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Utopia PR
IndieReader Discovery Awards 2021 Winner for Humor
Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about seeking work-life balance while doing public relations for an authoritarian president.
PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as crisis communications manager for Our Leader, who, since taking power, has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.
The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader's savage steel hounds attacks the comms team at a press conference. He'd love to talk about his erratic job with his wife, Triple-N news anchor Maria Worthington, but they have a The broadcast journalist doesn't ask Blake for inside information about his work, and the spin doctor doesn't use their relationship as leverage on what Maria reports. They say you shouldn't keep things from each other in a marriage, but it's okay—the only secrets between Blake and Maria are professional.
When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and accuses Blake of distributing disinformation and propaganda to cover it up—the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.
"In a tale that’s reminiscent of political farces such as the HBO TV series Veep, Bender employs a smooth, amusing, and straightforward prose style that’s briskly paced," says Kirkus Reviews. "Its tone is irreverent, and readers looking for a quick chuckle will likely enjoy Bender’s winking comedy, which is punctuated with genuinely sweet, sincere moments."
"Sharp and witty, the novel Utopia PR is a free range political send-up set in a chaotic, perplexing, and familiar future world," says Foreword Reviews (Clarion).
Utopia PR is a sci-fi satire about seeking work-life balance while doing public relations for an authoritarian president.
PR extraordinaire Blake Hamner (the n is silent) put off his honeymoon for his big joining a major political campaign for president. Now, the "Hammer" struggles to make time for his marriage as crisis communications manager for Our Leader, who, since taking power, has become increasingly mad and totalitarian.
The Hammer starts to reconsider his career choices when one of Our Leader's savage steel hounds attacks the comms team at a press conference. He'd love to talk about his erratic job with his wife, Triple-N news anchor Maria Worthington, but they have a The broadcast journalist doesn't ask Blake for inside information about his work, and the spin doctor doesn't use their relationship as leverage on what Maria reports. They say you shouldn't keep things from each other in a marriage, but it's okay—the only secrets between Blake and Maria are professional.
When a revolutionary levels grave allegations against Our Leader—and accuses Blake of distributing disinformation and propaganda to cover it up—the PR rep who thought he could talk his way out of any crisis finds himself utterly trapped in a dystopian job.
"In a tale that’s reminiscent of political farces such as the HBO TV series Veep, Bender employs a smooth, amusing, and straightforward prose style that’s briskly paced," says Kirkus Reviews. "Its tone is irreverent, and readers looking for a quick chuckle will likely enjoy Bender’s winking comedy, which is punctuated with genuinely sweet, sincere moments."
"Sharp and witty, the novel Utopia PR is a free range political send-up set in a chaotic, perplexing, and familiar future world," says Foreword Reviews (Clarion).
Audible Audio
First published February 20, 2021
13 people are currently reading
3275 people want to read
About the author
Adam Bender
12 books132 followersAdam Bender is an award-winning journalist and author of speculative fiction that explores modern-day societal fears with a mix of action, romance and humor.
Bender's latest novel is Utopia PR, a speculative satire about a public-relations specialist who struggles to find work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian American president. It won the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Award for Humor.
Previously, Bender wrote The Wanderer and the New West, a near-future western about a rogue vigilante who seeks redemption in a lawless America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground. Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018, the novel also won gold for Dystopia in the 2018 Readers' Favorite Awards and best Western Fiction in the 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards.
Bender authored We, The Watched and Divided We Fall in a dystopian series about an amnesiac who struggles to conform in a surveillance society where the government keeps a Watched list of its own citizens. Also, Bender has published several short stories.
In his day job as a journalist, Bender covers telecom and internet regulation for Communications Daily. He has won awards for his reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Specialized Information Publishers Association, and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
Bender lives in Philadelphia with his wife Mallika and son Rishi. He's usually a rather modest and amiable fellow.
Learn more about the author at WatchAdam.blog. Follow him on Facebook (wethewatched) and @WatchAdam on Twitter and Instagram.
Bender's latest novel is Utopia PR, a speculative satire about a public-relations specialist who struggles to find work-life balance while managing crisis after crisis for a dystopian American president. It won the 2021 IndieReader Discovery Award for Humor.
