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Safe in the City
Inspired by great sci-fi such as Orwell's 1984 this exciting romantic adventure is the perfect quick read for your Kindle or book club.
Safe in the City is a 10,000 word dystopian short story, following Ruby as she struggles to free her mind in Dome City, where boredom is a crime, and love and sex are banned.
Safe from the post-apocalyptic world outside, life inside Dome City revolves around celebrity hysteria, televised public outpourings, and quick-fix pleasure. Everything is on film - life is like a video game and movie combined. But after Ruby accidentally stops taking her night-time sleep drugs, she’s plagued by a background buzz of dissatisfaction, and she realises that life holds much more than the lies spewed out by the governing Alliance.
When handsome heart-throb Harry Heaven comes knocking on her door in the dead of night, Ruby finds a secret world outside the Dome, as well as a treasure trove of truths inside of herself. With Harry at her side, Ruby discovers love, life’s purpose, and how to keep a peaceful mind – gifts which are free to us all.
Safe in the City draws upon dystopian themes of how to be happy, combining them with the author’s own experiences of Buddhist philosophy and meditation, resulting in a gripping plot, heartfelt characters, and hints of how we can all be free.
Safe in the City is a 10,000 word dystopian short story, following Ruby as she struggles to free her mind in Dome City, where boredom is a crime, and love and sex are banned.
Safe from the post-apocalyptic world outside, life inside Dome City revolves around celebrity hysteria, televised public outpourings, and quick-fix pleasure. Everything is on film - life is like a video game and movie combined. But after Ruby accidentally stops taking her night-time sleep drugs, she’s plagued by a background buzz of dissatisfaction, and she realises that life holds much more than the lies spewed out by the governing Alliance.
When handsome heart-throb Harry Heaven comes knocking on her door in the dead of night, Ruby finds a secret world outside the Dome, as well as a treasure trove of truths inside of herself. With Harry at her side, Ruby discovers love, life’s purpose, and how to keep a peaceful mind – gifts which are free to us all.
Safe in the City draws upon dystopian themes of how to be happy, combining them with the author’s own experiences of Buddhist philosophy and meditation, resulting in a gripping plot, heartfelt characters, and hints of how we can all be free.
34 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2013
35 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 22, 2013
I love science-fiction (& dystopian fiction too) & Julie Farrell's excellent short story will certainly appeal to anyone who likes 1984, Brave New World & also Logan's Run, all three of which have echoes here. It even has some parallels perhaps with the more recent film (& book) The Hunger Games.
Having said that, it's an entertaining & unusual short story which has wide-appeal to anyone who enjoys well-written & thoughtful fiction.
The opening scenes jolt the reader straight away - we're immediately horrified, & want to find out more about this nightmare future world.
Julie then paints a fascinating picture of what life must be like for the rather unfortunate inhabitants of the futuristic dome city, where her story is set. All the characters are very well-drawn & distinctive, & there are a couple of intriguing plot-twists too.
The story is packed with nods to exaggerations on our way of life in the west now, & perhaps where we may end up if we carry on down the slippery slope of our perfect 'consumer' society. We also see the horrifying results of where too much surveillance & 'reality' TV could take us!
I think Julie taps into all these issues very well in her story - it's sharp & well thought-out, & highlights how easily humans can be manipulated into thinking their minds are free, when clearly they are not...
The pace slows down a little by the final third - as with Logan's Run, we learn some of the truth behind the imperfect reality, & feel we're breathing fresh air at last - but at what price.
I like the way that thoughts, love & creativity are banned in her future world too - that's brilliant.
There's lots of finely-crafted wordplay, unusual metaphors & descriptive writing - Julie certainly has a distinctive writing style all of her own. There's also an important message at the end (which I won't describe here of course).
It's an intriguing, intelligent & entertaining story, & one that really grips the reader from start to finish. I'd thoroughly recommend it, & I certainly look forward to seeing more of Julie's work.
Having said that, it's an entertaining & unusual short story which has wide-appeal to anyone who enjoys well-written & thoughtful fiction.
The opening scenes jolt the reader straight away - we're immediately horrified, & want to find out more about this nightmare future world.
Julie then paints a fascinating picture of what life must be like for the rather unfortunate inhabitants of the futuristic dome city, where her story is set. All the characters are very well-drawn & distinctive, & there are a couple of intriguing plot-twists too.
The story is packed with nods to exaggerations on our way of life in the west now, & perhaps where we may end up if we carry on down the slippery slope of our perfect 'consumer' society. We also see the horrifying results of where too much surveillance & 'reality' TV could take us!
I think Julie taps into all these issues very well in her story - it's sharp & well thought-out, & highlights how easily humans can be manipulated into thinking their minds are free, when clearly they are not...
The pace slows down a little by the final third - as with Logan's Run, we learn some of the truth behind the imperfect reality, & feel we're breathing fresh air at last - but at what price.
I like the way that thoughts, love & creativity are banned in her future world too - that's brilliant.
There's lots of finely-crafted wordplay, unusual metaphors & descriptive writing - Julie certainly has a distinctive writing style all of her own. There's also an important message at the end (which I won't describe here of course).
It's an intriguing, intelligent & entertaining story, & one that really grips the reader from start to finish. I'd thoroughly recommend it, & I certainly look forward to seeing more of Julie's work.
Displaying 1 of 1 review