Thanks to California Coldblood Books/Rare Bird Books and Netgalley for a copy of Neon Empire in exchange for an honest review. I’m thankful that I got to read about Eutopia and even more thankful that I don’t live there!
Neon Empire by Drew Minh
Genre: SF/fantasy/thriller
Publisher: California Coldblood Books/Rare Bird Books
Publication date: September 17, 2019
Summary
Bold, colorful, and dangerously seductive, Eutopia is a new breed of hi-tech city. Rising out of the American desert, it’s a real-world manifestation of a social media network where fame-hungry desperados compete for likes and followers. But in Eutopia, the bloodier and more daring posts pay off the most. As crime rises, no one stands to gain more than Eutopia’s architects―and, of course, the shareholders who make the place possible.
This multiple-POV novel follows three characters as they navigate the city’s underworld. Cedric Travers, a has-been Hollywood director, comes to Eutopia looking for clues into his estranged wife’s disappearance. What he finds instead is a new career directing―not movies, but experiences. The star of the show: A’rore, the city’s icon and lead social media influencer. She’s panicking as her popularity wanes, and she’ll do anything do avoid obscurity. Sacha Villanova, a tech and culture reporter, is on assignment to profile A’rore―but as she digs into Eutopia’s inner workings, she unearths a tangle of corporate corruption that threatens to sacrifice Cedric, A’rore, and even the city itself on the altar of stockholder greed. (from Goodreads)
My thoughts
This was one wild ride. I’m struggling to find words to adequately convey the effect of this novel. But here’s my best attempt.
Eutopia is a city that’s more than a city. Built on Navajo Nation territory, far-seeing developers have recreated all the highlights of Europe. Thus an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower shares the city with Buckingham Palace, the Coliseum, and the like. All replicas, of course.
Being built on confiscated Navajo land has financial benefits. Gambling and prostitution are legal. But that’s not all. The entire city is high tech. Based on information from all the digital devices carried by residents and tourists, outdoor advertisements target those nearby. Financial incentives persuade people to live-broadcast their lives.
A chance to make money while having fun. What could be better?
Eutopia: the main character
But with their altered realities, both physical and virtual, and interactions with the city’s commerce and social media, the humans have created another character: Eutopia.
It’s not just a setting that comes to life and “feels” like a character, but a city that is a character. Moreover, it’s a dynamic, malevolent character, one with an agenda that goes against human will. Eutopia exploits the humans.
Like Dr. Frankenstein with his famous creature, the humans have set something in motion that they cannot control. Even the ones who believe that they are controlling Eutopia really aren’t; the city spirals out of control like a person on a downward cycle into mental chaos, and it takes the humans with it.
The humans
I hope this makes sense. Several reviewers have noted that they felt distanced from the human characters or that the humans weren’t fully developed. I sensed this, too.
But I also think this was intentional. This isn’t a novel where the reader likes the characters. We aren’t supposed to like them or dislike them; whether we do or don’t doesn’t matter. They are entirely shaped by the environment, which is the true protagonist/antihero.
It’s easiest to see with this Cedric, who comes to Eutopia to find information on his missing wife and is sucked into the altered realities of the city. He claims to be working in “grey areas,” yet it’s clear (to us, at least) that he’s lost perspective, integrity, and humanity.
“Sex is violence”
Minh has plenty to say about social media, including how it affects sex, violence, reality, and the value of a human being. Brace yourself: some of it is downright sickening. One chapter title is “Sex is violence.” It’s a theme that Minh returns to multiple times. A’rore, Sacha, Cedric, police officer Monteiro: all participate in some version of this sickening theme.
It’s even more sickening when you consider that this vision of Eutopia is a logical endpoint for where our culture’s current direction.
This was a rich, rewarding read.
Visiting the not-yet-existent Eutopia was a harrowing experience, even through the pages of a book. I’m glad that I don’t live there!
Thanks again to ColdBlood Books and Netgalley for a copy of Neon Empire in exchange for an honest review.
Talk to me! What do you think?