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Dystopia Boy: The Unauthorized Files
Fiction. Your TV is watching you. Your cell phone is listening to everything you say. There are no secrets, no quiet moments. There is no privacy. Behind the veil of work and life, Democracy, free enterprise, and the roar of restaurants, bars, and blockbuster movies there are the Watchers a secret branch of the US government with the sole task of spying on the American public through hidden cameras, tapped phones, the Internet, satellites, and even safe, sensible modern appliances. Then one day a young man named Joe Blake looks back through the monitor, locks eyes with an aging Watcher and says, "I know you're out there. I know you're listening." Systems at the Watcher compound go dark, malfunctions run rampant, and the agency begins a meticulous investigation into Joe's life. Through the surveillance record we watch as he grows into a troubled rock star witnessing the downward spiral of the American economy from the road. We watch his fight against a corrupt corporate takeover of a government formally by and for the people, and we see the end of our way of life in the small compromises that go overlooked or unnoticed. Joe declares war on the system, but can he complete his mission before the Watchers track him down through his own past? In a race against time, who wins, the people or the money?"
558 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 12, 2014
While we all still feel Big Brother watching, 1984 is a novel deeply rooted in 20th Century Europe. What is most frightening about Trevor Richardson's Dystopia Boy is its plausibility and its immediacy--his fiction feels too few steps down the road from our reality.
August 18, 2014
Joe is an abused kid locked up in a mental hospital. Joe is an acid-dropping rock star who fights the power Robin Hood-style. Joe is being watched through his TV, his cellphone, his appliances — just like everyone else. But Joe is the only one who can watch back.
Author Trevor Richardson has created a character in Joe Vagrant who is burdened with the designation of “Dystopia Boy” in a near-future America where a clandestine government group called the Watcher Security Agency effectively trumps the CIA. It can be chilling to read Richardson’s depiction of our country as he imagines it in the near future while following Joe’s transition from confused boy to reluctant hero.
Gasoline is $12 a gallon. Politicians are required to be “men of faith.” Corporations are granted personhood status. Overseas wars have bankrupted the country. The lower classes are reduced to living in tent cities, but the 1 percent still enjoy their riches and pay no taxes. It’s a dystopia that’s scarier than any fictional zombie apocalypse or robot uprising because you believe it could happen.
The Watcher Security Agency never is referred to by an acronym, but NSA comes to mind. Richardson’s fictional Watchers employ the same methods as our National Security Agency and the same kind of justifications: Anything is permissible, even spying on U.S. citizens, if it’s in the name of combating terrorism. But in “Dystopia Boy,” technology allows the Watchers to be turned into human computers, able to process terabytes of security camera footage and other intel in an instant using a Thought Chip.
Agent Emmett Anders is the Watcher with his eyes on Joe Vagrant. Dubbed “The Shrink” by his fellow agents, Anders is known for being able to use his Thought Chip not just to watch a subject but to understand him. But when Anders gets in Joe’s head, he learns that our “Dystopia Boy” hero has a unique and powerful advantage: Joe has an imaginary friend.
Richardson writes a tragic childhood for Joe but gives him a fairy godfather-like character in Mr. Smiles, whom only Joe can see. He teaches him how to watch the Watchers and guides him like Neo through the Matrix. The pop culture association seems apt as this book is rife with quotes and references to 1990s TV, movies and music: “Wayne’s World,” Weezer, “The X-Files” and probably a hundred more, including a hilarious moment lifted from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
It’s obvious Richardson is enamored of the pop culture of his youth, but this book is not just an homage to the author’s childhood. It could be compared to the popular sci-fi novel “Ready Player One” — with its barrage of 1980s references and the lead character advancing through childhood like a video game character progressing through levels and getting experience points — but “Dystopia Boy” achieves much more.
Joe is such a brilliantly developed character that the reader gets into his head just as effortlessly as Anders. Reading the agent’s Thought Chip record (the book is structured uniquely from Anders’ perspective) allows us to become the Watcher who sees Joe from the inside and roots for him almost immediately. He struggles through a love triangle with his childhood sweetheart and best friend. He gains strength from religion until the rug is pulled from under him. He deals with ambivalence about his imaginary friend following him out of childhood before realizing just how important Mr. Smiles is to him.
As Joe’s role in the people’s revolution against this dystopian society becomes more clear, Richardson proves his creative strength. Every character he draws feels like someone you might’ve known in real life. As he unpacks the mysteries and ambiguities, it’s one jaw-dropping moment after another. The latter chapters have a sense of urgency and gravity that makes it pleasantly painful when turning the last page to find the words “To be continued” (which appear in the same block text from the end of the film “Back to the Future”).
