The Unworthy: A Novel

The Unworthy: A Novel by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses 

The novel gradually unfolds a post-apocalyptic pseudo-religious convent. The women aspire for various positions there and must adhere to strict rules in the process. We learn of the background of the narrator and the rules of the strict rules of the "convent". The world has fallen apart with places like Great Britain under water. The narrator lost most everything, including her pet. Later, she has a romantic relationship with another woman. After an upper-level woman dies, the narrator learns more negative secrets of the society. The story is short, with a dark, pessimistic view of the future world.

Sunrise on the Reaping: A Hunger Games Novel

Sunrise on the Reaping: A Hunger Games Novel by Suzanne Collins

I found the narration to this novel to be a little dry, though it was easy to understand. Hunger Games fans should like this book. It feels just like the other Hunger Games books. This prequel deals with the life of Haymitch Abernathy. He accidentally ended up the hunger games when a riot broke out, the person selected was killed and he want in to help. He wanted to defeat the games and fought to break the structure. He caused some damage, but that was edited out. He eventually won the games and got the "rewards". However, the powers that be saw him as trouble, and made sure all those close to him died a mysterious death. The attitudes and characters feel just like those in the main series.

Brave New World

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

This audiobook was a bit difficult to understand. The voice had a bit of a muffled accent that made it difficult to focus. (It didn't help that the language was nearly 100 years old, but dealing with futuristic topics.) It seemed different than the last time I read it. There is talk of time based on the time of Ford. A great deal of the first part is "historical" talking about the society and how science can help produce people optimistically. Soma is the magic drug used to control everyone and make them happy. Sex is a pleasure activity while reproduction happens via science. Free thinking is discouraged. People are bread to work just enough and to consume. Manual jobs are not eliminated simply so people could work.

There is a reservation of "savages" where people live primitive lifestyles that do not include all these scientific advancements. One person was born there from parents that were originally from the "modern" world. He did not fit with either group. There are more discussions with him and the others. There is also talk about exhiling to the remote places - and some of the benefits. Those in authority have some ability to "think" for themselves, while the standard people don't.

This is a well known dystopia. A better narrator would have made it better. The themes have been reproduced in many modern works.

Gifted

Gifted by H. A. Swain

A few decades in the future, one entity has bought up the rights to all music and attempts to enforce it. People can have surgery to make them performers - or lose all musical ability. Health care is also very regimented, with robots dictating visits and requiring payment before insurance will cover more. It is just a carrying out of some of the concerns of the day. To make it a YA novel, there are some young people associated with underground music and "the establishment" that are doing something to fight the system.

Hungry

Hungry by H. A. Swain

In a post-apocalyptic world, people just need to drink a fluid to get all their nourishment. A giant company controls all production of it and has in the process banned regular food. They have limited the number of children that can be had and curtailed sexual drive. A daughter of high-ranking company employees falls for a boy. They meet up the resistance, and try to bring back food. This does not make the parents or society happy. This all seems quite familiar. There does seem to be bits of attack on corporate dominance and global warming together with government/corporate collusion.

An Essay on the Principle of Population

An Essay on the Principle of Population by Thomas Robert Malthus

Malthus gets a lot of recognition for having his dystopian projections turn out ot be very wrong. When he lived, there were less than a billion people on earth. He predicted imminent doom and gloom. The book is filled with detailed mathematical analysis. People would have more kids. More kids would require more food. This would reduce the quality of life for everyone and lead to starvation and a significant drop in the quality of life for everyone. Today we have over 8 billion people on the earth and one of the big problems is overconsumption of food.  

How wrong was he? Could the industrial revolution just delayed a day of reckoning? Have we mortgage future through consumption of fossil fuels? Or will we just find additional technology that can continue to help us work forward? Will there be a new "Malthusian trap"?

Player Piano: A Novel

Player Piano: A Novel by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

This is a "futuristic" story written 70 years ago. Machines have taken over much of society. People have many creature comforts, but life is fairly regulated. 

I got pretty lost in the plot, but found many of the random bits to be amusing. In one discussion, we learn that authors have to get their works adopted by the appropriate book clubs with their many members. An author that didn't do what he was supposed to failed to achieve the appropriate position and thus left his family on the lurch. Seems prescient as to mass media today.

In another bit, the Cornel football team is discussed in depth. The team has been providing huge amounts of revenue for the school and wants to have more money to invest in itself.  As for football players going to school? Well, there just isn't time for that anymore. Maybe in past days it would be possible. Vonnegut would not be surprised at all with what college football has become today.

