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The Underground
Imagine a world where women rule and men must cater to their every whim… or else.The story is set in the backdrop of the futuristic dystopian America run by an iron-fisted Queen. Under the guise of ending sexual assaults against women, she requires unmarried twenty-six-year old men to be castrated. To further diminish men’s rights, women are the only ones who can legally propose marriage.When the Queen’s rebellious daughter, Shayla, falls for a commoner, the Queen refuses to condone the marriage. Shayla’s lover, Nathaniel, is left with unsavory options. Everything changes once he is kidnapped into The Underground, a secret renegade organization on a mission to overthrow the extremist regime. They train Nathaniel to infiltrate high society. Once released, he is commanded to commit a violent act that could restore equality for men; an act that would kill any chances for a life with Shayla. Will he save his gender from another generation of abuse or follow his heart? This is a story of strength, determination, oppression and passionate love.
246 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2012
5 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Ilana Katz Katz
1 bookAuthor, musician, and painter Ilana Katz Katz casts a wide net of creative endeavors. Her debut novel “The Underground” is now available.
Ilana’s writing spans an array of arenas and her awards in fiction, journalism, and technical communications are a testament to her talent.
In addition to being a writer, she is also an avid fiddler. While old-time southern music and blues are her mainstay, Ilana is also known to rock out with her band, One Wrong Turn. Her true love of performing takes her to Boston’s subways where you can often find her entertaining passersby.
Ilana is also a watercolor artist. In addition, she loves to run and has completed three marathons. She lives in Boston, MA and Newport, RI with her husband Warren and adorably lazy felines Boris and Squeaky.
Ilana’s writing spans an array of arenas and her awards in fiction, journalism, and technical communications are a testament to her talent.
In addition to being a writer, she is also an avid fiddler. While old-time southern music and blues are her mainstay, Ilana is also known to rock out with her band, One Wrong Turn. Her true love of performing takes her to Boston’s subways where you can often find her entertaining passersby.
Ilana is also a watercolor artist. In addition, she loves to run and has completed three marathons. She lives in Boston, MA and Newport, RI with her husband Warren and adorably lazy felines Boris and Squeaky.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 12, 2012
Originally posted at Paperback Wonderland.
First of all, this book really needs a better editor. The main character's name changes from Nathaniel to Nathanial several times, there is misuse of pronouns, tense shifts, etc.
But on to the plot.
In this dystopian world men need to get married by age 26 to avoid being castrated (this happens to prevent sexual assault). Setting aside how over the top this is, I must have missed that study on how rapists wait until they're 26 to sexually abuse someone.
If the author had correlated it with female sexual mutilation and given the same reasons, I would have been inclined to take this, I'm not going to say seriously, but without scoffing as I did.
Women actually taunt the main character about his impending castration:
"The synchronicity deteriorated into comments thrown at him like rocks. “Tick Tock, one year closer to the C Center…” “…You dodged a bullet. Well not quite yet, but soon, assuming she really does marry you, Nathaniel.”
One thing that was wrong right from the beginning: Fat shaming.
Okay, we get it, he doesn't like Janice, the lady he's supposed to marry. Not even going to approach the fact that he is also using her (he feels nothing but disgust for her) and he is not, as in most cases with real women in the real world, being forced into the marriage by his family. The lady seems pretty unpleasant going by her personality alone (not making excuses, but most of it is down to her being an insecure alcoholic). Is there really a need to go on and on about her weight?
"Beautiful was the last word he thought of when looking at Janice. Not just because her doughy body was tightly packed into a sausage skin of a dress."
"He scooped her up, which was no easy feat. Just as Nathaniel strained to lift her"
"Janice gobbled two at a time"
And to be fair to the book, the fat shaming goes both ways:
"He looked decent enough – not overweight, but still he clearly didn’t get picked for marriage."
...which is still a bad thing, but... you know.
Janice's uncle Chester gives Nathaniel a forbidden book "Reminder of Truth" by Anonymous, which "According to legend, it described a time long ago when there was equality between the sexes. It was impossible to imagine."
You're right, it is! At this point I'm actually starting to think this was really written by some men's rights activist who happens to also belong to Anonymous and this is a clever tip. I'll keep my eyes open for mentions of "over 9000" anything in the rest of the book.
Speaking of men's rights activists, you guys, hold on to your fedoras and think of the most shameful thing a man could become.
"He was ashamed that he had turned into the exact kind of pussy-whipped guy that he and Brigg used to make fun of when they were teens."
Nathaniel works for the Queen's daughter, and we already know she will become his romantic interest. What we didn't know is that the Queen had a chance to banish castration and promote equality but, once her husband died, "the laws were cemented, along with the Queen’s bitterness". Oh, dames! Ruling with their feelings! If only this broad had a man at her side to help her do things right! Alas...
But how did this change come about? Let's ask Anonymous:
"Our country had a male president. He died and the vice president, a woman named Madeleine Smith took over. She demanded to be addressed as “The Queen.”
LOL can you imagine if this happened? No, seriously. Suspension of disbelief? What is that?
But here's how she convinced everyone:
"She released full reports with fabricated or exaggerated statistics about the prevalence of sexual assaults by unmarried men aged 26 to 35.
She went on the Webavision to tell her story. She had been gang raped as a teenager and her mission as Queen would be to abolish sexual assaults."
I don't know what world this is supposed to be, but in our world you don't need to exaggerate statistics about sexual assault, facts are horrifying on their own. But, according to this very same book, that time was the time where there was equality between the sexes. You know, the kind of equality where women are gang raped.
Nathaniel realises his great mission is to restore the world to this idyllic time.
Look, the misandry portrayed in the book is horrible. No one in their right mind advocates that sort of thing. But I mean, this is fiction... couldn't you at least make up some historical time where gender equality truly existed so a return to it could be the main characters' goal?
Then there are other "jewels" strewn across the book's pages:
"Her look was entirely feminine, but her energy was tough."
Heaven knowns women can only be tough when they button up their flannel shirt up to their chin, but Shayla (the Queen's daughter) manages to be tough while wearing a "rose chiffon blouse beneath the blue wool suit that hugged her like a second skin". What a woman!
and
"Women get bitchy when they don’t have a sexual release" - this from a female member of the Underground resistance, supposedly someone fighting for gender equality.
The relationship between Nathaniel and Shayla is awkward. One moment they're discussing books, the next they're naked. The thing is, she's his boss. Not only his boss, she's the daughter of the most powerful woman in the country. He's into it, sure, but if he weren't there aren't any laws on sexual harassment in the work place... it feels weird. They have sex several times, interspersed with reminders that he is cheating and his wedding is only one month away. He even mentions that while he doesn't like Janice she doesn't deserve to be cheated on. But that doesn't stop him, of course.
But before we can ponder on how complicated relationships can be -- look! more fat shaming!
"the ripples of cellulite that surrounded her belly button turned him off completely as he couldn’t help but compare it to the negligee and beautifully smooth body of his true love"
Then the main character has to go through some sex training with a woman who looks like a super model (what a nightmare, am I right?). Sadly for him, he has to prove how adept he is at pretending to enjoy pleasing a woman by having sex with a lady old enough to be his grandmother, which allows the readers to enjoy some good old fashioned ageism, as well.
You can tell what the author is trying to do, and yes, I suppose it is well-intentioned if flawed and riddled with other problematic issues. I'm not going to get into how there is no need to be turning the tables like this to draw attention to these issues, and how they'd be better served if one were to take them head on - because in literature there is a space for everything and we should all be thankful for that. But really, drawing attention to these issues by flipping things around requires more skill than was shown here.
First of all, this book really needs a better editor. The main character's name changes from Nathaniel to Nathanial several times, there is misuse of pronouns, tense shifts, etc.
But on to the plot.
In this dystopian world men need to get married by age 26 to avoid being castrated (this happens to prevent sexual assault). Setting aside how over the top this is, I must have missed that study on how rapists wait until they're 26 to sexually abuse someone.
If the author had correlated it with female sexual mutilation and given the same reasons, I would have been inclined to take this, I'm not going to say seriously, but without scoffing as I did.
Women actually taunt the main character about his impending castration:
"The synchronicity deteriorated into comments thrown at him like rocks. “Tick Tock, one year closer to the C Center…” “…You dodged a bullet. Well not quite yet, but soon, assuming she really does marry you, Nathaniel.”
One thing that was wrong right from the beginning: Fat shaming.
Okay, we get it, he doesn't like Janice, the lady he's supposed to marry. Not even going to approach the fact that he is also using her (he feels nothing but disgust for her) and he is not, as in most cases with real women in the real world, being forced into the marriage by his family. The lady seems pretty unpleasant going by her personality alone (not making excuses, but most of it is down to her being an insecure alcoholic). Is there really a need to go on and on about her weight?
"Beautiful was the last word he thought of when looking at Janice. Not just because her doughy body was tightly packed into a sausage skin of a dress."
"He scooped her up, which was no easy feat. Just as Nathaniel strained to lift her"
"Janice gobbled two at a time"
And to be fair to the book, the fat shaming goes both ways:
"He looked decent enough – not overweight, but still he clearly didn’t get picked for marriage."
...which is still a bad thing, but... you know.
Janice's uncle Chester gives Nathaniel a forbidden book "Reminder of Truth" by Anonymous, which "According to legend, it described a time long ago when there was equality between the sexes. It was impossible to imagine."
You're right, it is! At this point I'm actually starting to think this was really written by some men's rights activist who happens to also belong to Anonymous and this is a clever tip. I'll keep my eyes open for mentions of "over 9000" anything in the rest of the book.
Speaking of men's rights activists, you guys, hold on to your fedoras and think of the most shameful thing a man could become.
"He was ashamed that he had turned into the exact kind of pussy-whipped guy that he and Brigg used to make fun of when they were teens."
Nathaniel works for the Queen's daughter, and we already know she will become his romantic interest. What we didn't know is that the Queen had a chance to banish castration and promote equality but, once her husband died, "the laws were cemented, along with the Queen’s bitterness". Oh, dames! Ruling with their feelings! If only this broad had a man at her side to help her do things right! Alas...
But how did this change come about? Let's ask Anonymous:
"Our country had a male president. He died and the vice president, a woman named Madeleine Smith took over. She demanded to be addressed as “The Queen.”
LOL can you imagine if this happened? No, seriously. Suspension of disbelief? What is that?
But here's how she convinced everyone:
"She released full reports with fabricated or exaggerated statistics about the prevalence of sexual assaults by unmarried men aged 26 to 35.
She went on the Webavision to tell her story. She had been gang raped as a teenager and her mission as Queen would be to abolish sexual assaults."
I don't know what world this is supposed to be, but in our world you don't need to exaggerate statistics about sexual assault, facts are horrifying on their own. But, according to this very same book, that time was the time where there was equality between the sexes. You know, the kind of equality where women are gang raped.
Nathaniel realises his great mission is to restore the world to this idyllic time.
Look, the misandry portrayed in the book is horrible. No one in their right mind advocates that sort of thing. But I mean, this is fiction... couldn't you at least make up some historical time where gender equality truly existed so a return to it could be the main characters' goal?
Then there are other "jewels" strewn across the book's pages:
"Her look was entirely feminine, but her energy was tough."
Heaven knowns women can only be tough when they button up their flannel shirt up to their chin, but Shayla (the Queen's daughter) manages to be tough while wearing a "rose chiffon blouse beneath the blue wool suit that hugged her like a second skin". What a woman!
and
"Women get bitchy when they don’t have a sexual release" - this from a female member of the Underground resistance, supposedly someone fighting for gender equality.
The relationship between Nathaniel and Shayla is awkward. One moment they're discussing books, the next they're naked. The thing is, she's his boss. Not only his boss, she's the daughter of the most powerful woman in the country. He's into it, sure, but if he weren't there aren't any laws on sexual harassment in the work place... it feels weird. They have sex several times, interspersed with reminders that he is cheating and his wedding is only one month away. He even mentions that while he doesn't like Janice she doesn't deserve to be cheated on. But that doesn't stop him, of course.
