Golden State

Winters, Ben H. Golden State. New York: Little, Brown 2019. Print.

First Sentences:

Somebody's telling lies in here, and it's making it hard to eat. In a perfect world, a man should be able to sit down at a favorite spot and eat his breakfast without the weight of professional obligation coming down on him, ruining his morning, pulling him right into the thick of it before  he can so much as get a good hot sip of coffee.

Description:

 

People in the city of Golden State in the near future believe that it was the lies told by government and other powerful figures that led to the devastating "Calamity" that destroyed much of their world. 

Therefore, in this new city erected from the embers of the old world, they have designated lying as the highest of crimes. The punishment for someone uttering a falsehood? Imprisonment for years or even banishment to the Outside, an unknown territory beyond the city limits from where there is no return. 

 

Laszlo Ratesic is a highly-regarded veteran of the Speculative Service in Golden State. His talent? He has a special sense that alerts him to when people around him are telling lies. Laszio's skill lead's naturally to an job with the Speculative Service whose legal purpose is to root out anyone voicing statements against the "Objectively So." In other words, they identify and arrest anyone caught lying, then determine whether they should be removed from the new society of Golden State.

And that is just the beginning of Ben H. Winters' brilliant, challenging novel, Golden State.

Just to be safe from accidently telling a falsehood, people greet each other with agreed-upon truths like "It's nine o'clock now" or "Twenty is twice ten." And each person records all daily activities in a personal diary which is deposited each evening into the city's permanent Record for preservation and future reference for what actually happened in any historical instance.

Imagine if each person was allowed the luxury of claiming their own truth, building a reality of their own in which they can live. Imagine the danger that would pose, how quickly those lies would metastasize, and the extraordinary threat that would pose to the world.

But when a death occurs to an ordinary roofer who fell from a housetop, there are some unanswered questions, possibly lies, which the thousands of surveillance cameras may not have captured. Enter Ratesic and his tag-along rookie partner, Aysa Paige. In their routine investigation, they notice some small incongruities and "dissonance" that hint at a conspiracy which might entirely change the world of Golden State. 

And then, Ratesic discovers an actual book, a physical copy of a fictional work that is by definition ("fictional" = "not true" = "lie"), an item outlawed by the government. He decides to hide it ... and read it.

Ratesic has his own demons as well, from a marital separation to conflicts with the local police who resent the power of the Speculative Service. Ms. Paige also has mysteries, particularly her unmatched ability to sense lies and suggest solutions to confusing situations. 

But, of course, their investigations poke their noses into dangerous areas, attracting the attention of powerful people who would prefer the matter be settled quietly. 

It is an odd premise for a culture, but one that author Winters describes logically and thoroughly in Golden State. We readers are yanked into this protected world to follow the thoughts and actions of one of its staunchest supporters in Laszlo Ratesic as he purses a case that threatens his life and his world. Surprises abound right to the very end. 

Completely unpredictable, exciting, and challenging in its premise and setting.

But the world has never been accused of being perfect, has it, and so here we are and here is what actually happens -- here is reality.

Happy reading. 

Fred

Other book recommendations
About The First Sentence Reader blog

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Mullen, Thomas. The Last Town on Earth.   

During World War I and the 1918 Spanish Influenza outbreak, historically several towns tried to isolate themselves from outside infection. This is the fictionalized story of one such town and the choices of individuals when they face strangers who show up seeking refuge. Highly recommended. (previously reviewed here)

Bradbury, Ray. Fahrenheit 451.   

In the near future, books are banned to such an extent that there is a fire department with men charged to burn any books found. One fireman, Guy Montag, begins to doubt this practice and discovers a secret world of book lovers trying to desperately preserve the contents of the world's literature. Highly recommended. 

Cold People

Smith, Tom Rob. Cold People. New York: Scribner 2023. Print.

First Sentences:

Looking up at the night sky Ui saw only unfamiliar stars. 

These weren't the constellations that guided him between the Polynesian islands of his homeland, these were stars from the sky's outer edge, the stars his people had never bothered to name since they were no use to navigate by, dismissed at the "petuu vare" - foolish stars.

Description:

When a huge number of alien spaceships suddenly appear in the morning sky, a strange message plays on every electronic device in the world, plugged in or not: "People have thirty days to reach the continent of Antarctica." Nothing else. No reason why. No consequences revealed. Just that simple ominous message.