UnWholly (Unwind Dystology Book 2)

Unwind came to a fairly satisfying conclusion. This second book builds on it and opens up more threads than it closes. The moral dilemma with "unwinding" people to share their body parts is explored further. We also learn that there was a lot more complexity to the original plan to use "unwinding" as a resolution to the abortion question. There was a development of technology for transplanting of anything. This was initially thought of being something similar to organ transplants of the already deceased. There was also a "youth revolt" due to lack of opportunities. These were tucked aside. 

The book focuses on a couple main threads. One is the "tithe" rescue. These are youth that want to be unwound and are gathered by an organization that attempts to help them. Then there are the involuntary ones. They are the "problem children". Some of these are "storks" - abandoned children that may live with other families or as wards of the state. These groups have run away, with many occupying an aircraft yard in the Arizona desert. One guy is hunting unwinds down and is eager to find a kid that had harmed him. The kids have friends is various places as well as people trying to hurt them. There are some undercurrents of the general state of society falling away.

Unwind: Unwind Dystology, Book 1

In the future, an alternative to abortion has been found. All babies are born. However, they can be "unwound" as teenagers. When unwound, a person ceases to live as an individual. However, all of their parts are transferred to other people (to help cure problems.) The unwound include wards of state that are not seen as valuable to society. There are also "tithes" from religious people that are willingly offered to be unwound. 

The book focuses on a group of unwinds that decides they do not want to be unwound. They escape and end up in a camp of others. There are various conflicts there. We also learn of the challenges of accepting parts from other people. (People end up with part of the personality of their "unwind"). It seems the book is trying to make a political statement, but is not quite sure what it is.

The Power

In the near future, girls get a "power" to shoot people with electricity. This book is structured as a history written 5000 years after the event. Once the power comes out, women come to dominate, complete with physical exertion and course language. Men are subservient. A woman also starts a matriarchal religious movement. In the future, people have difficulty understanding how society could be anything other than a matriarchy. There are those that subjugate men, while others attempt to support the oppressed sex. It ends up just a reflection of today's values with gender roles reversed.

Shatter Me

The book begins with Juliette, a girl in a mental health prison. She has pretty much given up on life. We learn she has done something that made her parents to get rid of her. A guy from her past (Adam) shows up and next thing we know she is a potential life of luxury. 

She then meets the the leader of the Reestablishment. This is a post-apocalyptic group that is working on restoring humanity. The leader is a young psychopath who leads through fear and violence. She has been brought in due to her power to electrocute people that touch her. He wants to harness this power for his nefarious purposes.

Adam has a plan to get out. He also has the ability to touch Juliette and travel in nuclear wastelands without being harmed. They get out and eventually hook up with an underground movement. This movement includes many other people with special "powers."

Most of the book is a typical young adult science fiction romance. The end introduces the concept of "powers". They can be of various types of usefulness. We also learn that the poor condition of society is primarily self-inflicted by the ruling class to help keep themselves in power. This now sets up an interesting sequel. This ends with more open threads than closed one and sets up a more interesting second book.

The Five Books of (Robert) Moses

In the Bible, the Israelites experience in Egypt had become horrible. Moses leads them out. However, they have a long trek in the wilderness before they reach the promised land. Eventually, they do reach Zion shortly after Moses dies. The author here just could not resist the putting Robert Moses in the roll, having the book end with Robert Moses dying shortly before his group of people reach Zion National Park.

The Five Books of (Robert) Moses is a very long book. It is over a thousand pages and the audiobook lasts over 60 hours. The narrative bounces around in time and place. The time from early 1900s until early 1970s is fairly historically accurate with a few embellishments. Attention is paid to the life of Robert Moses and his brother Paul. Robert creates his political fiefdom in New York and is able to push through public works projects regardless of who gets impacted. He destroys the city with his many highways. He also has a bad relationship with his brother Paul who has had investments go sour and been cut off from his inheritance. 

The other historical timeline is the story of the college civil rights movement and the Columbia University sit ins. The novel goes in depth with characters that are involved with these aspects of the civil rights movement. The particular characters may not be historical, but the details of the movement are well covered.

Then there is the hard-core fiction. A dirty bomb is set off in the city. Both Paul Moses and one of the civil rights students have some involvement. The city is gradually getting more and more dangerous to live in, with parts being evacuated. Eventually, the government creates "Rescue City" in the Nevada desert to relocate people that can't relocate themselves. This is structured to be just like New York City. Food and supplies are flown in. Officials are there to help out the residents. The military is also in place to keep order. There is the anticipation that people can go back when New York is safe again. However, for the time being, the only way in or out is via government charter. What could go wrong?