Previously, Bender wrote The Wanderer and the New West, a near-future western about a rogue vigilante who seeks redemption in a lawless America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground. Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best Books of 2018, the novel also won gold for Dystopia in the 2018 Readers' Favorite Awards and best Western Fiction in the 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards.
Bender authored We, The Watched and Divided We Fall in a dystopian series about an amnesiac who struggles to conform in a surveillance society where the government keeps a Watched list of its own citizens. Also, Bender has published several short stories.
In his day job as a journalist, Bender covers telecom and internet regulation for Communications Daily. He has won awards for his reporting from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Specialized Information Publishers Association, and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.
Bender lives in Philadelphia with his wife Mallika and son Rishi. He's usually a rather modest and amiable fellow.
Learn more about the author at WatchAdam.blog. Follow him on Facebook (wethewatched) and @WatchAdam on Twitter and Instagram.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
May 14, 2022
REVIEW OF AUDIO ON NETGALLEY
This is a review of the audiobook, which I obtained on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audio will be published July 2022.
I also read along in the Kindle ebook, which was no longer on NetGalley as it’s already been published.
The novel is a work of satirical speculative fiction.
AUDIO NARRATOR
The audio narrator, Tristan Wright, was well cast and did a great job reading the book. He started off in a plain vanilla, all American voice, but was terrific at conveying the zany humor and strange characters populating this novel. My one criticism of him was that he made a number of stumbles reading the text, pronouncing “Rolex” as “Rollocks” for example or reading tinny as tiny.
DEMENTED HUMOR: THE BEST QUALITY OF THE BOOK
This book was most successful when it highlighted the author’s demented sense of humor. (He reminded me a bit of the Scottish speculative fiction author, Charles Stross). There were large swathes of the book that made me laugh, with one hilarious episode after another. I was thinking this would be one of the funniest books I ever read.
Unfortunately, the author attempted to get more serious towards the end of the book. Not that he did that badly, as he’s an excellent writer who knows how to craft a story. It’s just that it ended as a fairly ordinary story of a loving married couple who decide their relationship is what matters, not the jobs that have been endlessly interfering with their love.
A PLOT SUMMARY (SORT OF)
Anyway, it’s impossible to summarize the plot coherently. It’s mordantly funny speculative fiction. The main character (and narrator) is a married PR flack named Blake Hamner (pronounced “Hammer”) who works for the President (“Our Leader”), a liberal version of Trump in a near future America with robots, driverless vehicles, etc. The President’s name is Ernest Prawnmeijer (“it sounded like a fishy hot dog”), and he’s short, chubby, single, and not particularly handsome. He has no prior political experience. What he has going for him is a fantastic tenor voice that won a TV singing contest. His fans love his music. Our Leader is also a crazy, uncontrollable, brutally tactless, dictator wannabe who seems incapable of discretion. He’s constantly doing things like making “extremely offensive remarks about Paralympians”. Or announcing a gun buyback program and “joking” that people who refuse to sell back their guns would be shot with them. So Blake, whose official title is “Crisis Communications Manager” and his colleagues are having to constantly clean up Our Leader’s messes.
Things really start going south when some mechanical hounds that “Our Leader” has had built to guard his compound kill two people.
Blake and his colleagues have to come up with ways of spinning this (and many other crises). The genius social media director, Deb (who constantly speaks with hashtags..example: "hashtag #gross") starts Hashtag #HeroPup trending on Woozler (a funny version of Twitter on which people “Wooze” instead of Tweeting) and Blake suggests a social media naming contest for the robot hound.
Things devolve and more disasters ensue. These include various crackpot projects that “Our Leader” demands. Such as a pilot project to make Americans happier by drugging them with milk. (Don’t ask…).
“When it’s no longer credible to deny, the only option is to divert”.
Blake and his colleagues dust off their “Grand List of Distractions”, which includes, among other things:
4. Zoo prison break!
8. Require businesspeople to wear hats like in the old days.
9. Bacon festival, with free bacon!
10.False alarm air raid / missile crisis
11.Announce national music contest judged by Our Leader.
I found this bit extremely funny, perhaps because it seemed close to the loony reality of our 45th American President’s administration.