So starts the brilliant, challenging Cold People by Tom Rob Smith. The first contact with another species leads to a hurried mass migration of the world's people to the frozen south. Military boats, planes, oil tankers, and anything else that flies or floats is re-outfitted to carry as many passengers as possible, but of course they are insufficient in capacity to transport every person on Earth.

Those who somehow do reach Antarctica must create a completely new world when their old one is destroyed. No nations, no electronics, no internet, no money, everyone equal. These early challenges are only briefly addressed as author Smith quickly takes the story twenty years into the future after the aliens' arrival. And by then things have definitely changed for the people still alive in Antarctica.

By the end of the first year, it was apparent that humankind wouldn't survive unless it unified. Old notions of sovereignty were a luxury it could no longer afford. 

Realizing that humans are frail and completely unsuited to continuing in this bitter cold environment, much less expanding their population, the scientists among them create the "Cold People" project. They begin altering genetic material to produce "ice-adapted" humans who will be able to tolerate and thrive under icy conditions far beyond what current people could ever hope to achieve.

But there are questionable outcomes to this genetic experimentation, both ethical and dangerous, and the fate of the Antarctic  communities and mankind in general rest in the mysterious creations produced in the experimental labs.

This is a story of survival to be sure. But it is also presents thoughtful scenario where families, love, relationships, and ethics all must be reexamined to face and hopefully succeed in a challenging present and highly-uncertain future. I feel the unexpected directions taken by highly unusual characters in unique situations make this a strong narrative that will capture the attention and encourage philosophical and ethical questions in the minds of most readers.

 

Happy reading. 

 

Fred

More book recommendations

About The First Sentence Reader blog

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Stephenson, Neil. Seveneves.   

When the moon explodes on the very first page of this novel, humankind must work together to construct a method to somehow preserve mankind and the knowledge of the ages before Earth eventually is destroyed. Riveting.  (previously reviewed here)

Severence

Ma, Ling. Severence New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2018. Print.

First Sentences:

After the End came the Beginning.

And in the Beginning, there were eight of us, then nine -- that was me -- a number that would only decrease.

Description:

Here's an interesting premise. In Ling Ma's novel Severence , a worldwide flu known as Shen Fever has spread internationally with its fascinating symptoms. Those who are "fevered" become forever stuck performing an endless loop of an ordinary behavior. One family continually sets plates and silverware out on their dining room table, sits down, and eats as if there is food on the plates, then puts all utensils and plates back into the cupboards and drawers, only to immediately take them out and repeat the process over and over and over. A woman is seen endlessly taking keys out of her purse, unlocking a door, opening it, closing it, replacing her keys, and repeating.  

But there are also a very few unfevered people. One roving band of eight discovers the novel's narrator, Candace Chen, in a New York City taxi far outside the city limits. Candace was a former Bible designer for a major publisher, working diligently in the office building until all her suppliers, customers, staff and bosses became fevered and stopped coming in or responding to messages. So she jumps into an endlessly circling cab, pushes the staring driver out, and motors far away from New York until she runs out of gas.

She joins this tiny group of what appears to be the only unfevered people in the world. The small group "stalks" houses and stores, taking for themselves canned food, generators, toys ... anything they might need in this new world. They are led by Bob who is taking them to the "Facility," a mysterious building where they will settle somewhere outside of Chicago. But with no GPS or maps, dodging abandoned cars along every road, the trip is slow. And along the way, personalities, goals, and frustrations begin to emerge, not all of them pretty to see.

But author Ling Ma brings us much more than merely a post-apocalyptic journey. She weaves in alternate chapters detailing Candace's former life in New York, her ambitions, and her lucrative contract with the publishing company that kept her in the City long after the flu hit. The decisions Candace faces her pre-flu life, as well as when the flu rises up ("The End"), and then during her post-flu life ("The Beginning"), are fascinating accounts of conflicting interactions with family, lovers, strangers, and environmental challenges thrust upon her.

And boy, can Ling Ma paint mysterious, compelling pictures with her writing style:

When she peeks into the bedroom, [her father] is in his usual stance: his back to the door, kneeling in front of the nightstand, clutching the beige phone receiver in one hand as he speaks to someone he declines, has declined over and over again, to identify, this person for whom his voice unfurls slow, drowsy murmurings, like a comb through wet hair.

I was riveted throughout this book, unable to anticipate what would happen from one page to the next. A very clever, challenging, plot full of unpredictable characters and situations. Highly recommended.

The End begins before you are ever aware of it.

Happy reading. 

Fred

Other book recommendations
About The First Sentence Reader blog

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Stephenson, Neal. Seveneves  

When the Moon explodes, it is quickly calculated by scientists how many months Earth (and humans) have before debris destroys everything. Plans are made for a survivalist space ship and representatives from the human race along with supplies necessary to preserve the culture. This brilliant sci-fi story of these people and the future of Earth is grippingly told is a very believable, unexpected manner. (previously reviewed here)

Ready Player One

Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. New York: Crown. 2011. Print.

First Sentences:

Everyone my age remembers where they were and what they were doing when they first heard about the contest.

Description:

When you are a hungry reader like me, you look for interesting books from a wide variety of sources. Recently, my 11 and 13-year-old nephews recommended Ernest Cline's Ready Player One, as one of their favorites. I'd never heard of it, but plunged in and was captivated enough to binge read it in a couple of days.

It is an especially interesting book for those of us who lived in the 1980s and played coin-operated video games in arcades, watched TV sitcoms like Family Ties, and lapped up movies like War Games. In Ready Player One, knowing details about these social icons is key to understanding and solving the ultimate game that forms the basis of the plot. And playing is definitely worth your while as the final prize is over $250 billion dollars.

The game and the prize fortune are hidden within the online simulation world of OASIS. And what is OASIS, you ask?

[The Oasis was] a malleable online universe that anyone could access via the Internet, using their existing home computer or videogame console. You could log in and instantly escape the drudgery of your day-to-day life. You could create an entirely new persona for yourself, with complete control over how you looked and sounded to others....You could become whomever and whatever you wanted to be, without ever revealing your true identity because your anonymity was guaranteed.

James Halliday, the creator of OASIS, had just died. Having no living heirs, he decided to create a game within OASIS with his massive fortune as the winner's prize. A video message was posted after his death introducing the game, its prize, and an opening riddle about three keys to open three gates to find the fortune. 

But after five years, no one in the entire world had discovered even the first key (and definitely everyone was looking) . Then one name appeared on the online scoreboard signifying the first key had been found -- by Parzival, alias teenage Wade, the narrator of the story. 

We follow him as he struggles with the puzzle riddles and exploring the worlds of OASIS and Halliday's life. Because the game's creator was a lover of everything from the 1980s, Parzival/Wade has to master television dialogue and film trivia as well as game-playing skills of ancient video consoles to have any hope of finding the treasure.

Almost immediately, Parzival sees on the scoreboard that four other avatars also have found the first key and are competing against him to solve the next riddles and get to the billion dollar prize first. But also in the running are representatives from the gigantic IOI corporation who wants to control the OASIS worlds and make it into a for-profit operation. The race to the prize is on.

I'm a non-gamer and have only played a few ancient games in arcades in the '80s. But this book dusted off plenty of memories for me (including the phrase "Ready Player One" which appeared before the start of a video game) and introduced me to a boatload of potential technology likely to be commonplace in the future. 

It's a fantastic, page-turning affair of avatars, robots, games, combat, human interactions and mental struggles that I dare you to put down once you are in Parzival/Wade's mind, trying to answer to coded questions and perform the complex tasks required.

(Soon to be a movie in 2018. Can't wait.)

Happy reading. 

Fred

(See more recommended books)
________________________________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game

In the future, children are recruited to be trained as military commanders to thwart the expected attack of powerful aliens. One young student, Ender, must learn the battle strategies as well as leadership skills to survive the complex training and mock skirmishes during his training.

The Last Town on Earth

Mullen, Thomas. The Last Town on Earth. New York: Random House. 2006. Print.

First Sentences:

The sun poked out briefly, evidence of a universe above them, of watchful things -- planets and stars and vast galaxies of infinite knowledge -- and just as suddenly it retreated behind the clouds

Description:

While the deadly 1918 Spanish Influenza swept the world, in some places entire towns tried to isolate themselves from outsiders to protect themselves from infection. Thomas Mullen, author of the novel The Last Town on Earth, imagines one such barricaded city and what it would it be like to live during these frightening times. 

