great literature, but an enjoyable read.

Paradise Trashed.......2006-01-06

This Side of Paradise is an appallingly dreadful book by Steven L. Layne. It is about two incredibly brainless sons, Troy and Jack; their insane perfectionist of a father, Mr. Barret, A.K.A. Mr. Eden; and an annoying grandmother, irritatingly called Gram. This perfect example of how not to write starts out with a normal enough family. But soon the mother starts drinking and fighting with the father, who proceeds to have her murdered and replaced with a robot. Then the father forces the family to move to a seemingly perfect place called Paradise. Or at least, it was perfect until the family moves there. That's when Paradise crashes. First the reader finds out that everyone in Paradise is a robot except for the protagonists...and Mr. Barret/Eden (I honestly think that the author based him on Tolkien's Gollum, as both characters have split personalities: an almost good side and a completely evil side, both argue with themselves when they think that no one else is near, and the bad side is dominant in both cases). Eventually the story comes to the end that the reader had both predicted and longed for from the first page. Basically, the father dies, Paradise collapses, and they all live happily ever after.
My first problem with this tale is that it has very poor word choice. It uses short, simple words that belong in children's books, not books written for teens. The largest word in This Side of Paradise is probably evasive, which is a word that any village idiot would know.
Next, the characters are very poorly developed. The author simply tells the reader a few useless facts about the characters, instead of showing more important facts. The book says, "My grandma Katy, a spry and sassy seventy-two-year-old known to us as Gram..." This is a very poor description of a character that should be developed far more, as she is one of the protagonists. The book then says:
Actually, Troy is very intelligent; he just uses his intelligence in the wrong way. He challenges the system- school, sports, home, and life. He can't accept the way things are to the degree that the average person can, and this puts him in conflict with most adults. He questions everything and everyone. Mom used to say that he came out of the womb and immediately requested a copy of the doctor's credentials.
That brief description is all of the information that the book gives the reader. It is not nearly enough to actually give one a mental image of any sort. But then again, there isn't even a single point in the whole miserable story that does. That definitely goes to show how absolutely pitiful the author's prose is.
Also, the author uses far to many italics and puts quotation marks anywhere and everywhere, whether they should be there or not. It is almost as though that was the only way the author could give any expression to his characters' dialogue. However, he uses them in middle of sentences where they completely destroy the flow of the text. It actually looks as though he simply went through the book and chose random words to italicize. For example, in the passage above, Layne simply chose the word everyone, even though to the reader's eye this choice makes no sense and simply distracts, instead of emphasizing or giving expression. In the author's note he chooses some more arbitrary words to italicize. The book says, "Major thanks to Ryan McNamara and Nate Baron." He simply chose to italicize the words major thanks for no apparent reason. The book also says:
"I get it!" I jumped in. "An employee could buy the house from Mr. Eden at the fantastic low price, then decide to leave Paradise and resell it to him at the fair market price - which would obviously be much higher!"
Again, haphazard words are italicized for no apparent reason, leaving the reader in doubt of whether or not the author actually knows how to use italics properly. As for the quotation marks, they are used in the same way as the italics- seemingly to emphasize unsystematic words. The book says,
Whatever the case, my brother's school suspensions for "failure to show proper respect to authority figure" were paralleling my mother's trips to the liquor cabinet - which were a source of great concern for all of us.
It is seriously as though the author simply chose a series of chance words that happened to be in the way of his quotation-marking passion.
Finally, This Side of Paradise is dreadfully elongated, dragged out until the reader is at a point where they would gladly go on their knees to the author to beg for mercy from the awfulness of his writing. The ideal length for a book as bad as this one would be about a page, the maximum amount of time that it takes the reader to discover the flawed nature of the author's writing, rather than 215 pages. I find it impossible to comprehend why a book in which the reader can see the ending coming after the first couple of pages must be dragged out for that long.

In conclusion, This Side of Paradise is an awful book filled with brainless characters that serve to properly horrify the reader with their stupidity. The author who wrote it apparently has a great love for putting italics and quotation marks in useless positions where their only purpose can be to distract the reader, and to make matters worse, this italics-lover didn't even develop to characters, despite his efforts to give expression in odd places during the dire narrative. This book is very poorly written and is fit only fuel for a fire. In other words, it is such a horrific example of literature that the unfortunate reader desires only to destroy it by the assuaging end.

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The white man is on his cross again.
Decent story paired with poor delivery
1984's thought control, today's reasons for it
Scary and compelling
Multiculturalism meets George Orwell

Utopia X
Scott Wilson
Manufacturer: iUniverse, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595316190

Book Description

Populist Huey Long once said that when fascism comes to America it'll come in the guise of anti-fascism. And in America in the year 2048 that is just what has happened. Multiculturalism, praised by many contemporaries, has become an absolute and indomitable force in a future where a tyrannical regime hands down the ultimate penalty to anyone accused of politically incorrect actions or attitudes.

Download Description

Liam Eustace is a lonely corporate nobody struggling to get by day-to-day in a world that rejects him. But when he

Customer Reviews:

The white man is on his cross again........2006-08-08

I hate to make this a race thing, but this novel is about race in many ways. This is the tale of what Rush Limbaugh thought the world would be like in 1993 if the "Feminazis" and "Affirmative Action" supporters had had their way. I'm speaking in the past tense because even a few years have not been kind to this book.

Until I read this book, I'd never read a dystopian novel that I didn't like. So if you're considering buying this book out of a love for greats like "1984," "The Wanting Seed," "A Brave New World" and "We," save your money and your time. This book is nothing more than WASPy white male posturing and victimhood that's as stale as listening to your Republican father drone on about illegal immigration.

In its attempt to be politically incorrect (ooh, there's some fresh turf for an aspiring writer!), this book just comes off bitter and annoyingly irresponsible. Throughout, and as a means of expositing the past, the author quotes great civil rights thinkers like Martin Luther King and James Baldwin at their most radical, juxtaposing it with quotes from the one-dimensional characters of his own creation in an attempt to make the already-belabored point that everyone who isn't white or male has nothing but contempt for the white male and seeks nothing else but to exact revenge upon him for decades and centuries of "exaggerated" historical wrongs.

Isn't it funny how people of this mindset always decry "minorities" for not "taking personal responsibility for their own actions" while simultaneously reveling in self-pity for their own race? Oh, no! We'll be outnumbered by the year 2030! The Democrats are giving our jobs away to [...] black immigrant Jews! These are the thoughts that keep the author of this book awake at night in the sodden mattress of his studio apartment that has not been seen by female eyes in this millenia.

It's not just a political and cultural problem I have with this book, either. It's also poorly written and it takes a particularly nasty attitude towards its (few) female characters while at the same time engaging in juvenile humor and what I can only guess was supposed to be wit and wry humor.

The novel, taken as a whole, reads like the drunken meanderings of Mel Gibson on the side of the road in Malibu after half a bottle of tequila and a cursory reading of "The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion." I've been known myself to indulge in watching a movie I know is badly made and horribly acted, but this book taught me that fighting your way through the literary equivalent of "Red Dawn" just isn't possible.

Skip it, skip it, skip it. How this novel got put on somebody's list next to "A Clockwork Orange" is more than your friend and humble narrator can viddy all on his oddy knocky, O my brothers.

Decent story paired with poor delivery.......2006-07-18

I like the idea, but the book's consistently poor grammar was bad enough to be distracting and to detract from the story. Not worth your money.

1984's thought control, today's reasons for it.......2006-05-01

This book has many similarities to Orwell's 1984: the never-ending and fabricated war, the oppressive police state with as many guns turned inward as towards enemies outside, the long slow slide into universal poverty, and the government's abolition of all culture from the world before. It even has the Winston Smith of this story, Liam, working for the government office in charge of editing history into a version more favorable to the current regime.

Despite the similarities, this is a wholly different book. Wilson's totalitarian regime bases its oppression not on the eternal war, but on racial "equality" - a code word for a new, mandated inequality. This is Wilson's view of political correctness gone mad, ironically becoming the hate machine against which it rebelled in the first place. And, in the end, Wilson holds out a trace of hope that Orwell denied to his readers.

The book gets off to a rocky start, with an improbable case of mistaken identity. It also gets a bit shrill in places. It makes its point, though, that the threats to freedom come in many forms, often claiming to be a greater good than freedom or even to be freedom itself. That's why Orwell's 1984 needs to be rewritten again and again - the story doesn't change, but the threats to a free society do. Each time needs to hear the story again, but rephrased in terms of that time's own dangers.

//wiredweird

Scary and compelling.......2004-07-12

This is a book that takes a daring proposition ("How to criticize political correctness without coming across as raving, mean, or spiteful") and turns it into a sci-fi fiction thriller that keeps up a quick pace without losing its anti-utopian vision.

A previous reviewer did a good job of giving a plot summary so I'll skip that part. Suffice it to say, the story doesn't always play nice and sensitive types might be offended by the underlying theme, but I would say that it is still a very good read (despite a few minor typos). Certainly there's nothing like it out there right now. You might be challanged but you won't be sorry you read it. Keep an open mind and check it out.

I'd give it 5 stars for creativity and 4 for the story/plot.

Multiculturalism meets George Orwell.......2004-06-17

This book is a welcome addition to a long and illustrious line of dystopian fiction in the vein of Brave New World, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451.

This is an important work highlighting the risk we face when any aspect of governmental power becomes un-criticizable. For instance, today the worst thing that could happen to a politician would be to be tagged with the epithet "racist." Therefore when government acts in the name of anti-racism it is near impervious to most any objection, as anyone who would complain is labelled as a narrow-minded bigot. And so, unfettered by criticism, it's power grows.

Scott Wilson takes this observation to its ultimate extreme by creating a dystopian totalitarian nation founded upon the ideal of anti-racism. His heroes, fleeing persecution, are not Nazi sympathizers but are Average Joes struggling against a tyranny that wears a false-face of compassion. In doing this Mr. Wilson is able to expose and criticize this absolutist regime without coming across as a racist himself. Let's hope this book receives the attention it deserves and serves as the impetus to a new dialogue on race and government in the USA and Europe.

Book Summary:
Populist Huey Long once said that when fascism comes to America it'll come in the guise of anti-fascism. And in America in the year 2048 that is just what has happened. Multiculturalism, praised by many contemporaries, has become an absolute and indomitable force in a future where a tyrannical regime hands down the ultimate penalty to anyone accused of politically incorrect actions or attitudes.

Book Description

Josie and Eliza witness an event that changes their lives forever.

Customer Reviews:

The Bloodwood Clan.......2000-04-16

Absolutely gripping! I couldn't put it down. The Bloodwood Clan makes a great gift idea for family and friends. A thriller with a twist. Well done Beryl. Can't wait for your next book ...

Average customer rating:

Powerful!
If you read one book this year...
I loved it!
Creative License employed
This Book rocks

Training for Utopia
Wally Jones
Manufacturer: Xlibris Corporation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1401098649

Customer Reviews:

Powerful!.......2006-05-06

This book is the essence of awesome. I read it, and as soon as I fiished reading it, I started to read it again. I hope Jones writes a sequel or something. There were so many questions left un answered.

If you read one book this year..........2005-12-21

Not many writers have the guts to publish without push from publishers and other literature hounds - but Wally Jones surprises us all with his DIY, don't-give-a-damn-to-the-classics style that's both like a punch to the face and a gentle nod to growing up in an era characterized by a plethora of increasing alienation despite comfortable wealth. His story is more than a mere "coming of age" novel; pulling from personal stories and characters, the complicated plot keeps you wondering how everything ties together until the end. Jones' passion for writing is obvious in the way he presents each character, begging us to see them as more than words on a page or an entertaining read. He tries to say what we all know to be true, without mincing words or imagery.

If you read one book this year, read this. You'll be reminded at just how complicated - and yet somehow hopeful and painfully fragile - life can be.

I loved it!.......2004-03-01

Walter,
I can't wait till you write another one! I hate to read but I managed to finish your book, no problem! If you ever need a muse, I can so help you out! The next one should be about the last four years in Clemson,SC.! Good luck with your reviews!

Creative License employed.......2004-01-16

Great book! I read this book for a graduate fiction class, citing the examples of creative license used to make a regular work of fiction a fine example of art. I highly recommend this book

This Book rocks.......2003-12-11

I have to say this bOOK rocks my world and i got cold chills when i go toward the end. i can even say that i'm proud to actually know wally jones and have know him for like 4 years and he is kick ass dude, WE ALL WANT TO KNOW WHEN DO WE GET ANOTHER BOOK

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THE SYSTEM IS GOING DOWN, BIG TIME

Angle Iron
Neo Andersen
Manufacturer: Trafford Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Action & Adventure | Genre Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1412034515

Product Description

The story begins with a parable about two brothers in the Pleistocene, around 24,000 years ago. The passage demonstrates the vulnerability of the most complex, advanced industrial system to an assault by the most primitive means and intentions. The following pages take you on a journey through the life of the main character, who is somewhat extreme compared to anyone whom you may know, but generally exhibits a stable mind and hard-core, traditional western values. He is a rule breaker, for sure, but not one thought likely to alter the course of human destiny. That is, of course, until he decides to commit all his mental and physical resources into a plan that is so well laid out, it is impossible to stop once initiated, even for himself. In the end, why does he send the continent into a state of social and political chaos? The reason is not a selfish one. It is not for revenge, or hate, or sadistic pleasure. He believes that only a drastic shock to the system will effect the changes that are required. Treating the disease early will help insure quality of life and survival in the future. The disease was the federal government and everybody knew it, but nobody could do anything about ituntil now.

Customer Reviews:

THE SYSTEM IS GOING DOWN, BIG TIME.......2005-08-06

This is not a book about terrorism; the purpose of terrorism is to scare people into action, or inaction to further the cause of the terrorist. In the scenario played out in ANGLE IRON, the plan is not to scare, but to collapse, with no hope of repairing the system to its former state. The target is not the well-protected, ultra secure hydroelectric dams and thermal generating plants, but the vulnerable, spindly-legged transmission towers and isolated substations the system depends on. We drive by every day and would never give a second thought-unless one reads the book. The story evolves into an act of industrial sabotage of the magnitude the world has never experienced. It marches America right up to the very gates of hell and leaves her there to fend for her own survival. One disturbing aspect of the book is that destruction is largely accomplished with materials that many people already have in their garage or attic, and can be used effectively with no prior skill or training. Unexpectedly, the perpetrator is not some shadowy, underworld figure. It is a persona all of us are familiar with which sets off the unstoppable chain reaction. Readers enjoy the humorous, easy reading style of the book, but in the end their confidence in the system, both industrial and governmental, is thoroughly shaken. Eventually, the grid will come under attack, and the book illustrates the ease with which it can be accomplished, while little can be done to prevent it. Neo skillfully promotes the premise that the government of the United States of America would not be capable of preventing this major attack on its own soil if it was drawn a picture, given a map, and told the exact date and time of its occurrence.

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