America 2151. New York. Washington. Chicago. Los Angeles. All wiped out from nuclear blasts. The New United States of America is centered in Omaha, where the Leviathan Corporation provides a muted, controlled existence for its populace. Synthetic drugs keep them sane. The people are safe - for now - from the threats on the outside. Summoned to the president's office, unlikely hero Thomas Ignatius Stout receives an extraordinary mission: Hunt down and return, dead or alive, the vicious killer responsible for destroying the lives of millions and millions of Americans, Joe Ikowski, who remains a thorn in the government's side. Tom accepts his burden and leads an expedition past Omaha's protective barrier and into the great unknown. That's when Tom's journey really begins. Taking him from Kentucky to Arizona to Mexicali and the Rocky Mountains, Tom finds far more than he is searching for - and starts to learn the deeply complicated, disturbing truths of his own identity and a world in which he had only before scratched the surface. In this poignant page-turner, a novel that blends elements of science fiction, political thrillers, and an Orwellian-style future, rising novelist AM Wilson takes readers on a wild ride inside what could become the future of the United States, if we ruin ourselves from the inside. It's a novel that will make you think, no matter what you think of America. (Goodreads)
I practically devoured this book in one sitting, which has not happened recently due to the current state of my eyes. (I really need glasses...but keep putting it off.) Populace is a wonderfully written dystopian novel that borrows elements from many of the greats (ex. Brave New World, 1984) and successfully builds upon them to create a new, yet familiar world.
*I received a digital ARC of this book to review.
Rating: ★★★★★ 5/5
Book Information: Goodreads
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