But before we can ponder on how complicated relationships can be -- look! more fat shaming!
"the ripples of cellulite that surrounded her belly button turned him off completely as he couldn’t help but compare it to the negligee and beautifully smooth body of his true love"
Then the main character has to go through some sex training with a woman who looks like a super model (what a nightmare, am I right?). Sadly for him, he has to prove how adept he is at pretending to enjoy pleasing a woman by having sex with a lady old enough to be his grandmother, which allows the readers to enjoy some good old fashioned ageism, as well.
You can tell what the author is trying to do, and yes, I suppose it is well-intentioned if flawed and riddled with other problematic issues. I'm not going to get into how there is no need to be turning the tables like this to draw attention to these issues, and how they'd be better served if one were to take them head on - because in literature there is a space for everything and we should all be thankful for that. But really, drawing attention to these issues by flipping things around requires more skill than was shown here.
August 29, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It was such a nice change from other romance novels. So many of them are cut of the same cloth -- girl meets boy and it's love at first sight etc. and there isn't anyone else. Here, Katz takes a different turn with women being in charge. Her attention to detail and the characters themselves is great. She makes us love some characters and we cheer them on, while others we feel otherwise. It takes a good and serious writer to make us feel these different emotions. I also like the location settings -- real places and not fake made up towns. You feel like you are there! She tackles a complicated distopian society and makes us face real issues, while providing a great read. I look forward to more from this talented writer!
August 12, 2014
Ilana Katz Katz haswoven an original and interesting story. Definitely not one a reader will easily put down!
Read full review in the 2012 July/August issue of InD’tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2012 July/August issue of InD’tale Magazine.
October 6, 2018
Reverse of The Handmaid's Tale - the women are in charge and the men are oppressed. An interesting idea but poorly written.
May 1, 2020
This is an OK book. The story is good. I like the way the author set up the world. Characterization is weak; we know the names and their roles, but there is very little about who the characters are. There is too much sex, which is weird for me to say. Some is necessary to set the story, but the author goes overboard. This book needs more "fade to black."
November 28, 2012
When I first started to read “The Underground,” I was a tad turned off by the premise; I thought this book was headed in a direction that would appeal to man-haters. But soon enough I came to understand the irony of this world where men were being systematically castrated in an attempt to end the sexual abuse of women. Flipping the topic of gender inequality on its head gave the story a fresh feel, and the complicated generation gap between the Queen and her more highly evolved daughter kept me guessing until the end. I was definitely surprised when Princess Shayla makes the ultimate sacrifice to save a nation and bring her love, and her ethics, to light.
I am not familiar with the romance genre and always assumed it would include a bunch of cheesy sex scenes. Some of the sex scenes were a tad raunchy, but it was right in line with the story and made the lead (male) character’s discomfort believable. By the time he went underground, I was cheering for him, both on the love front and the radical front, and was definitely satisfied with the way the author made each of those desires important.
I would recommend this book as both a quick read, and as an instrument for a thought provoking and timely message. Considering the current affairs happening in our government right now, with the most female leaders in history, I’d say “The Underground,” is both entertaining and apropos.
I am not familiar with the romance genre and always assumed it would include a bunch of cheesy sex scenes. Some of the sex scenes were a tad raunchy, but it was right in line with the story and made the lead (male) character’s discomfort believable. By the time he went underground, I was cheering for him, both on the love front and the radical front, and was definitely satisfied with the way the author made each of those desires important.
I would recommend this book as both a quick read, and as an instrument for a thought provoking and timely message. Considering the current affairs happening in our government right now, with the most female leaders in history, I’d say “The Underground,” is both entertaining and apropos.
June 14, 2012
Interesting premise. Mostly well written, improved as it went on.
Want to read
October 7, 2012Kindle free download 10/7/12.
July 23, 2013
Interesting premise, terrible execution. The story felt hollow and the characters were emotionally vacant. And the editing... *shudder*
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews