Utopia by Lincoln Child
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Book Reviews of Utopia
Book Review: You wont miss anything if you skip this book.
Summary: 3 Stars
When I picked this book up I thought that I was about to encounter the absolute worst premise of all time. All you have to do is read the dust jacket to groan with the possible clichés that might run rampant throughout this book. I have read all of Lincoln Child's books co-authored with Douglas Preston and have found them for the most part to be entertaining. So I thought that regardless of what looked like a disaster of an idea, I would give this a go anyways.
Surprisingly Child managed to craft a pretty taught though implausible thriller here. His characters are very one-dimensional and are not developed at all. But his use of the English language is remarkably well suited for this type of writing. He manages to craft a story that is quickly consumed and that keeps the reader plodding along in suspense. There is no originality occurring here, and at its core is a plot that is as old as the hills. But Child manages to keep the reader engaged through his expert grasp of suspense.
I would like to see Child and Preston read Edward Bunker's `Dog eat Dog.' I would like for them to see how Bunker treats his protagonist and pull some aspects of this into their mainstream wonder bread characterizations. It would be unique and startling if they would combine the two.
Book Review: Enjoyable Action/Predictable Ending
Summary: 3 Stars
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.
Book Review: Too long by 1/3
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a huge fan of Preston/Child and picked this up for that reason. Alas, one half does not a whole make!
It takes a serious theme park fan to take the time to design a dream park and Mr. Child quite obviously expended a lot of effort in this direction. Unfortunately, he populated his park with stock characters. Surely one of the things he should have realized from the success of Preston/Child is the need for interesting heroes and villains.
I won't go into the details but suffice it to say that Utopia remains an unrealized aspiration.
Book Review: Produce Man
Summary: 3 Stars
Hard to stay with this book. I have read all of the other books and this one seemed to drift.
Really liked the idea of the theme park and all of the detail. Someone should build a theme park like Utopia.
The ending was very predictable but fun in a way.
Book Review: Child's Solo Debut is Undermined by a Tired, Uninteresting Plotline
Summary: 2 Stars
I enjoy Lincoln Child's work, especially the Pendergast series he writes with Douglas Preston. His solo work is pretty uneven -- it has potential, but I've yet to read a really terrific thriller written by Lincoln Child himself.
UTOPIA is Child's first solo novel, and I must admit I didn't care for it. There's very little about this novel that's fresh and interesting. As other reviewers have commented, Child borrows heavily from pre-existing material, most notably DIE HARD, WESTWORLD, and JURASSIC PARK. The plot moves along sluggishly, and I was able to predict almost all the major plot twists.
The major flaw with UTOPIA, however, is its subject matter: amusement parks. Child is obviously fascinated by his high-tech park, and spends many pages explaining its development, operations and technologies. In the end, I found most of this material to be overly dry and technical. Personally, I wish Child had spent less time describing his park and more time fleshing out his characters, who are mostly two-dimensional.
Lincoln Child's a solid writer, but UTOPIA's mostly a misfire -- if you want to read a solo novel by Child, my advice is to try his second solo novel DEATH MATCH instead, it's a superior read.