The world Richardson created for “Dystopia Boy” is so impressive that a second book should be just as fun to read. There’s much more room to explore what’s going on in the Watcher Security Agency, the connection between Joe and Anders, and the scary things the government is doing in the name of security. And we can count on Richardson for his fantastic skill at writing people.
Joe is a lunatic. Joe is a leader. Joe is a character I never want to stop reading.
Author Trevor Richardson has created a character in Joe Vagrant who is burdened with the designation of “Dystopia Boy” in a near-future America where a clandestine government group called the Watcher Security Agency effectively trumps the CIA. It can be chilling to read Richardson’s depiction of our country as he imagines it in the near future while following Joe’s transition from confused boy to reluctant hero.
Gasoline is $12 a gallon. Politicians are required to be “men of faith.” Corporations are granted personhood status. Overseas wars have bankrupted the country. The lower classes are reduced to living in tent cities, but the 1 percent still enjoy their riches and pay no taxes. It’s a dystopia that’s scarier than any fictional zombie apocalypse or robot uprising because you believe it could happen.
The Watcher Security Agency never is referred to by an acronym, but NSA comes to mind. Richardson’s fictional Watchers employ the same methods as our National Security Agency and the same kind of justifications: Anything is permissible, even spying on U.S. citizens, if it’s in the name of combating terrorism. But in “Dystopia Boy,” technology allows the Watchers to be turned into human computers, able to process terabytes of security camera footage and other intel in an instant using a Thought Chip.
Agent Emmett Anders is the Watcher with his eyes on Joe Vagrant. Dubbed “The Shrink” by his fellow agents, Anders is known for being able to use his Thought Chip not just to watch a subject but to understand him. But when Anders gets in Joe’s head, he learns that our “Dystopia Boy” hero has a unique and powerful advantage: Joe has an imaginary friend.
Richardson writes a tragic childhood for Joe but gives him a fairy godfather-like character in Mr. Smiles, whom only Joe can see. He teaches him how to watch the Watchers and guides him like Neo through the Matrix. The pop culture association seems apt as this book is rife with quotes and references to 1990s TV, movies and music: “Wayne’s World,” Weezer, “The X-Files” and probably a hundred more, including a hilarious moment lifted from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?”
It’s obvious Richardson is enamored of the pop culture of his youth, but this book is not just an homage to the author’s childhood. It could be compared to the popular sci-fi novel “Ready Player One” — with its barrage of 1980s references and the lead character advancing through childhood like a video game character progressing through levels and getting experience points — but “Dystopia Boy” achieves much more.
Joe is such a brilliantly developed character that the reader gets into his head just as effortlessly as Anders. Reading the agent’s Thought Chip record (the book is structured uniquely from Anders’ perspective) allows us to become the Watcher who sees Joe from the inside and roots for him almost immediately. He struggles through a love triangle with his childhood sweetheart and best friend. He gains strength from religion until the rug is pulled from under him. He deals with ambivalence about his imaginary friend following him out of childhood before realizing just how important Mr. Smiles is to him.
As Joe’s role in the people’s revolution against this dystopian society becomes more clear, Richardson proves his creative strength. Every character he draws feels like someone you might’ve known in real life. As he unpacks the mysteries and ambiguities, it’s one jaw-dropping moment after another. The latter chapters have a sense of urgency and gravity that makes it pleasantly painful when turning the last page to find the words “To be continued” (which appear in the same block text from the end of the film “Back to the Future”).
The world Richardson created for “Dystopia Boy” is so impressive that a second book should be just as fun to read. There’s much more room to explore what’s going on in the Watcher Security Agency, the connection between Joe and Anders, and the scary things the government is doing in the name of security. And we can count on Richardson for his fantastic skill at writing people.
Joe is a lunatic. Joe is a leader. Joe is a character I never want to stop reading.
November 2, 2019
In Dystopia Boy, the coming-of-age charm of Stand By Me meets the cyberpunk possibilities of The Matrix to create a near-future, rock ‘n’ roll-inspired ride through a neglected American heartland where marginalized characters must fight for survival, purpose, and community — or remain prisoners of the religious hypocrisy and broken consumerism turning their world to hell.
A United States slipping into a fascist corporate theocracy provides the background of Joe Vagrant, a one-time Bible banger and high school dropout who rises up from a childhood of abuse in Montana to become lead guitarist of indie wonder band The Johnny High-Fives. In the process, feats of drug-induced daring soon allow Joe to transcend not only music, but the darkest networks of the world wide web, which so much of his fabricated society is built upon.