When Blake’s dictatorial boss screeches “Unacceptable!” when he calls her to take a day off for a close friend’s funeral, I cringed, perhaps because I’ve had bosses like that myself.
In any case, I would have been delighted if Adam Bender had stuck with this type of silliness. I wasn’t expecting a deep character study here, just lots of giggles.
Alas, he ended on a more serious note. So the story’s denouement was ok, but not wonderful.
Still, overall this was great fun.
RATINGS
So ratings:
Overall audio narration: 4
Audio narrrator reading the text without errors: 3
Humor: 5
Story: 3
Overall rating: 4
This is a review of the audiobook, which I obtained on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The audio will be published July 2022.
I also read along in the Kindle ebook, which was no longer on NetGalley as it’s already been published.
The novel is a work of satirical speculative fiction.
AUDIO NARRATOR
The audio narrator, Tristan Wright, was well cast and did a great job reading the book. He started off in a plain vanilla, all American voice, but was terrific at conveying the zany humor and strange characters populating this novel. My one criticism of him was that he made a number of stumbles reading the text, pronouncing “Rolex” as “Rollocks” for example or reading tinny as tiny.
DEMENTED HUMOR: THE BEST QUALITY OF THE BOOK
This book was most successful when it highlighted the author’s demented sense of humor. (He reminded me a bit of the Scottish speculative fiction author, Charles Stross). There were large swathes of the book that made me laugh, with one hilarious episode after another. I was thinking this would be one of the funniest books I ever read.
Unfortunately, the author attempted to get more serious towards the end of the book. Not that he did that badly, as he’s an excellent writer who knows how to craft a story. It’s just that it ended as a fairly ordinary story of a loving married couple who decide their relationship is what matters, not the jobs that have been endlessly interfering with their love.
A PLOT SUMMARY (SORT OF)
Anyway, it’s impossible to summarize the plot coherently. It’s mordantly funny speculative fiction. The main character (and narrator) is a married PR flack named Blake Hamner (pronounced “Hammer”) who works for the President (“Our Leader”), a liberal version of Trump in a near future America with robots, driverless vehicles, etc. The President’s name is Ernest Prawnmeijer (“it sounded like a fishy hot dog”), and he’s short, chubby, single, and not particularly handsome. He has no prior political experience. What he has going for him is a fantastic tenor voice that won a TV singing contest. His fans love his music. Our Leader is also a crazy, uncontrollable, brutally tactless, dictator wannabe who seems incapable of discretion. He’s constantly doing things like making “extremely offensive remarks about Paralympians”. Or announcing a gun buyback program and “joking” that people who refuse to sell back their guns would be shot with them. So Blake, whose official title is “Crisis Communications Manager” and his colleagues are having to constantly clean up Our Leader’s messes.
Things really start going south when some mechanical hounds that “Our Leader” has had built to guard his compound kill two people.
Blake and his colleagues have to come up with ways of spinning this (and many other crises). The genius social media director, Deb (who constantly speaks with hashtags..example: "hashtag #gross") starts Hashtag #HeroPup trending on Woozler (a funny version of Twitter on which people “Wooze” instead of Tweeting) and Blake suggests a social media naming contest for the robot hound.
Things devolve and more disasters ensue. These include various crackpot projects that “Our Leader” demands. Such as a pilot project to make Americans happier by drugging them with milk. (Don’t ask…).
“When it’s no longer credible to deny, the only option is to divert”.
Blake and his colleagues dust off their “Grand List of Distractions”, which includes, among other things:
4. Zoo prison break!
8. Require businesspeople to wear hats like in the old days.
9. Bacon festival, with free bacon!
10.False alarm air raid / missile crisis
11.Announce national music contest judged by Our Leader.
I found this bit extremely funny, perhaps because it seemed close to the loony reality of our 45th American President’s administration.
When Blake’s dictatorial boss screeches “Unacceptable!” when he calls her to take a day off for a close friend’s funeral, I cringed, perhaps because I’ve had bosses like that myself.
In any case, I would have been delighted if Adam Bender had stuck with this type of silliness. I wasn’t expecting a deep character study here, just lots of giggles.
Alas, he ended on a more serious note. So the story’s denouement was ok, but not wonderful.
Still, overall this was great fun.
RATINGS
So ratings:
Overall audio narration: 4
Audio narrrator reading the text without errors: 3
Humor: 5
Story: 3
Overall rating: 4
April 19, 2022
Blake Hamner is great at what he does. But his job isn’t great for his life outside of work. As the Crisis Communications Manager for the president, his job is to spin stories that keep Our Leader looking great and his opposition looking like fools. This is easier said than done. Blake’s wife is a news anchor, so they have a rule that they don’t talk about work. But this means that they don’t have much to talk about, and they find themselves drifting further apart. Can Blake keep up the demands of his work and still have a happy, fulfilling marriage? Or will the steel hound get him first?
I don’t normally read works like this, but I found myself enjoying it immensely. The author has a way with words that is extremely entertaining. It was perfect for this light science fiction and dystopian setting. I was expecting the work to be a bit more science fiction heavy, but the focus was on the political aspect of the setting and a related social commentary.
While I didn’t find myself becoming drawn into the characters, they were well written overall. They had unique personalities and voices with relatable and varying motivations. The career versus marriage aspect of the story added some believable tension to the work as well.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was an excellent choice. His voice was perfect for relaying Hamner’s point of view, and while the voices weren’t extremely varied, there was enough difference to tell characters apart.
This was an enjoyable work of satire. The situations were often quite humorous, but sometimes I found myself thinking they were a little closer to truth than I wanted them to be. If you enjoy satire, social commentary, humorous dystopia, or light science fiction, this book is for you.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
I don’t normally read works like this, but I found myself enjoying it immensely. The author has a way with words that is extremely entertaining. It was perfect for this light science fiction and dystopian setting. I was expecting the work to be a bit more science fiction heavy, but the focus was on the political aspect of the setting and a related social commentary.
While I didn’t find myself becoming drawn into the characters, they were well written overall. They had unique personalities and voices with relatable and varying motivations. The career versus marriage aspect of the story added some believable tension to the work as well.
I listened to the audiobook version of this book. The narrator was an excellent choice. His voice was perfect for relaying Hamner’s point of view, and while the voices weren’t extremely varied, there was enough difference to tell characters apart.
This was an enjoyable work of satire. The situations were often quite humorous, but sometimes I found myself thinking they were a little closer to truth than I wanted them to be. If you enjoy satire, social commentary, humorous dystopia, or light science fiction, this book is for you.
I received a complimentary copy of this work through NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
June 6, 2021
DNF at 31%
I'm kind of interested in where this is going, but I don't like the writing and I don't care about any of the characters, so I'm going to move on.
I'm kind of interested in where this is going, but I don't like the writing and I don't care about any of the characters, so I'm going to move on.
February 3, 2021
I do love me a drop of bonkers in a book and this offering definitely has that - and then some! It's also very clever and well executed, starring some of the weirdest but slightly compelling characters I have met in time.
Blake Ham(n)er is a "Crisis Communications Manager" for The Leader. His job is to keep him out of trouble and to spin things when he gets himself into it. Which is often as we learn. Oddly enough, he is married to a TV News presenter, the very person he is trying to protect his boss against. He has an army of assistants and colleagues whose very raison d'etre is pitting their wits against the hoi polloi to keep them in the dark about the Leader's nefarious dealings and, well, his simple screw-ups. Like that time one of his robot dogs went loopy and there was that accident... It's a full time job and then some. But is he happy...?
This is a ripping yarn, funny at times, poignant at others and, actually, rather close to home in these dark and troubled days of pandemic... Spin doctors, truth twisting, protecting the unprotectable (Dominic Cummings, I thought of you often during this book), infighting amongst the ranks, and even though certain of the situations described herein were a bit on the far fetched side, I am ready to accept anything considering the things I have already witnessed happening in various governments throughout the past year or so.
It also made me think though too. Something I feel that the author maybe could have got a bit deeper into one or two things but I guess maybe he wanted it not to be too political, rather focusing on the satire. Which also worked for me.
