A riveting and clever near-future thriller
This clever near-future thriller by Jon Richter puts an interesting spin on the Covid epidemic. The narrative is set in 2004 in a world ravaged by a rampaging virus that sees the residents of a huge residential tower block locked in behind bricked-up front doors. Our protagonist Eugene is an agoraphobic ex-detective who doesn’t mind being locked in until, that is, the gruesome butchered remains of the tower block’s building manager turn up in the block’s public elevator. At this point, Eugene’s detective instincts kick in and from this point on, the book becomes a fast paced thriller.
The theme of the book is timely as it revolves around technology and AI. But there are also shades of both 1984 and Big Brother, as well as our own recent politics here. I couldn’t help seeing in James the all-seeing Warden, the political puppet master and all-round control freak, Dominic Cummings.
This clever near-future thriller by Jon Richter puts an interesting spin on the Covid epidemic. The narrative is set in 2004 in a world ravaged by a rampaging virus that sees the residents of a huge residential tower block locked in behind bricked-up front doors. Our protagonist Eugene is an agoraphobic ex-detective who doesn’t mind being locked in until, that is, the gruesome butchered remains of the tower block’s building manager turn up in the block’s public elevator. At this point, Eugene’s detective instincts kick in and from this point on, the book becomes a fast paced thriller.
The theme of the book is timely as it revolves around technology and AI. But there are also shades of both 1984 and Big Brother, as well as our own recent politics here. I couldn’t help seeing in James the all-seeing Warden, the political puppet master and all-round control freak, Dominic Cummings.