The government hires a private contractor to supply the city. They eventually use unmanned airplanes. The military moves out. Rescue City results to mob and gang rule. There are also some strange experiments done on people. Some people end up there without knowledge of why they are there. Others can experience what other people are feeling. There are various extreme methods of keeping people in line. Eventually, some groups start expeditions out of the city. However, this is a perilous operation, with many dying, and some resorting to cannibalism to survive.

The various stories gradually unfold. Many of the historical parts are told as "memories", often while one of the characters is the middle of a horrible situation. (The book is filled with various types of depravity.) It takes a while to figure out what is going on, but it all starts to fit together in the end.

The Testaments: A Novel

The sequel to The Handmaid's Tale that follow the life of a girls that have lived in Canada and the Republic of Gilead. Men have very little presence in the novel. They appear to marry or sexually abuse girls. The focus is on the girls. One girl is raised in a modern Canada. Her parents are very protective. Against their desires, she sneaks out to a Gilead protest. It turns out that she was actually born there and had escaped to be raised by a Canadian family. She later goes back to "infiltrate" Gilead. She has trouble living a pious life.

The other focus is the girls of Gilead. One doesn't want to be married after experience untoward behavior from the dentist. She instead joins the "aunts". They remain celibate, engage in recruiting missions in Canada and also have the ability to read. In the process, they also uncover some of the inconsistencies in their society. They live in circumstances that appear to us to be very harsh and cruel. However, they are just living their normal lives. They have hopes and desires within the realm that they live. They don't consider the regime they live in to be oppressive. (The girl in "open" Canada comes across as being more internally "oppressed".) Even though they are comfortable with the society they live in, they are upset with cruelties and inconsistencies. They find great offense from those that violate the rules of their society.

The Circle

The Circle is a Social Media company that has come to dominate the world. They have subsumed Facebook and other companies. It also does strict authentication ensuring that all users are real. The company coddles its employees even more than Facebook of today. They get comprehensive benefits and even have "dorms" on the "campus" where they can live.

The book centers around Mae Holland, a recent college grad who gets a job at The Circle. At first she struggles with the company. The work is straightforward. However, the "external demands" are challenging. She is expected to maintain an active online presence. Going to parties and social events is "optional", but really required so as not to hurt other people's feelings. 

Mae gradually overcomes her reluctance and dives headlong into the company. She starts documenting her social life in more detail. She also begins to appreciate the openness of tracking and cameras. The company starts encouraging politicians to be "open" and have their every action broadcast live. Those that don't do so are chased out of office. Privacy is considered "theft". Voting moves to the social media platform. The Circle can tell infinite facts about everyone.

The satire is moderately over the top. There is some growth, allowing you to become sympathetic with the characters. It does get over the top. Pretty soon it seems just a little too farcical to be "real". The book advocates for privacy, even though lack of privacy can reduce societal problems such as crime and racial profiling.

Fragments: Partials, Book 2

Partials were a genetically engineered species, initially focussed on military prowess. They were similar to humans, but were treated as machines. Alas, things didn't turn out so well. A giant virus swept through humanity that made it impossible for infants to leave beyond birth. Most of the human population were wiped out. Partials also faced an imminent "expiration" that would lead to their destruction. And the two sides hated each other.

In this second book, partials and humans are both working together and trying to kill each other. The narrative centers on a hybrid girl who is on the human side. She has lived with humans, but has partial characteristics. She tries to find the "cure" by searching the office of the biotech company that helped launch the partials. She finds the IT director who believes himself to be the last human. He has gone a little bit crazy after living alone for a dozen years. However, when talking about work, he suddenly "wakes up" and becomes more fluent.

They go on a quest to find more information. It takes then from New York to Chicago to the west. They eventually find a human population that is living safely alone. They have knowledge of the cause and the cure. Alas, it was not want they desire to here.

There is a message of unintended consequences. A few rogue people with power can cause extreme issues for the remainder of the population.

We

We is a futuristic dystopian novel. A totalitarian state controls everything. Some people engage in clandestine activites (like talk of a soul). There is also a group outside the city that run around without uniforms. They are plotting rebellion. There is also talk of math, with integral and infinity playing a role in the discussion. The grand plans end up failing.

This felt very much like Ayn Rand's Anthem. In both cases, the collective dominates, and the individual is just a number. Things like mating are strictly programmed by the state. However, in We, the society has become technologically advanced, while in Anthem it was not. They both left Russia and had obvious negative feelings towards their homeland.