Often silly, genuinely bonkers and also thought provoking, this book did surprise me along the way during my time spent with it. Looking forward I also feel that certain of the characters may have more to give and would love to see them in future books. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
Blake Ham(n)er is a "Crisis Communications Manager" for The Leader. His job is to keep him out of trouble and to spin things when he gets himself into it. Which is often as we learn. Oddly enough, he is married to a TV News presenter, the very person he is trying to protect his boss against. He has an army of assistants and colleagues whose very raison d'etre is pitting their wits against the hoi polloi to keep them in the dark about the Leader's nefarious dealings and, well, his simple screw-ups. Like that time one of his robot dogs went loopy and there was that accident... It's a full time job and then some. But is he happy...?
This is a ripping yarn, funny at times, poignant at others and, actually, rather close to home in these dark and troubled days of pandemic... Spin doctors, truth twisting, protecting the unprotectable (Dominic Cummings, I thought of you often during this book), infighting amongst the ranks, and even though certain of the situations described herein were a bit on the far fetched side, I am ready to accept anything considering the things I have already witnessed happening in various governments throughout the past year or so.
It also made me think though too. Something I feel that the author maybe could have got a bit deeper into one or two things but I guess maybe he wanted it not to be too political, rather focusing on the satire. Which also worked for me.
Often silly, genuinely bonkers and also thought provoking, this book did surprise me along the way during my time spent with it. Looking forward I also feel that certain of the characters may have more to give and would love to see them in future books. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
February 2, 2021
"Have you read 1984?” With a clearing of the throat the professor declared: “What you’re doing is dystopia PR.”
Utopia PR is a comedy-dystopia that follows the story of Blake Hamner at his Crisis communication job, while he tries to balance his job with his personal life.
I enjoyed this book, it's a short novel that engages the reader in Blake's dystopian world. Some positives of this novel: Firstly, there was some amazing criticism on current society and how bureaucracy & PR works. The replaciveness of personnel in dystopian regimes and how a lot of people work hard behind the scenes to manipulate facts were good points of criticism. The diversity in this book was also done well. The book even made me laugh out loud at times.
However, this book did have some flaws in my opinion. I was really hoping that there would be more exploration on 'Our Leader' himself, everyone who works for him just seems to roll with everything he does. Blake doesn't seem to question the morality of his own actions and just does everything that's asked of him without reflecting on his own actions. Secondly, Victoria's character arc wasn't well explored and felt very rushed. There wasn't any good reason for Scott and Blake to massively hate on Victoria in the beginning.
Lastly, the ending and the reveal also seemed very cookie-cutter and felt very unrealistic. This ending felt like a Disney-happy ending.
This ARC copy was provided to me by Netgalley
Utopia PR is a comedy-dystopia that follows the story of Blake Hamner at his Crisis communication job, while he tries to balance his job with his personal life.
I enjoyed this book, it's a short novel that engages the reader in Blake's dystopian world. Some positives of this novel: Firstly, there was some amazing criticism on current society and how bureaucracy & PR works. The replaciveness of personnel in dystopian regimes and how a lot of people work hard behind the scenes to manipulate facts were good points of criticism. The diversity in this book was also done well. The book even made me laugh out loud at times.
However, this book did have some flaws in my opinion. I was really hoping that there would be more exploration on 'Our Leader' himself, everyone who works for him just seems to roll with everything he does. Blake doesn't seem to question the morality of his own actions and just does everything that's asked of him without reflecting on his own actions. Secondly, Victoria's character arc wasn't well explored and felt very rushed. There wasn't any good reason for Scott and Blake to massively hate on Victoria in the beginning.
Lastly, the ending and the reveal also seemed very cookie-cutter and felt very unrealistic. This ending felt like a Disney-happy ending.
This ARC copy was provided to me by Netgalley
April 19, 2022
First of all I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook in advance in exchange for a honest review.
Quite a few years ago I was on a trip to Florida with my family and we picked up Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley, it was a hilarious political satire book and until I listened to Utopia PR by Adam Bender I had not seen or maybe I should say heard its equal. Utopia PR is hilarious and fascinating, it does a good job of both satirizing and skewering politics and PR men and women. If you enjoy political satire at all you should grab this book, its really entertaining. Even if you have not read any political satire and just enjoy a good story and maybe a little dark humor then this book will tickle your fancy as it did mine. It reminded me a lot of Christopher Moore's books as well in just how well written it was.