Mullen's fictionalized town, Commonwealth, is a remote mill town in Washington. Its residents put up barriers on the only road into their town and then armed ordinary citizens to act as guards to turn away any person who wanders too near their borders. But when a starving World War I soldier is shot climbing over the barrier, the town must face the implications of their decisions.

And the fear, isolation, and accusations don't stop with that incident. Commonwealth society begins to crumble under the suspicions of each other and their fear of the influenza. Several Commonwealth citizens are locked up to ensure the health of the majority. But slowly some begin to wonder whether such measures are actually effective and at what cost they have to their town, neighbors, and personal code?

Mullen presents this tale of a seemingly good idea, created and carried out by ordinary, moral people, that spirals to consequences no one imagined, forcing decisions that will haunt everyone involved. An imaginative yet chillingly realistic tale that grips you immediately and hold on to the final pages.

Happy reading. 


Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Saramago, Jose. Blindness

Inexplicably, almost an entire town suddenly goes blind. The survival of ordinary people struggling to live without sight and the social interaction between the still sighted people and the blind is chilling. 

Seveneves

Stephenson, Neal. Seveneves. New York: HarperCollins. 2015. Print.

First Sentences:

The moon blew up without warning and for no apparent reason.

Description:

OK, now that's a gripping first sentence! Is it a joke, a real situation, or just a fantasy in someone's mind? In Neal Stephenson's science fiction novel Seveneves, the moon actually is inexplicably destroyed, leaving only a few large chunks and a scattering of small rocks where our friendly satellite used to be. Then Stephenson sets out to portray a credible scenario of what would happen to Earth and its people without a moon. Who can stop reading after such an opening few pages?

Then Stephenson inserts a kicker. When the world's scientists crunch numbers and patterns, they discover that the orbiting debris of rock from the destroyed moon will start to collide repeatedly with other pieces until Earth's blue sky is made white by the clouds of large and small rock particles. On a mathematically predicted date, these rocks will fall to Earth in a Hard Rain, bringing fire and destruction to the entire planet and people. Earth has two years to prepare for the end of all life.

Stephenson definitely takes this destruction of the moon and the consequences seriously. He follows the thinking and actions of scientists and astronauts on the International Space Station who explore every conceivable aspect of this deadly scenario carefully. The world arrives at the only logical, acceptable conclusion: an international effort must be made to create a spaceship Cloud Ark (small, hastily constructed pods) to preserve physical and DNA representatives of the world's diverse populations. 

How is such spacecraft to be designed? How are the 2,000+ survivors to be chosen? Can it survive the Hard Rain of destruction and the five thousand years before the Earth is habitable again? And can people on board the Cloud Ark actually get along to survive as the last representatives of Earth?

This is an 860-page sci-fi novel, definitely not a frothy light-weight fantasy. Each page is packed with interesting characters and scientific theory that sounds so plausible (to me, at least) that I felt myself deeply entrenched in the uncertainty, logic, and planning of a what seems a real life situation. Predictions, orbits, machinery, robots, living environment, construction in space, conflicting personalities - a hundred problems are faced and addressed, many successfully, some complete failures. 

Stephenson definitely is a writer's writer, with compelling data for every scenario that could possibly occur should our Moon actually blow up. But who cannot be surprised when, as you are deeply absorbed in the characters and plot, you turn the page to reveal the next section titled, "Five Thousand Years Later"? Huh? What happened to those people you had grown to love and the challenges they were facing? 

Major characters die unexpectedly as time marches on and the world's surviving population falls off to numbers in the single digits. Seveneves is chock full of shocking twists, scientific solutions, and ever-increasing challenges facing people asked to hold on and create a new civilization 5,000 years in the future.

A fantastic, detail, plausible, and thoroughly engrossing book.

Happy reading. 

Fred

www.firstsentencereader.blogspot.com

____________________

If this book interests you, be sure to check out:

Weir, Andy. The Martian

A member of the Mars first astronauts is accidently left behind by his crew. Now he must try to contact the rescue ship and survive for six months by his wits and the few supplies left in their station. Fantastic MacGyver-like hero and seat-of-his-pants solutions to problems. (previously reviewed here)