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Utopia
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 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.
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 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.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 24, 2003
About the author
Lincoln Child
153 books4,795 followersLincoln Child was born in Westport, Connecticut, which he still calls his hometown (despite the fact that he left the place before he reached his first birthday and now only goes back for weekends).
Lincoln seemed to have acquired an interest in writing as early as second grade, when he wrote a short story entitled Bumble the Elephant (now believed by scholars to be lost). Along with two dozen short stories composed during his youth, he wrote a science-fiction novel in tenth grade called Second Son of Daedalus and a shamelessly Tolkeinesque fantasy in twelfth grade titled The Darkness to the North (left unfinished at 400 manuscript pages). Both are exquisitely embarrassing to read today and are kept under lock and key by the author.
After a childhood that is of interest only to himself, Lincoln graduated from Carleton College (huh?) in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in English. Discovering a fascination for words, and their habit of turning up in so many books, he made his way to New York in the summer of 1979, intent on finding a job in publishing. He was lucky enough to secure a position as editorial assistant at St. Martin's Press.
Over the next several years, he clawed his way up the editorial hierarchy, moving to assistant editor to associate editor before becoming a full editor in 1984. While at St. Martin's, he was associated with the work of many authors, including that of James Herriot and M. M. Kaye. He edited well over a hundred books--with titles as diverse as The Notation of Western Music and Hitler's Rocket Sites--but focused primarily on American and English popular fiction.
While at St. Martin's, Lincoln assembled several collections of ghost and horror stories, beginning with the hardcover collections Dark Company (1984) and Dark Banquet (1985). Later, when he founded the company's mass-market horror division, he edited three more collections of ghost stories, Tales of the Dark 1-3.
In 1987, Lincoln left trade publishing to work at MetLife. In a rather sudden transition, he went from editing manuscripts, speaking at sales conferences, and wining/dining agents to doing highly technical programming and systems analysis. Though the switch might seem bizarre, Lincoln was a propeller-head from a very early age, and his extensive programming experience dates back to high school, when he worked with DEC minis and the now-prehistoric IBM 1620, so antique it actually had an electric typewriter mounted into its front panel. Away from the world of publishing, Lincoln's own nascent interests in writing returned. While at MetLife, Relic was published, and within a few years Lincoln had left the company to write full time. He now lives in New Jersey (under protest--just kidding) with his wife and daughter.
A dilettante by natural inclination, Lincoln's interests include: pre-1950s literature and poetry; post-1950s popular fiction; playing the piano, various MIDI instruments, and the 5-string banjo; English and American history; motorcycles; architecture; classical music, early jazz, blues, and R&B; exotic parrots; esoteric programming languages; mountain hiking; bow ties; Italian suits; fedoras; archaeology; and multiplayer deathmatching.
Lincoln seemed to have acquired an interest in writing as early as second grade, when he wrote a short story entitled Bumble the Elephant (now believed by scholars to be lost). Along with two dozen short stories composed during his youth, he wrote a science-fiction novel in tenth grade called Second Son of Daedalus and a shamelessly Tolkeinesque fantasy in twelfth grade titled The Darkness to the North (left unfinished at 400 manuscript pages). Both are exquisitely embarrassing to read today and are kept under lock and key by the author.
After a childhood that is of interest only to himself, Lincoln graduated from Carleton College (huh?) in Northfield, Minnesota, majoring in English. Discovering a fascination for words, and their habit of turning up in so many books, he made his way to New York in the summer of 1979, intent on finding a job in publishing. He was lucky enough to secure a position as editorial assistant at St. Martin's Press.
Over the next several years, he clawed his way up the editorial hierarchy, moving to assistant editor to associate editor before becoming a full editor in 1984. While at St. Martin's, he was associated with the work of many authors, including that of James Herriot and M. M. Kaye. He edited well over a hundred books--with titles as diverse as The Notation of Western Music and Hitler's Rocket Sites--but focused primarily on American and English popular fiction.
While at St. Martin's, Lincoln assembled several collections of ghost and horror stories, beginning with the hardcover collections Dark Company (1984) and Dark Banquet (1985). Later, when he founded the company's mass-market horror division, he edited three more collections of ghost stories, Tales of the Dark 1-3.
In 1987, Lincoln left trade publishing to work at MetLife. In a rather sudden transition, he went from editing manuscripts, speaking at sales conferences, and wining/dining agents to doing highly technical programming and systems analysis. Though the switch might seem bizarre, Lincoln was a propeller-head from a very early age, and his extensive programming experience dates back to high school, when he worked with DEC minis and the now-prehistoric IBM 1620, so antique it actually had an electric typewriter mounted into its front panel. Away from the world of publishing, Lincoln's own nascent interests in writing returned. While at MetLife, Relic was published, and within a few years Lincoln had left the company to write full time. He now lives in New Jersey (under protest--just kidding) with his wife and daughter.