I am definitely going to be looking into Adam Bender and the other books he has written after reading this. I never do spoilers in any reviews I do so what I am about to say about it is pretty much right at the start of the book. The main character is a PR guy working for a over the top crazy president of the United States who walks himself into quite a few PR problems. The solutions he and his team come up with are both a cynical look at public relations strategies and a great over the top satire of them.
I want to add that the narrator did a fantastic job as well!
#netgalley #satire #humor
Quite a few years ago I was on a trip to Florida with my family and we picked up Little Green Men by Christopher Buckley, it was a hilarious political satire book and until I listened to Utopia PR by Adam Bender I had not seen or maybe I should say heard its equal. Utopia PR is hilarious and fascinating, it does a good job of both satirizing and skewering politics and PR men and women. If you enjoy political satire at all you should grab this book, its really entertaining. Even if you have not read any political satire and just enjoy a good story and maybe a little dark humor then this book will tickle your fancy as it did mine. It reminded me a lot of Christopher Moore's books as well in just how well written it was.
I am definitely going to be looking into Adam Bender and the other books he has written after reading this. I never do spoilers in any reviews I do so what I am about to say about it is pretty much right at the start of the book. The main character is a PR guy working for a over the top crazy president of the United States who walks himself into quite a few PR problems. The solutions he and his team come up with are both a cynical look at public relations strategies and a great over the top satire of them.
I want to add that the narrator did a fantastic job as well!
#netgalley #satire #humor
May 19, 2022
So, have you read "1984?"
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook prior to publication. Goodness, this was a journey. I felt the first 45 minutes were slow and I questioned if I wanted to finish. However, buckle up! We're taken on quite the ride through PR Crisis Manager Blake Hamner (n is silent). There exist oh-so-many parallels to today's political landscape I sometimes wondered if I was reading a non-fiction current or soon-to-happen account of our government.
If you're a fan of dystopia comedy, Adam Bender better be on your list.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to listen to the audiobook prior to publication. Goodness, this was a journey. I felt the first 45 minutes were slow and I questioned if I wanted to finish. However, buckle up! We're taken on quite the ride through PR Crisis Manager Blake Hamner (n is silent). There exist oh-so-many parallels to today's political landscape I sometimes wondered if I was reading a non-fiction current or soon-to-happen account of our government.
If you're a fan of dystopia comedy, Adam Bender better be on your list.
April 1, 2025
this was pretty good, i thought the satire was handled well in the sense that it didn't feel like the author kept going "AH? AH? YOU GET IT? HAHA ITS FUNNY" in my face everytime something ridiculous happened. im usually bot the biggest fan of realistic political fiction but this was fun and a little unnerving to think its juuuust close enough to current rhetoric that it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility.
February 11, 2021
This was off-the-wall, zany but so engaging! It took me a minute to get into the mindset of the narrative but once I saw what was happening, I was all in. Equal bits bizarre, funny, and very human. Hammer's marriage vs career tension adds a nice bit of reality to the story. Definitely worth a read for a good laugh.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.
May 16, 2022
Well this was such a brilliant, quirky read. It was clever, gave me some douglas adams as well as Christopher Moore vibes and i enjoyed it a lot!
The narrator was one of the best and covered this book perfectly! Kudos!!
The narrator was one of the best and covered this book perfectly! Kudos!!
February 23, 2021
Blake Hamner (silent 'n') is a PR genius. If there is a PR disaster, he's the man to turn it all around and restore the faith of the public. He works for 'Our Leader' who is the President of the United States. Our Leader was discovered after winning a television singing talent show. After huge success and an off the cuff remark from a showbiz reporter, he decides to run for office. With a lot of help from his PR team he was elected, even though he has no idea how to do his job.
This is an absolutely bonkers satire. It's really great fun to read. Such a mix of personalities from the super professional to the out of their depth, to the fake it till you make it. Throw in a social media mogul and it makes a wonderful story. It really shows there is no such thing as bad press, especially with such an inventive team behind you.
Behind the scenes ego battles, Jet Pack Man the real life superhero and a figure head who has an out of control thirst for power and the attitude of a spolit child.
