Utopia

by Lincoln Child

Doubleday, December, 2002.
Hardcover, 400 pages.
ISBN: 0385506686

Utopia by Lincoln Child

Dr. Andrew Warner, a brilliant computer engineer, is requested to return to the theme park he helped design for some troubleshooting. Warner designed the Metanet, an intricate self-learning computer system that controls all the robots in Utopia, an amazing hologram-based theme park that attracts over 65,000 people per day. The park has stunning displays, thrilling rides and themed worlds like Camelot, Boardwalk and Gaslight, whose holographic-realism put Disneyland to shame. Warner has brought along his teenage daughter, Georgia, who has been eager to see the park. Unfortunately, this day will be no walk in the park for Warner and his daughter. Warner has been mislead about the extent of the computer problems and terrorists have decided to pick his day of visiting the park as a time to launch an attack. Warner has to figure out what is going wrong in Utopia and stop it before it can harm thousands of innocent park visitors, including his own daughter.

Lincoln Child, who frequently writes entertaining thrillers like Relic, The Ice Limit and The Cabinet of Curiosities with coauthor Douglas Preston, has completed a successful solo mission with Utopia. Utopia is a fascinating and unique thriller with an absolutely remarkable setting in a futuristic theme park. Child has planned the theme park, Utopia, so well that it appears to be a very reasonable view of what a future theme park might be like. The park creates elaborate settings and rides, using holograms and advanced technological wizardry to amaze and stun its audience. Child's Utopia does not just have an appealing backdrop -- the characters are also interesting and entertaining and the threat of terrorism on the park conveys urgency and genuine danger. Utopia is a great read for both thriller and science fiction lovers alike.

Utopia is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the February, 2003 of The Internet Writing Journal.