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Biotopia
Ein packender Roman über eine Familie zwischen individueller Freiheit, zukunftsfähiger Gesellschaft und Profit. Ein eigenartiger Zufall, dass ausgerechnet Malu Jacobsen damit beauftragt wird, die Menschenrechtslage in Biotopia, der hochmodernen Vertikalfarm auf dem Tempelhofer Feld, zu untersuchen. Denn hier lebt ihre Tochter Golda, die sie seit 20 Jahren nicht mehr gesehen hat, den Traum von der gemeinwohlorientierten Agrarproduktion. Biotopia versorgt seit den 2020er Jahren ganz Berlin mit ökologisch produzierten Lebensmitteln, und doch ist sich Malu Die Farm ist nicht nur der hippe Gemeinschaftsgarten, wie es auf den ersten Blick und in den Instagram-Reels scheint. Schließlich halten sich seit Jahren hartnäckig Gerüchte, hier würden Geflüchtete und Staatenlose gegen ihren Willen als unbezahlte Arbeitskräfte festgehalten. Welche Rolle spielen dabei die Betreiberfirma Sulaco oder der Tech-Konzern Ping, dessen digitaler Assistent Watson mittlerweile allgegenwärtig ist? Als Malus Nachforschungen immer deutlicher ihre Tochter Golda belasten, wird ihr klar, dass ihre Mission in Biotopia womöglich nicht die der Aufklärung ist ... In einem spannungsgeladenen dystopischen Szenario denkt Sascha Reh Entwicklungen unserer Gegenwart und die Auswirkungen der technologischen Fremdsteuerung auf den einzelnen Menschen konsequent zu Ende.
423 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 17, 2024
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61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 2, 2025
Wow! Now that was a classic "page turner" indeed. I picked up this book based on a review in the weekly feuilleton that I review, and it held up really well against the positive review indeed.
I really loved the style of writing, as it tells you a rather gripping story about Berlin in the not so distant future and it does it in such a "normal", routine way, as if all these elements that are being described are just how things should be and routinely have evolved that way and are generally accepted by everyone. While you, as a reader, are constantly stunned by those revelations and wonder how it came to that - and also, if it could come to that - "state of affairs".
Not to spoil too much, but the whole concept of an ever-present "Watson" AI that manages and guides everyone's life, kind of an Amazon Alexa on steroids, is intriguing and spooky at the same time. Or the concept of demission consulting, where trained consultants discuss with you when the right time would be for you to "decommision" (i.e. "voluntarily die"), so that your resources can be put to good use for the family or community, when otherwise you have become pretty much useless due to older age.
These kinds of topics make you think a lot. At the same time, you pace quickly through a story of unravelling the secrets of the Biotopia community - itself something like a "Hello Fresh" service on steroids, with elements of good old slavery and mind control thrown in. Combined with a complex family story, which has some shock moments in store for you along the way, it inevitably drives towards a grand finale...
All in all, as you can probably tell, I loved this unique and creative storytelling and highly recommend giving this one a go.
I really loved the style of writing, as it tells you a rather gripping story about Berlin in the not so distant future and it does it in such a "normal", routine way, as if all these elements that are being described are just how things should be and routinely have evolved that way and are generally accepted by everyone. While you, as a reader, are constantly stunned by those revelations and wonder how it came to that - and also, if it could come to that - "state of affairs".
Not to spoil too much, but the whole concept of an ever-present "Watson" AI that manages and guides everyone's life, kind of an Amazon Alexa on steroids, is intriguing and spooky at the same time. Or the concept of demission consulting, where trained consultants discuss with you when the right time would be for you to "decommision" (i.e. "voluntarily die"), so that your resources can be put to good use for the family or community, when otherwise you have become pretty much useless due to older age.
These kinds of topics make you think a lot. At the same time, you pace quickly through a story of unravelling the secrets of the Biotopia community - itself something like a "Hello Fresh" service on steroids, with elements of good old slavery and mind control thrown in. Combined with a complex family story, which has some shock moments in store for you along the way, it inevitably drives towards a grand finale...
All in all, as you can probably tell, I loved this unique and creative storytelling and highly recommend giving this one a go.
Displaying 1 of 1 review