The endearing relationship Joe forms with his boyhood crush, Audrey Lamb, along with his best buddy and musical sidekick, Billy Lee, fuels a story of love and loyalty that forces Joe to navigate the murky and uncertain terrain of his mind-blowing subconscious to liberate his friends — and himself — from a state-sponsored surveillance system run amok.
Luckily, with the additional help of aliens that abducted him as a youth, a grinning balloon named Mr. Smiles, and the Thought Chip implanted in his brain, Joe proves that his ‘metal head’ tendencies serve a dual purpose. Not only do the Watchers monitor his every thought and move — but in his case, at least — the ability seems to go both ways. Joe is able to watch the Watchers, providing a unique opportunity, and weapon, to fuck with the villainous tyrants of his day.
Trevor Richardson’s novel reads with the literary playfulness of Tom Robbins, the pop-culture insight of Ernest Cline, and the plain-spoken wackiness of Philip Dick. Dystopia Boy is a long trip down an ever-imaginable rabbit hole, but it is especially prescient for society’s skeptics whose thoughts and emotions while delving into a tale are as important as the action on the page.
A United States slipping into a fascist corporate theocracy provides the background of Joe Vagrant, a one-time Bible banger and high school dropout who rises up from a childhood of abuse in Montana to become lead guitarist of indie wonder band The Johnny High-Fives. In the process, feats of drug-induced daring soon allow Joe to transcend not only music, but the darkest networks of the world wide web, which so much of his fabricated society is built upon.
The endearing relationship Joe forms with his boyhood crush, Audrey Lamb, along with his best buddy and musical sidekick, Billy Lee, fuels a story of love and loyalty that forces Joe to navigate the murky and uncertain terrain of his mind-blowing subconscious to liberate his friends — and himself — from a state-sponsored surveillance system run amok.
Luckily, with the additional help of aliens that abducted him as a youth, a grinning balloon named Mr. Smiles, and the Thought Chip implanted in his brain, Joe proves that his ‘metal head’ tendencies serve a dual purpose. Not only do the Watchers monitor his every thought and move — but in his case, at least — the ability seems to go both ways. Joe is able to watch the Watchers, providing a unique opportunity, and weapon, to fuck with the villainous tyrants of his day.
Trevor Richardson’s novel reads with the literary playfulness of Tom Robbins, the pop-culture insight of Ernest Cline, and the plain-spoken wackiness of Philip Dick. Dystopia Boy is a long trip down an ever-imaginable rabbit hole, but it is especially prescient for society’s skeptics whose thoughts and emotions while delving into a tale are as important as the action on the page.
July 22, 2017
Disclaimer: I consider myself friends with the author, and I received a harcopy version of this novel through a book trade with him.
There's so much talent packed into this novel that I'm honestly not sure where to begin. It's a beast of a book that almost drags on too long, but at the end, you realize that it's all integral to the story. It also features a unique narration style that shouldn't really work, but drops the reader in seamlessly and never lets go.
This novel is the life story of a kid who grows as the United States is plunging further and further into religious and economic chaos. Though written in 2014, the only way it could be creepier to read now is if a genuine religious zealot had won the 2016 presidential election. Instead, in today's era of Trump, it's all too easy to see how progress could reverse course and our country could end up like Richardson's representation.
In the massive surveillance state that the country has become, the kid's story is not narrated by Joe himself, but by the Watcher assigned to research him. Instead, we see Joe's life through Anders' eyes and perspective. As the story progresses, these things become more and more entwined, until Anders is just as much a part of Joe's story and evolution.
The drug use started to feel a bit gratuitous, and I would have preferred that Joe stick with his original allies rather than them getting replaced so close to the end. The pop culture references should have felt overwhelming, but they always stayed just on the side of amusing rather than obnoxious.
Spoiler alert: There's a giant "To Be Continued" at the end of the book, though what occurs in the text does work as a cohesive story. It is the history of Joe Vagrant up to the current time and how the country came to this way. Even thought it left me wanting more, as a reader, I'm content with the story I did get as a whole.
There's so much talent packed into this novel that I'm honestly not sure where to begin. It's a beast of a book that almost drags on too long, but at the end, you realize that it's all integral to the story. It also features a unique narration style that shouldn't really work, but drops the reader in seamlessly and never lets go.
This novel is the life story of a kid who grows as the United States is plunging further and further into religious and economic chaos. Though written in 2014, the only way it could be creepier to read now is if a genuine religious zealot had won the 2016 presidential election. Instead, in today's era of Trump, it's all too easy to see how progress could reverse course and our country could end up like Richardson's representation.
In the massive surveillance state that the country has become, the kid's story is not narrated by Joe himself, but by the Watcher assigned to research him. Instead, we see Joe's life through Anders' eyes and perspective. As the story progresses, these things become more and more entwined, until Anders is just as much a part of Joe's story and evolution.
The drug use started to feel a bit gratuitous, and I would have preferred that Joe stick with his original allies rather than them getting replaced so close to the end. The pop culture references should have felt overwhelming, but they always stayed just on the side of amusing rather than obnoxious.
Spoiler alert: There's a giant "To Be Continued" at the end of the book, though what occurs in the text does work as a cohesive story. It is the history of Joe Vagrant up to the current time and how the country came to this way. Even thought it left me wanting more, as a reader, I'm content with the story I did get as a whole.
July 25, 2019
I’m not going to lie. The only reason I picked this book up is because it perfectly fitted a prompt on a reading challenge (read a book written by a journalist) I’m soooo glad I read this!
“Your TV is watching you. Your cell phone is listening to everything you say. There are no secrets, no quiet moments. There is no privacy”
Following joe, an abused young boy as he comes to terms with a “new America” and Anders a government watchman who takes the phrase big brother state to a whole new level! I’m not even sure how to even start reviewing this so I’ll just say it’s gooood! I usually steer away from books like this as I’m not politically minded at all (government rebellions and secret government departments galore within this story) but I thoroughly enjoyed this and I love the relationships within the story. 5⭐️
“Your TV is watching you. Your cell phone is listening to everything you say. There are no secrets, no quiet moments. There is no privacy”
Following joe, an abused young boy as he comes to terms with a “new America” and Anders a government watchman who takes the phrase big brother state to a whole new level! I’m not even sure how to even start reviewing this so I’ll just say it’s gooood! I usually steer away from books like this as I’m not politically minded at all (government rebellions and secret government departments galore within this story) but I thoroughly enjoyed this and I love the relationships within the story. 5⭐️
June 19, 2015
I received a free copy of this book, thanks Goodreads First Reads!
'Dystopia Boy' is one of those books that really make you think. The main character, Joe Blake, is a rock star who can hack the computer systems in a modern America. In this America, the economy is in trouble and its people are surviving by mostly living in tent cities and bartering for the things they need.
Technology is everywhere and Big Brother watches you constantly. Cameras in your TVs, your cell phone GPS, and other technology. I have to admit, it sounds so very plausible, I did give my TV a bit of a glare!
This book was an excellent read and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. It also made me think about how much could possibly be true and how much of our day-to-day lives are on display for the powers that be to keep track of. Kind of scary to think about.
The love story of Joe and his childhood friend Audrey is interesting to read, and is very sweet in a not 'sappy' way. They don't get to spend a lot of time together, but every time they meet, Joe usually has some kind of 'crud' on his face. And when they shut down the Watchers and rescue Lee, it makes for a great ending.
I always like futuristic books, and this one really hit the mark in an almost creepy way. I sure hope our future looks nothing like this, but it oh so easily could. I think this book is a great read and definitely worthwhile reading material to anyone interested in futuristic fiction. Highly recommended!
'Dystopia Boy' is one of those books that really make you think. The main character, Joe Blake, is a rock star who can hack the computer systems in a modern America. In this America, the economy is in trouble and its people are surviving by mostly living in tent cities and bartering for the things they need.
Technology is everywhere and Big Brother watches you constantly. Cameras in your TVs, your cell phone GPS, and other technology. I have to admit, it sounds so very plausible, I did give my TV a bit of a glare!
This book was an excellent read and kept me wondering what was going to happen next. It also made me think about how much could possibly be true and how much of our day-to-day lives are on display for the powers that be to keep track of. Kind of scary to think about.
The love story of Joe and his childhood friend Audrey is interesting to read, and is very sweet in a not 'sappy' way. They don't get to spend a lot of time together, but every time they meet, Joe usually has some kind of 'crud' on his face. And when they shut down the Watchers and rescue Lee, it makes for a great ending.
I always like futuristic books, and this one really hit the mark in an almost creepy way. I sure hope our future looks nothing like this, but it oh so easily could. I think this book is a great read and definitely worthwhile reading material to anyone interested in futuristic fiction. Highly recommended!
March 18, 2015
Trevor Richardson creates a realistic, complete view of where America may be headed. He not only addresses surveillance, but the impacts of fundamentalist religion and economic policies. Shaped by the hardships of his childhood, Joe manages to overcome incredible odds with his own brand of spirituality and teamwork with his most trusted friends.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews