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UTOPIA
by Lincoln Child
Doubleday, December 2002
400 pages
$24.95
ISBN: 0385506686


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

In the middle of the Nevada desert lies Utopia, one of the most ambitious amusement theme parks ever built in the United States. The brainchild of late entertainer and magician, Eric Nightingale, his vision integrates modern technology with a sense of authenticity in each constructed area of the park. Utopia is separated into four isolated parts creating a sense of fantasy and igniting the imagination. Historians and scientists love visiting some of the regions due to the attention of historical detail given to each. There is Gaslight, an accurate representation of 19th Century England; Camelot, where the legends of King Arthur are recreated (twice in the afternoon and an evening show); Boardwalks, which brings back memories of eating Nathan’s Hot Dogs on Coney Island; Callisto, the parks version of Disneyland’s Tomorrowland; and finally the site everyone is waiting for, Atlantis, which will open next year to a great amount of hoopla. Utopia is fun for everyone and Lincoln Child succeeds in creating this playful atmosphere. The adventure that follows is just as good.

For the last several weeks, some of the park attractions have been malfunctioning in dangerous ways. There was one bad accident and the park is trying to figure out what is happening. Dr. Andrew Warne is brought to the park ahead of schedule to try to get to the root of the problem. He, together with Eric Nightingale, created part of the vision that is Utopia and was responsible with the creation of some of the robots as well as the park’s operating system. He has no idea what is causing the malfunctions, but he will intend to find out. On that particular day, a group of terrorists, led by the enigmatic John Doe, are holding the park hostage. They have intimate knowledge of the park’s systems and are willing to create havoc in order to prove a point. The sixty thousand plus tourists and the park employees are oblivious to what is going on because they are out having fun. Mr.. Doe demonstrates one of his accidents to Sarah Boatwright, head of Park Operations, to see what he is capable of doing if they refuse to comply with his demands. If she contacts the police or tries to evacuate the park, she will have to deal with a high casualty list. Let the games begin.

Lincoln Child takes a brief hiatus from his partnership with Douglas Preston (RELIC, THE CABINET OF CURIOUSITIES) to write a pure fun escapist thrill ride in an intense story that takes place in less than eight hours. No detail is spared and the author’s careful research is reflected throughout the novel. The park logistics, special effects, and engineering aspects are cleverly shown and this was not just by playing SIM CITY games. Character development is rather minimal due to the story’s time constraints, but, nevertheless, they are well done. The love that Dr. Warne has for his teenage daughter, who accompanied him to the park, is touching after losing to tragedy the love of their lives, his wife and her mother, Charlotte. The villains are two-dimensional and reminiscent of Bruce Willis’s DIE HARD movies, but who cares, the action, intensity and suspense make up for it one hundred percent. UTOPIA is meant to be fun like you are part of the story. Of course, the park’s illustration in the inside covers of the book helps with the imagery of the story. It is a thrill ride. If you are tired of reading sad, depressive novels give Lincoln Child’s novel a read. If you are looking for the meaning of a perfect society, read Thomas More’s version of the same title. Which UTOPIA is more entertaining? Decisions, Decisions, Decisions.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, April 2003

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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