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reader44ever's review against another edition
4.0
After a rocky (for me) beginning, I came to really like this story. From that rocky beginning, it was a dystopian story unlike any I'd ever read before, but initially it was sort of like being a looky-loo at a car accident. I wasn't feeling invested in any of the characters.
All of that changed, however, once Tax Man 16 entered the story. Talk about a bad guy! Only, he thought he was on the side of right. But he took things too far and abused his power. The only good thing about Tax Man 16 was that he really piqued my interest in the story. Once he came on the scene, I all of a sudden felt very invested in the characters' lives. Sadly, luck was not with any of the characters.
Geminiwas killed by Anand and Cyan (not the Tax Man? *gasp!*) because he was deranged and dangerous after spending too much time in the Experience Machine. He thought he was in a make-believe world.
Cyan deserted Gemini, her husband, and had an affair with Anand that resulted in a pregnancy. (In Shangri pregnancies are greatly accelerated, so two weeks later the baby was born.) The baby, a girl they named Echo, was taken from Cyan and Anand during The Culling.
Anandlost his home - and all of his cooking equipment - after Gemini was dead because he and Cyan had to run for their lives.
Donyswas forced to work for Tax Man 16 and ended up getting severely beaten in the Ghetto. When he found Cyan and Anand, they used his Hedometer to send his mind back to where he thought he was a ten-year-old boy. When Tax Man 16 finally finds him again, he blows Donys's head off.
Tax Man 16found the farm where Cyan, Anand and Donys took refuge. Chokyong and Milton (the farm's owner) killed him and, in the end, Echo was saved and reunited with Cyan and Anand.
Happy ending? Not so much, I don't think. The book ends with Chokyong and Echoon the porch of the farmhouse nine years later. They heard jet engines, saw a nuclear flash, and... The End.
I may or may not have screeched in frustration at this ending. I suspect thatthe Ghetto was bombed and no one survived. But we weren't told what happened. ARGH!!!
So what should have been a happy ending probably wasn't one. :-(
But this was a very good story. I really liked it. :-)
It occurs to me that I should probably say something about the world this story is set in. Shangri iswhat used to be the United States. Due to MASSIVE overpopulation, homosexuality is mandatory for everyone except approved "breeders," who have a certain time limit during which to become pregnant. The approved breeders are given a pill (I think it was a pill) to aid fertility and accelerate their pregnancies. Babies are born only two weeks after conception.
In Shangri, happiness is compulsory. Everyone not in the Ghetto has a Hedometer on the back of their necks that measures their happiness. Too depressed? You could wind up in the Ghetto - if you're lucky - or be killed.
I hadn't ever read a dystopian story quite like this. But I'm very glad I picked up [b:Hedon|26087519|Hedon|Jason Werbeloff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439388481s/26087519.jpg|43965286] while it was free in the Kindle store. It was an interesting world, and a very good story. :-)
All of that changed, however, once Tax Man 16 entered the story. Talk about a bad guy! Only, he thought he was on the side of right. But he took things too far and abused his power. The only good thing about Tax Man 16 was that he really piqued my interest in the story. Once he came on the scene, I all of a sudden felt very invested in the characters' lives. Sadly, luck was not with any of the characters.
Gemini
Cyan
Anand
Donys
Tax Man 16
Happy ending? Not so much, I don't think. The book ends with Chokyong and Echo
I may or may not have screeched in frustration at this ending. I suspect that
So what should have been a happy ending probably wasn't one. :-(
But this was a very good story. I really liked it. :-)
It occurs to me that I should probably say something about the world this story is set in. Shangri is
In Shangri, happiness is compulsory. Everyone not in the Ghetto has a Hedometer on the back of their necks that measures their happiness. Too depressed? You could wind up in the Ghetto - if you're lucky - or be killed.
I hadn't ever read a dystopian story quite like this. But I'm very glad I picked up [b:Hedon|26087519|Hedon|Jason Werbeloff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1439388481s/26087519.jpg|43965286] while it was free in the Kindle store. It was an interesting world, and a very good story. :-)
horrorfemme15's review against another edition
1.0
Nah, even if it's character development of a shitty character I'm not about to waste my time on a book that says, "dykes aren't real women" on the second page of the book.
amia's review
5.0
If you have read any of Werbeloff's work you will understand what I mean by stating, "Yet another excellent reading adventure by Jason Werbeloff. If you have not allowed yourself the privilege, then please get any one of his fascinating stories and dive in. I highly recommend all of it.
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