A Clockwork Orange

While reading A Clockwork Orange, some terms like "ultraviolence" sounded familiar. After reading it, I discovered I had read it a decade ago. I didn't remember many of the plot details from then. And even when reading it now, much of the details escaped me. A quick summary: a teenager and his friends dress fashionably, love music and commit heinous crimes. The government tries to reform him through some treatment. He is repulsed by crime. However, he is still subjected to it. People don't believe he is reformed. He tries to commit suicide. He fails. However, he does significantly injure himself. He is "cured" and now has the ability to commit acts of violence. He tries to go hang out with the old gang. However, he realizes that he just doesn't like it as much anymore. He has "grown up" and longs for a more peaceful life.

In the intro, Burgess complains that he is upset with the novel. It is by far his most famous, yet it was written quickly and does not represent his writing. The final chapter was removed from the US edition, violating the symmetry and changing the outcome. (Without the last chapter, the narrator is just an unchanged criminal.) However, Burgess appeared resigned to this. The audiobook concluded with him reading the first chapters.

Burgess was a linguist and the book shows it. Much of the novel consists of a made-up slang. Many of the words are repeated enough to enable understanding the meaning without a glossary. This helps the depravity seem a little more distant while giving the novel some otherworldliness. The narrator also has a strong attachment to classical music. (Burgess was an accomplished musician.) The classical music is strongly linked to violence in the book. The narrator suffers when he hears music while "controlled". He is relieved afterwards to finally be able to appreciate the classics. It is an interesting combination of art and violence. The result of the mind control remains ambiguous. The narrator really did change on his own afterward. Did he need to have change forced upon him first? Or would he have changed on his own?

Anthem

Anthem is a lot like Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, only much shorter and more extreme. (It even has soliloquy advocating Rand's philosophy, but keeps it short.) The story is set in a communist dystopia. There is now "I". Everything is done for the collective good. People with above average intelligence are brought down. Mating is an organized process done through the eugenics board. Careers are picked by the organization. There is little freedom.

The protagonist discovers some relics from the past. He eventually discovers electric light. He believes all scholars will be grateful when he presents it. Instead, they are frightened and seek to punish him. How dare he step out of line. He eventually hooks up with a woman that he noticed and they decide that they will not let the world take their minds.

The story is reminiscent of Brave New World.  It presents the exaggerated view of what a collectivist society could be like. Equality created by bringing down all the high achievers leads to mediocrity.

Reboot

Reboot follows the female-led dystopian fiction formula to a T. A virus has wiped out a good junk of humanity. Some young people "reboot" after dying. These youth are employed as "reboots" to be the security guards of humanity. The length of time that a reboot is "dead" before rebooting impacts how they are as a reboot. Higher numbers are more "in control" than lower numbers. Humans control the reboots and track their moves. 

The central character is a high number female reboot. She prides herself on her skill and her ability to follow orders. She meets a low number male reboot. She is asked to train him. They fall in love (of course.) They escape. She tries to go back to find the medicine that can help save him. (They have been running some experiments on reboots that make them extra wild.) After some close calls, they escape to their Utopia. It provides a nice conclusion while setting things up for the next book in the series.

Change a few details and this could be one of the many other dystopian works.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes: A Hunger Games Novel

The Ballard of Songbirds and Snakes is a standalone Hunger Games prequel novel. Knowledge of the main series will help to quickly understand the universe, but is probably not necessary to enjoy the novel. The name of the main character seemed vaguely familiar to me since it had been a while since I read the main series. This may have made the novel more enjoyable. I kept hoping for him to succeed and make it against the odds. Only after completing the book did I realize he was the "bad guy" from the main Hunger Games series. Perhaps this book explains why he was so "bad."

In this book, Coriolanus Snow hopes to be able to get the education and career he wants. However, the odds seem to be stacked against him. He has an opportunity to serve as a mentor to a Hunger Game tribute. He discovers that the tributes are treated horribly - often like expendable animals. (After all, they all will be fighting each other to the death.) His tribute is a small girl with a great singing voice. He befriends her and even falls in love. He makes suggestions to make the games more "exciting" for the viewers. He also ends up actively participating - going into the games kill somebody and training snakes to help his tribute to win. He believes he will get a full scholarship by winning. Alas, they find out about his cheating and he loses out on education. Dejected, he seeks escape in the military and is stationed in the district of his tribute. He finds out that the Hunger Games was originally conceived as a drunken joke, but ended up getting implemented. His friend ends up getting stationed with him, and later plotting an escape. Coriolanus nearly joins the escape with his girl, but ends up making it back to the capital where he has been hardened by his experiences to engage in subterfuge for personal gain. It seems like there were so many simple ways that the future "evil" life could have been avoided. Alas, the accumulated life experiences result in a psychopathy rather than empathy.