Genre: Science
Fiction/Satire
Description:
“Set in a Utopian society in 2042, intelligent machines seem set to
take over the planet.
The interruptions to the normal, smooth running of an untroubled world
have already begun in the form of 'the glitching'.
Everybody sees the problems, but due to the numbing effects of a
secret government mechanism, nobody is bothered enough to react when mankind's
defenses are probed in readiness for humanity's last stand.
Only Cyril Greaves, the disgruntled proprietor of the English Pub
League website, along with his eccentric band of friends seem ready and willing
to step into the breach to fight the forces of mayhem and anarchy, and save the
world.
With only an under-developed, prototype robot, a group of Sunday
league soccer players, an extremely annoying teenage genius, Neville the
lonesome strider, and a handful of psychopaths to help him, Cyril must defeat
the mighty corporations and the all-seeing quantum super-computer menace before
it's too late.
Or, maybe it's not as simple as that . . .”
Author:
Paul Gallimore is a novelist with two books published, a painter, and
an entrepreneur with a web design business.
Appraisal:
Have you ever read a book that you’re not sure what to make of it?
Something that fits some patterns you’ve seen before, but then again, isn’t
quite like any other book? That’s a reasonable description of my thoughts about
The Apathy Engine and I’m struggling
to figure out how to describe it.
Did I like it? Yeah, I guess. Kind of.
Was it funny, thought provoking, and have interesting characters? Sure.
There is definitely some humor or satire here. The society at the time
it takes place is utopian, but in some ways the book feels dystopian. (Maybe
perfect isn’t so great after all.)
It’s certainly an adventure.
Then there is that little twist at the end. What the heck should I
make of that? I wonder if you’ll interpret it the same way I did?
FYI:
Some adult language.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues
Rating:
**** Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 65-70,000 words
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