A dilettante by natural inclination, Lincoln's interests include: pre-1950s literature and poetry; post-1950s popular fiction; playing the piano, various MIDI instruments, and the 5-string banjo; English and American history; motorcycles; architecture; classical music, early jazz, blues, and R&B; exotic parrots; esoteric programming languages; mountain hiking; bow ties; Italian suits; fedoras; archaeology; and multiplayer deathmatching.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 540 reviews
January 23, 2023
A roller-coaster thriller ... literally!
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
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
March 3, 2023
Hey folks.... this is not by any stretch of the imagination, Disney World! Disney World will just take all your money...this one will be happy to kill you. This deadly park is located in the desert outside of Las Vegas. The park is a technological wonder set into the desert canyons that includes four different themed worlds: Gaslight (old London), Callisto (space age future), Camelot (medieval times) and Boardwalk (a Coney Island simulacra). There are also casinos that, together with the $75 entry fee, the gift shops and restaurants, take in a total of about $100 million a week. So, no one should be surprised that just as Dr. Andrew Warne, the computer genius who designed much of Utopia’s hyper automated mesh of computers and robots, arrives in Utopia, a band of criminals is putting their big heist into play. They’ve got inside people, a deadly sniper on the outside, a brilliant hacker, and a psychopathic leader named John Doe. Having thoroughly hacked Utopia’s systems, Doe’s people are able to kill at whim among Utopia’s 65,000 visitors, especially by causing the park’s rides to suddenly malfunction, if park personnel don’t give in to their demands. It’s up to a fast-thinking Warne, a feisty tech sidekick named Terri, and a "right-place-at-the-right-time" guest named Poole who’s on Warne’s side and just happens to have a background in security. Child’s descriptions of the park in all its holographic glory is so lovingly and precisely detailed that you hate to have to deal with the mostly clueless people who dash about this deadly paradise. Isn't there anyone that understands how to deal with terrorist? I guess not. Anyway, I loved the book and there are worse ways to kill a few hours than in the walls of Utopia. But I did mis the horde of hungry velociraptors:)
Actual Rating 4.5
Actual Rating 4.5
July 31, 2020
This book was remarkably dull for being a thriller. Within a couple chapters, it began to feel like a chore to read it. I wasn't into any of the characters from the very start. Then I got the audiobook since I needed something to listen to, and I listed to the rest of the book until the epilogue. Read the epilogue from the actual book.
I just never bought into the premise of this book. A futuristic, amazingly technologically advanced theme park that has turned the amusement park world on its head and is the MOST AMAZING THING EVER? And within 6 months of opening, it's already entrenched in the world consciousness as the must-do attraction of the century? That just didn't jive with me.
It was also a problem that it was describing all the super-technological advances, except they all seemed pretty humdrum here in 2014. Not like anything special at all, really. And it was written before cell phones were ubiquitous, so it's got all this amazing technology... yet they have to find a walkie talkie or a landline to figure out where the hell anybody is. Doesn't work here and now.
Anyway, I didn't enjoy the story that much. It just all seemed.... almost like a kid's story, but with waaaaaaaay too much detail. On top of that, the narrator on the audiobook had this unbelievably annoying end-of-sentence-lilt he used on several of the characters. Drove me nuts. And occasionally it came out just in the regular narration which was also annoying.
I just never bought into the premise of this book. A futuristic, amazingly technologically advanced theme park that has turned the amusement park world on its head and is the MOST AMAZING THING EVER? And within 6 months of opening, it's already entrenched in the world consciousness as the must-do attraction of the century? That just didn't jive with me.
It was also a problem that it was describing all the super-technological advances, except they all seemed pretty humdrum here in 2014. Not like anything special at all, really. And it was written before cell phones were ubiquitous, so it's got all this amazing technology... yet they have to find a walkie talkie or a landline to figure out where the hell anybody is. Doesn't work here and now.
Anyway, I didn't enjoy the story that much. It just all seemed.... almost like a kid's story, but with waaaaaaaay too much detail. On top of that, the narrator on the audiobook had this unbelievably annoying end-of-sentence-lilt he used on several of the characters. Drove me nuts. And occasionally it came out just in the regular narration which was also annoying.
May 27, 2011
I liked this book more the further I got into it. At first, I thought it was a former Disney employee trying to dream up a great scare at something unimaginatively similar to Walt Disney World, with the only major addition being a glass dome atop the property, what amounts to a running joke at Disney. About a fourth of the way in, the dialog was so reminiscent of soap operas that it was very difficult to take the story or the characters seriously.
Things improved as the plot began to pick up pace, and by the end, I found myself actually caring about the characters, both human and robotic. This is juvenile fiction, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but the plot was engaging, and the characters were usually more than surface-deep.
I "read" the audiobook version of this text and was pleasantly surprised. The actor portrayed the characters brilliantly and used his talent with accents to bring the large cast to life. It was a very pleasant read.
Things improved as the plot began to pick up pace, and by the end, I found myself actually caring about the characters, both human and robotic. This is juvenile fiction, which isn't usually my cup of tea, but the plot was engaging, and the characters were usually more than surface-deep.
I "read" the audiobook version of this text and was pleasantly surprised. The actor portrayed the characters brilliantly and used his talent with accents to bring the large cast to life. It was a very pleasant read.
October 22, 2014
This is only my second novel by Child but I am already a fan of his sleek and compelling techno-thrillers. Utopia is the most modern and technologically-advanced theme park of the world. Its rides and attractions use cutting-edge technologies such as highly realistic holograms and robots with artificial intelligence. When the park is held hostage by a team of ruthless criminals, the responsibility of saving the lives of seventy thousand-odd guests falls on the shoulders of the robotics professor responsible for developing the park's main computer network. I have no idea why Hollywood isn't already drooling over this story which has a delicious premise and is populated with mind-blowing futuristic gadgetry.
April 8, 2022
Ein futuristischer Freizeitpark als Setting, ein drohender Anschlag mit einer guten Portion Zeitdruck und ein sympathischer, unmachohafter Held? Ja, bitte!
December 24, 2011
OK, good not great. Theme park shake down thriller featuring widowed robotics professor with teen daughter. WestWorld meets Ocean's 11 for the taking of the Pelham 123 with a hat tip to Jaws. Escapist fiction like fiery cheese puffs.
November 18, 2011
Utopia is not a bad book; it's just not a great book. I'm spoiled by mystery writers such as Jeffery Deaver and Anne Perry who build suspense like master architects of breathtaking mazes that delight and confound but still let people out at the end. Yes, okay, Lincoln Child (Is that his real name??) wrote a thriller, not really a mystery: In an idyllic new theme park that draws on the latest technology comes a bad guy who threatens serious harm unless he's given the technological secrets to the park, Utopia. There are no real surprises here, so I found: We're informed early on that there's a bad guy coming in from the outside, and that he has a team working with him. It's a short hop to deducing that he had inside help, and not so hard to figure out who it was.
That plot could still be interesting, and it was, though I found myself having to overlook the predictability that Child seemed unable to get away from. There's the protagonist's unhappy backstory, the romantic complications, the character introduced later in the story who just so happens to prove super-helpful. There's the small taste of some minor characters who get bumped off in short order. There are proverbial shotguns hung over fireplaces everywhere; I don't know if Child tagged these elements too plainly or I just got good at spotting them, but darn near every object or person I identified as someone/-thing planted to be important later in the story indeed showed up as important later in the story. The plot sounded so good, and yet the telling had a paint-by-numbers feel, which unfairly discounts all the research that the author did.
Child had coauthored more than a few books before Utopia; I'd like to think that this effort was simply a rough step away from working with someone else.
(less) [edit]
That plot could still be interesting, and it was, though I found myself having to overlook the predictability that Child seemed unable to get away from. There's the protagonist's unhappy backstory, the romantic complications, the character introduced later in the story who just so happens to prove super-helpful. There's the small taste of some minor characters who get bumped off in short order. There are proverbial shotguns hung over fireplaces everywhere; I don't know if Child tagged these elements too plainly or I just got good at spotting them, but darn near every object or person I identified as someone/-thing planted to be important later in the story indeed showed up as important later in the story. The plot sounded so good, and yet the telling had a paint-by-numbers feel, which unfairly discounts all the research that the author did.
Child had coauthored more than a few books before Utopia; I'd like to think that this effort was simply a rough step away from working with someone else.
(less) [edit]
August 26, 2012
Taught thriller that takes place in a futuristic amusement park. Overall I really enjoyed this one -- especially the descriptions of the park itself that utilized robotics and holograms as part of its 4 worlds. This was a great combination of science fiction and techno-thriller. I've read a couple of books by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child that I have enjoyed. This is the first I've read by Child on his own and would definitely recommend it. I have several more Preston/Child novels on my TBR shelf that I hope to get to soon.
December 29, 2015
When it was UTOPIA, this book was my absolute favorite in Lincoln's repertoire (and still is, to be honest). Everything, from the inside map of the amazing theme park that it is Utopia to the technology that runs it and the terrorists that destroy it, is amazing. Page after page. A must read for any techno-thriller lover!
July 14, 2012
Another great one by Lincoln Child, writing solo. This is the second go around for me, previously having read it about 8 plus years ago. It is a very well-researched, strong thriller in an amusement park, miles outside of Las Vegas, set in a deep chasm, so that visitors approach the front of the park on ground level, and it falls away behind the park to several levels of offices, maintenance etc, . The park is under a large dome, sectioned into four themes - Gaslight, a perfectly recreated Victorian London, complete with Jack the Ripper holograms waving bloody knives and running around, fog, and tea, lots of it. It also "rains" every so often, just for about 90 seconds, a light mist, just enough to keep it cool and damp. It even smells like old London might. The next is Callisto, a bustling spaceport, with tons of fabulous roller coasters and scream rides, along with robots. All the robots are connected to a main frame via a metanet, or AI intelligence device that takes what the robots have "learned" each day, uploads it to the mainframe, and down loads it back to them each morning. The next is Boardwalk, a recreation of a turn-of-the-century boardwalk, like Coney Island, down to the costumes, food and rides - a wooden rollercoaster cleverly disguising the latest in modern roller coaster technology with a steel inner frame. The last is Camelot, a medieval recreation, complete with staged battle scenes and shows, with fire breathing dragons. Specialists are brought in from everywhere, to ensure that the park is perfect - food specialists in history, orchid specialists to tend to the orchids, fireworks guys, and Andrew Warne, who has been summoned by his one time love, now head of the park, Sarah, to look at the metanet, due to some possible bugs. A widower, he brings along his teen daughter Georgia to let her have some fun after what he thinks is a short meeting. But he is told he will have to dismantle the whole metanet, his baby and the vision of the original founder of the park, now dead, Eric Nightingale, who envisioned more of an immersive experience and less on rides, and casinos, and vendors. Warne is appalled, it is his life's work, and since he is currently floundering , he needs this metanet to work. They start looking at why there have been one-time glitches in various robots, with one major one in a ride that resulted in a broken leg. As they dig deeper they begin to see that the code has been altered, but by whom. Meanwhile, upstairs in the offices, Sarah is being visited by an arrogant man, who says he controls the park, and she must do as he says. As he stages bigger and worse accidents around the park, they must race to save the park and themselves, as they are effectively trapped inside the dome,with a madman and his crew holding them hostage. Taut, well written, and meticulously researched, this is Child at his best.
December 20, 2008
I'm a big Lincoln Child fan, and this one had all the elements of the strong Child novels we've come to expect. The science is a blast, the characters are fun and the pacing is brisk. For me, though, it seemed to be that the whole was less than the sum of the parts. I think it was the setting -- a high-tech theme park is very cool in theory, and getting behind the scenes should have worked, but in the end it just didn't thrill like the rides it described. Something about describing an imaginary roller coaster, describing imaginary fully immersive but fake theme park settings, and then going behind the scenes of those settings just didn't captivate me. Has nothing to do with Child's ability to tell a story, just one of those combinations that didn't hold me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 12, 2023
Utopia is the hottest theme park attraction, combining cutting edge technology, holographic special effects, advanced robotic technology, authentic worlds & theme park thrill rides for all ages. The brainchild of a dead illusionist, his world of illusion is now a park under a dome in Nevada that combines his wishes with things he would not approve of-casino & money making stalls aimed at getting as much money out of tourists as possible. Today the creator of the Metanet that controls everything-Andrew Warne-is summoned by park management to investigate incidents of system failures, robots malfunctioning & accidents on rides. John Doe is there to blackmail management into handing him copies of their technology to stop him killing the tourists...
This book got some mixed reviews so I wasn't actually expecting much from it. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. I loved the concept of the park with it's four very different worlds. First there is Boardwalk, a recreation of the perfect seaside theme park resort, with all the tacky fun you'd expect but more advanced technology. It has rollercoasters, spinning teacup rides, carousel, a boating lake, stalls and shops. Secondly is Gaslight, a recreation of the perfect Victorian England city, complete with rides that imitate runaway carriage rides, chamber of illusion, Jack the Ripper, shows and a realistic appearance of dim light and fog around you.
The third world is Camelot which recreates the medieval world of King Arthur, with a castle, dragons, shows with knights in battle. The fourth world is Callisto, an imagined busy spaceport surrounded by a view of galaxies and planets, with zero gravity inspired rides, scary space rides, all designed to make you believe you are actually in space. Utopia is also working on a new world based on the legend of Atlantis. This sounds like the kind of theme park that I'd love to visit, especially Callisto for me. I've always been fascinated by space.
The author does a great job of bringing these worlds to life in the book, making me long to visit. The descriptions are vivid yet never dull, letting the reader almost smell the food, feel the rain and fog, see the planets and special effects. It really sets the scene, showing you the robotics, characters in uniforms all over Utopia, describing both the illusions and the real life technology that goes into the park. I found all the detail fascinating. I could imagine Andrew and his daughter Georgia trying out the rides and looking in awe at what they see. I could also imagine the evil John Doe walking around-for some reason I imagine him as that charming but creepy man from Poltergeist 2!
I also liked the characters. 14 year old Georgia, who doesn't want her dad back together with park manager Sarah. Sarah, focused and ambitious who will do anything to save the part. Terri, the smart analyst who doesn't want to believe that the Metanet may have to be destroyed. Andrew himself, still suffering the pain of Sarah choosing her career over him and refusing to believe that his creation is hurting people. Poole, the military man who is caught up in the chaos as he visits the park with family. JCharismatic Freddy, Sarah's management boyfriend.
John Doe is also an interesting and compelling man who seems to be one step ahead of everything that happens in the park, aware of every move they make. You're never really sure of who he is but he and his team are dangerous. There is tension every time he talks about 'teaching a lesson' as you know that innocent people are about to experience real terror on the rides. The author keeps that tension going, the reader never quite sure where, when or how the disasters are going to unfold. I was nervous for the tourists, waiting to see what rides were going to fail. It reminded me of the film 'Rollercoaster' which also had that polite, well mannered bad guy looking to cause carnage in a theme park.
This was a really entertaining read. I was interested in the bad guy characters, rooting for the good guys and trying to work out who the traitor was. While I did figure it out from the clues given, it did not in any way spoil the plot. There is a lot of tension as the tourists and the main characters face a series of different challenges-hunted down by bad guys, deliberate sabotage of rides, potential bombs, robots behaving badly, murder, and mayhem. It all takes place in one long, scary day at the park and I enjoyed every bit of it. I also liked that it was ordinary people trying to save the park. Even the former military man was out of shape and not being Rambo.
A good read.
This book got some mixed reviews so I wasn't actually expecting much from it. I was pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed it. I loved the concept of the park with it's four very different worlds. First there is Boardwalk, a recreation of the perfect seaside theme park resort, with all the tacky fun you'd expect but more advanced technology. It has rollercoasters, spinning teacup rides, carousel, a boating lake, stalls and shops. Secondly is Gaslight, a recreation of the perfect Victorian England city, complete with rides that imitate runaway carriage rides, chamber of illusion, Jack the Ripper, shows and a realistic appearance of dim light and fog around you.
The third world is Camelot which recreates the medieval world of King Arthur, with a castle, dragons, shows with knights in battle. The fourth world is Callisto, an imagined busy spaceport surrounded by a view of galaxies and planets, with zero gravity inspired rides, scary space rides, all designed to make you believe you are actually in space. Utopia is also working on a new world based on the legend of Atlantis. This sounds like the kind of theme park that I'd love to visit, especially Callisto for me. I've always been fascinated by space.
The author does a great job of bringing these worlds to life in the book, making me long to visit. The descriptions are vivid yet never dull, letting the reader almost smell the food, feel the rain and fog, see the planets and special effects. It really sets the scene, showing you the robotics, characters in uniforms all over Utopia, describing both the illusions and the real life technology that goes into the park. I found all the detail fascinating. I could imagine Andrew and his daughter Georgia trying out the rides and looking in awe at what they see. I could also imagine the evil John Doe walking around-for some reason I imagine him as that charming but creepy man from Poltergeist 2!
I also liked the characters. 14 year old Georgia, who doesn't want her dad back together with park manager Sarah. Sarah, focused and ambitious who will do anything to save the part. Terri, the smart analyst who doesn't want to believe that the Metanet may have to be destroyed. Andrew himself, still suffering the pain of Sarah choosing her career over him and refusing to believe that his creation is hurting people. Poole, the military man who is caught up in the chaos as he visits the park with family. JCharismatic Freddy, Sarah's management boyfriend.
John Doe is also an interesting and compelling man who seems to be one step ahead of everything that happens in the park, aware of every move they make. You're never really sure of who he is but he and his team are dangerous. There is tension every time he talks about 'teaching a lesson' as you know that innocent people are about to experience real terror on the rides. The author keeps that tension going, the reader never quite sure where, when or how the disasters are going to unfold. I was nervous for the tourists, waiting to see what rides were going to fail. It reminded me of the film 'Rollercoaster' which also had that polite, well mannered bad guy looking to cause carnage in a theme park.
This was a really entertaining read. I was interested in the bad guy characters, rooting for the good guys and trying to work out who the traitor was. While I did figure it out from the clues given, it did not in any way spoil the plot. There is a lot of tension as the tourists and the main characters face a series of different challenges-hunted down by bad guys, deliberate sabotage of rides, potential bombs, robots behaving badly, murder, and mayhem. It all takes place in one long, scary day at the park and I enjoyed every bit of it. I also liked that it was ordinary people trying to save the park. Even the former military man was out of shape and not being Rambo.
A good read.
April 9, 2014
Looking forward to this Lincoln Child suspense novel where a high-tech futuristic amusement park is taken hostage by unknown bad dudes for unspecified reasons, My expectations must have been too high. The book had it's moments but, for me, not many. My opinion would be different Had I cared for even a few of the characters. The fact is I worried more about the robot dog and random park visitors than I did about anyone who'd been given a name in the novel. This doesn't mean I won't seek out another book by this author because I will, however, Utopia isn't one I plan to read a second time.
December 18, 2019
Lots and lots of techno- babble which didn't really mean much to me and otherwise the plot was pretty straight forward so nothing overly exciting as far as I was concerned.
July 15, 2023
One of those fun thrill ride adventures. A touch of scifi, but in a plausible way, a large helping of terrorists, and some shades of "Die Hard".
Warne is a robotics programmer. He designed the AI system controlling the robots at a new high-tech amusement park, a rival to Disney. He's been called back to dismantle his system, because it's malfunctioning. Only he discovers it's not malfunctioning, it's been hacked. And the hackers have planted explosives all over the park, and they can manipulate internal systems in a way that could lead to thousands of deaths.
It's up to Warne and a handful of others to deal with this, without any guests or most staff ever knowing.
Until things go to hell and people start dying.
It was fun and, once it got going, a quick read. Not Child's best, but not a bad tech thriller.
Warne is a robotics programmer. He designed the AI system controlling the robots at a new high-tech amusement park, a rival to Disney. He's been called back to dismantle his system, because it's malfunctioning. Only he discovers it's not malfunctioning, it's been hacked. And the hackers have planted explosives all over the park, and they can manipulate internal systems in a way that could lead to thousands of deaths.
It's up to Warne and a handful of others to deal with this, without any guests or most staff ever knowing.
Until things go to hell and people start dying.
It was fun and, once it got going, a quick read. Not Child's best, but not a bad tech thriller.
January 24, 2017
took me longer than expected;
it seems i have more hobbies than i care to admit
hurray for teresa bonifacio!
p106: a postcard labeled borokay beach, philippines was affixed to the inside of the lab door.
p419: sitting alone at the rear of the payload compartment, john doe had removed one of the countless stacks of currency and was making origami cranes from the contents.
it seems i have more hobbies than i care to admit
hurray for teresa bonifacio!
p106: a postcard labeled borokay beach, philippines was affixed to the inside of the lab door.
p419: sitting alone at the rear of the payload compartment, john doe had removed one of the countless stacks of currency and was making origami cranes from the contents.
July 12, 2011
The best parts of this book are the descriptions of a futuristic amusement park. Short on suspense and there isn't much character development
June 28, 2014
SUMMARY: The sitting is a fantastic amusement park near Las Vegas. A group of bad guys infiltrate the park and threaten mass destruction and death unless the park turns over some very valuable assets to them. I kept thinking of Disney World on steroids as I read the book. I don't know if the author intended the comparison to Disney World or not, but it was hard for me to avoid.
COMMENTS: I listened to a complete audio version of this book I got from the the library.
While the book was "okay", it was by no means great. I wouldn't go as far as telling someone to not read it. But on the other hand, I would not recommend or encourage anyone to read it either.
I'm having a real problem putting into words the negative feelings I have about the story. Part of it is the decisions by the characters just don't feel consistent with what is happening around them. Maybe that has to do more with how the story is told than the actual decisions. I don't know.
Also I just didn't connect with the person I consider the main character, the visiting AI consultant. He was viewed by the evil people as a major threat to their plans. And while some of their actions did involve the computer systems, a lot of it also involved high explosives. Since they were so very proficient with guns and explosives, why would they be as concerned as they appeared to be about a professor with nothing like that in his history. It just seemed to forced to me.
COMMENTS: I listened to a complete audio version of this book I got from the the library.
While the book was "okay", it was by no means great. I wouldn't go as far as telling someone to not read it. But on the other hand, I would not recommend or encourage anyone to read it either.
I'm having a real problem putting into words the negative feelings I have about the story. Part of it is the decisions by the characters just don't feel consistent with what is happening around them. Maybe that has to do more with how the story is told than the actual decisions. I don't know.
Also I just didn't connect with the person I consider the main character, the visiting AI consultant. He was viewed by the evil people as a major threat to their plans. And while some of their actions did involve the computer systems, a lot of it also involved high explosives. Since they were so very proficient with guns and explosives, why would they be as concerned as they appeared to be about a professor with nothing like that in his history. It just seemed to forced to me.
February 17, 2010
Lincoln Child knows how to entertain a reader. Yes...his books are not cerebral...they are just plain fun! Utopia is the setting..a "playground" for the public near Las Vegas. It is a fantasy world beneath a giant dome, the size of a small town. The book is rich in description allowing the reader to partake in what the "amusement park" has to offer. Lots of holograms, futuristic robots, replications of mood/weather/towns. The main character returns to Utopia when a problem with the programming of the robots causes a mishap at the park. He takes his teenage daughter with him to enjoy the park while he works. A sinister plot unfolds that threatens to destroy the park and people. No...this is not Westworld...and the fun begins. Good character interaction, well written dialog and an ending that doesn't finish abruptly in the last few pages. The author does a nice job of pacing the whole book to keep the reader's attention. I read this book on a plane trip and it kept me thoroughly entertained!
June 17, 2017
This has a great premise - terrorists take over the worlds greatest theme park - Die Hard meets Westworld - but I found it disappointingly slow and predictable. I had not read anything by this author before, but have seen his bestsellers in shops, and picked it up somewhat at random, keen to see what it was like. Robotics expert Andrew Warne visits futuristic theme park Utopia, run by his ex-girlfriend, with his teenage daughter, on the day a team of baddies have infiltrated the park to hold it to ransom.
I read plenty of thrillers, but this had way too much technobabble for me, and while the central characters seemed initially appealing, they aren't developed much, instead we are introduced to a bunch of randoms whose sole purpose was to be injured/killed off, in unpleasant ways. I spped-read the last quarter to get it over with, but don't think I missed much. It would make a good film, with all the high-Tech park rides and robots, but as a book it was rather a letdown.
I read plenty of thrillers, but this had way too much technobabble for me, and while the central characters seemed initially appealing, they aren't developed much, instead we are introduced to a bunch of randoms whose sole purpose was to be injured/killed off, in unpleasant ways. I spped-read the last quarter to get it over with, but don't think I missed much. It would make a good film, with all the high-Tech park rides and robots, but as a book it was rather a letdown.
April 10, 2014
I was very intrigued with the setting of this novel more than anything as I am a huge fan of amusement parks. It delivered on some new ideas for rides and park themes, though it would be better served in a movie than in a book. Too much description can bog a novel down, especially a thriller.
But this book didn't really deliver on the thrills in my opinion. I expected rides to be incorporated into the action a bit more. It got much better towards the end, but the characters remained rather wooden and it was easy to figure out who was going to be the "bad guy" given the soap opera-like tone. I don't know if this is my fault, but the plot of this seemed really a stretch; it didn't seem like the bad guys had to go to such elaborate lengths to achieve their goals.
It's a decent read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
But this book didn't really deliver on the thrills in my opinion. I expected rides to be incorporated into the action a bit more. It got much better towards the end, but the characters remained rather wooden and it was easy to figure out who was going to be the "bad guy" given the soap opera-like tone. I don't know if this is my fault, but the plot of this seemed really a stretch; it didn't seem like the bad guys had to go to such elaborate lengths to achieve their goals.
It's a decent read, but I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend it.
May 19, 2018
I enjoyed this book, but as I was reading it there was this nagging thought in the back of my mind that the plot seemed familiar. After finishing it, I realized why. This is the perfect plot line for a Die Hard movie. Bruce Willis would play Mr Poole, bringing his kids to Utopia for a day of fun, the ride they are on is sabotaged by greedy terrorists, but he heroically saves all the passengers, while figuring out there are some real bad guys in the park. His ex-wife would be Sarah, the head of operations at Utopia, who tries to resolve the situation without bloodshed or an interruption of park activities. Can’t you just envision Bruce shooting fireworks at the bad guys in their armored car as they are trying to escape and destroy the park on their way out. Just remember, if they make this movie, you heard here first.
August 10, 2017
Amazing descriptions of a very cool amusement park. Utopia would be such a cool place to visit if it were real. The book felt too long, the suspense might have been more exciting if condensed a bit. 3 1/2 stars.
October 9, 2021
4 star book. Wished there was a 3.5 star rating. Enjoyed this fun theme park thriller.
October 6, 2019
Interesting tech incorporated into a theme park! The story kept us guessing at how they would beat the bad guys. This isn't high action thriller, more like hostage heist thriller with lots of moving pieces that you eventually come to discover. We listened to the abridged audio book. Narrator was fine, doing slight variations between voices. I don't feel like anything was missing in the abridged version. There are a few instances of strong language and terrible injuries.
November 25, 2021
My dad recommended me this book foreverrrr ago, and while it was a lot of fun in the end it was just okay and it took me sooo long to read lol. I’m glad I read it but I’m especially glad I finally finished it lol
July 10, 2011
Well I couldn't afford a trip to an amusement park this year so I figured reading Utopia would be the next best thing.
The descriptions of Utopia are great. The details are fantastic, down to the mannerisms of people within the park. I felt like I was there and I'd love to visit this place.
The first chapter makes a reference to meloning, 'When daring young women on rides bare their breasts to the camera' ? Is this really what its called ? I tried googling it, including an image search, and didn't find anything to confirm this. The search results were disappointingly tame, people eating watermelon and doing grab tricks with their skateboards... But this isn't a bad term for the practice.
Dr. Andrew Warne is a computer engineer with a focus on robotics. He is a widower and father to 14 year old Georgia. He has been summoned to visit Utopia, a large theme park known for robotics holographs and thrill rides. He is a large contributor to the park's robotics. Warne created the park's metanet, a meta network that links all the robots to a central processor. The processor studies the bots, creates improvements and downloads an optimized code daily over the network. He brings his daughter with him expecting an opportunity to work on upcoming projects.
Soon after Warne arrives, the park directors inform him they believe the metanet is responsible for random robotic glitches. They request he shut it down, insisting the issue is not due to internal or external tampering. He is downfallen, because he sees the metanet as his life work.
The story points out the dangers of relying on robots to do important mechanical tasks. Utopia robots are programmed to do safety maintenance. The robots loosened dogs instead of tightening them. A car whipsaws through a 70 foot drop, which results in injuries, lawyers etc... I suppose human error could be as detrimental. Hopefully, there will soon be technology for a park like Utopia, and they will employ human quality control. The robot that servers ice cream, Hard Case, also malfunctions. It would be fun to be served ice cream by a robot, but I wouldn't fancy it coming after me with sticky robot claws. The only malfunction I want to experience is receiving a basketball sized scoop of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. I am diabetic so this would be quite deliciously dangerous. :)
I would love to own a Wingnut, the robotic dog...
As the story unfolds we learn bad guys are responsible for the robotic malfunctions. These domestic terrorists are not your semi honorable, fun loving type of criminals. Their list of demands include not contacting authorities, and continuation of business as usual within the park. If they don't get all of their demands they will kill hundreds, blowing up lines and restaurants.
The bad guys couldn't have orchestrated their acts of terrorism without inside help. It is fairly obvious who their cohort is. We see behind the scenes information of everyone who is innocent. By using the process of elimination, the mystery of the inside man is revealed.
The major plot hole of this story is no one contacts the police. I can understand the stories where the scared parents of a kidnapped child are convinced they shouldn't call the police. But the employees of this park are well educated, and much less emotionally involved. They decide it would be too dangerous to call the authorities. They are obviously not equipped to deal with something like this. The only person with any real experience is a patron of the park who offers his service. But not a single person demands the police be called...
This book is written in 2002. I figure it might take some time to write a book. I have been working on the first page of mine for the last 10 years. I am not sure if it was written after or prior to Sept 11, 2001, but there must be a standard theme park terrorist protocol. I assume it would include contacting the proper authorities.
Regardless of the possible outcome, I can only imagine how questioning would go for the inevitable police investigation and lawsuit. 'Did you immediately contact the police ? Do you mean you didn't contact the police to report threats or deaths in the park, tampered with and moved evidence, and moved and stored bodies. so you could continue with business as usual?' And what about the guy with 2 broken legs? I realize there is an impressive medical facility within the park, but what if he needed surgery ? I believe most of Disneyland's major injuries make it to the media. At Utopia an entire ride of people gets barbequed and its business as usual ? If it weren't for this major story flaw, this book would have been so much better.
The descriptions of Utopia are great. The details are fantastic, down to the mannerisms of people within the park. I felt like I was there and I'd love to visit this place.
The first chapter makes a reference to meloning, 'When daring young women on rides bare their breasts to the camera' ? Is this really what its called ? I tried googling it, including an image search, and didn't find anything to confirm this. The search results were disappointingly tame, people eating watermelon and doing grab tricks with their skateboards... But this isn't a bad term for the practice.
Dr. Andrew Warne is a computer engineer with a focus on robotics. He is a widower and father to 14 year old Georgia. He has been summoned to visit Utopia, a large theme park known for robotics holographs and thrill rides. He is a large contributor to the park's robotics. Warne created the park's metanet, a meta network that links all the robots to a central processor. The processor studies the bots, creates improvements and downloads an optimized code daily over the network. He brings his daughter with him expecting an opportunity to work on upcoming projects.
Soon after Warne arrives, the park directors inform him they believe the metanet is responsible for random robotic glitches. They request he shut it down, insisting the issue is not due to internal or external tampering. He is downfallen, because he sees the metanet as his life work.
The story points out the dangers of relying on robots to do important mechanical tasks. Utopia robots are programmed to do safety maintenance. The robots loosened dogs instead of tightening them. A car whipsaws through a 70 foot drop, which results in injuries, lawyers etc... I suppose human error could be as detrimental. Hopefully, there will soon be technology for a park like Utopia, and they will employ human quality control. The robot that servers ice cream, Hard Case, also malfunctions. It would be fun to be served ice cream by a robot, but I wouldn't fancy it coming after me with sticky robot claws. The only malfunction I want to experience is receiving a basketball sized scoop of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream. I am diabetic so this would be quite deliciously dangerous. :)
I would love to own a Wingnut, the robotic dog...
As the story unfolds we learn bad guys are responsible for the robotic malfunctions. These domestic terrorists are not your semi honorable, fun loving type of criminals. Their list of demands include not contacting authorities, and continuation of business as usual within the park. If they don't get all of their demands they will kill hundreds, blowing up lines and restaurants.
The bad guys couldn't have orchestrated their acts of terrorism without inside help. It is fairly obvious who their cohort is. We see behind the scenes information of everyone who is innocent. By using the process of elimination, the mystery of the inside man is revealed.
The major plot hole of this story is no one contacts the police. I can understand the stories where the scared parents of a kidnapped child are convinced they shouldn't call the police. But the employees of this park are well educated, and much less emotionally involved. They decide it would be too dangerous to call the authorities. They are obviously not equipped to deal with something like this. The only person with any real experience is a patron of the park who offers his service. But not a single person demands the police be called...
This book is written in 2002. I figure it might take some time to write a book. I have been working on the first page of mine for the last 10 years. I am not sure if it was written after or prior to Sept 11, 2001, but there must be a standard theme park terrorist protocol. I assume it would include contacting the proper authorities.
Regardless of the possible outcome, I can only imagine how questioning would go for the inevitable police investigation and lawsuit. 'Did you immediately contact the police ? Do you mean you didn't contact the police to report threats or deaths in the park, tampered with and moved evidence, and moved and stored bodies. so you could continue with business as usual?' And what about the guy with 2 broken legs? I realize there is an impressive medical facility within the park, but what if he needed surgery ? I believe most of Disneyland's major injuries make it to the media. At Utopia an entire ride of people gets barbequed and its business as usual ? If it weren't for this major story flaw, this book would have been so much better.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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