My favourite character would have to be Maria, Blake's news reporter wife. Although I love the whacky people around her, she is the normality that's needed. She's ambitious, successful, driven, honest and kind hearted.
This was a thoroughly entertaining book, lots of laughs and utter disbelief. The perfect light relief during these hard lockdown days.
Woukd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick pick-me-up or someone looking to escape into something a bit silly. Maybe this could become our potential reality? Who knows what the future may hold. Hopefully not robotic guard dogs. They sound utterly terrifying!
This is an absolutely bonkers satire. It's really great fun to read. Such a mix of personalities from the super professional to the out of their depth, to the fake it till you make it. Throw in a social media mogul and it makes a wonderful story. It really shows there is no such thing as bad press, especially with such an inventive team behind you.
Behind the scenes ego battles, Jet Pack Man the real life superhero and a figure head who has an out of control thirst for power and the attitude of a spolit child.
My favourite character would have to be Maria, Blake's news reporter wife. Although I love the whacky people around her, she is the normality that's needed. She's ambitious, successful, driven, honest and kind hearted.
This was a thoroughly entertaining book, lots of laughs and utter disbelief. The perfect light relief during these hard lockdown days.
Woukd definitely recommend to anyone looking for a quick pick-me-up or someone looking to escape into something a bit silly. Maybe this could become our potential reality? Who knows what the future may hold. Hopefully not robotic guard dogs. They sound utterly terrifying!
October 15, 2021
The dog hooked me from the very start. Although this book takes place in the not-to-distant future, events of this ilk happen now. Being a minor news junkie, this book took one through a not so tongue in cheek romp through the nation’s leadership and how information is communicated to the masses. Even with the humor, it gives one pause.
February 27, 2021
Kooky and irreverent, Utopia PR gives the reader an absurd take on what it takes to keep an administration afloat when complete incompetence, disregard for any sense of duty to others, and the US Presidency collide.
Blake Hamner is a PR extraordinaire. He can take the most insane political crisis and immediately turn it into a non-issue. Whether you have a killer robotic dog that has escaped your Presidential compound and murdered two hardworking American citizens or you're lacing your country's milk supply with opiates to keep them subdued and loyal, Blake's got your back. So when the King--ahem, President--of the US begins doing exactly these things and more (becoming more unhinged as the novel goes on), Blake has to keep coming up with new distractions and deflections to keep his administration afloat.
Of course, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. After a while, all of these disasters just start to seem a little too...convenient. But convenient for who? Once a mysterious man in a jetpack (Jetpack man!) starts showing up at the scene of every incident, and showing up Blake and the rest of the PR team by making a scene of his own, Blake starts to see his entire career (and marriage) unraveling before his eyes. His intern gets promoted to be his boss (and, boy, does she rub it in), his wife gets fired, and he nearly lands himself in a dungeon that may or may not exist alongside a coworker who may or may not be missing. As the mysterious Jetpack man continues to make the President look awful at every turn, Blake's wife starts to think maybe she's seen him somewhere before....
The characters in this book are something else. Blake's a quirky dude who will never pass up an opportunity to remind people that the 'n' in his last name is silent. He's got a Chief Wiggum-level affinity for jelly donuts and an aversion to cursing that can rival Ned Flanders. Overweight and with a face "more suited for print journalism," Blake is also somehow married to a perfect news anchor. While he's got a one-line quip for every disaster, he's not exactly the funniest guy and is always stunned into silence by any banter with his wife. Maria, his wife, is smart, funny, beautiful, and basically his exact opposite in every way. The only truly likeable character in the whole book. Blake's best friend/closest coworker Scott has the mind of a middle schooler and zero filter, but he sure is loyal. But one of the most confusing points for me is that you don't actually get much of a glimpse of Our Leader/the President. I definitely expected him to have a bigger role in this novel.
Overall, I was disappointed that the speculative aspects were so unoriginal. There's one big tech company, Woozler, that basically owns everything from the main social media platform (which is basically Twitter) to the main ride-share service to the main search engine to GPS-based phone apps and digital personal assistants, etc. It's basically just condensing our current state of technological surveillance into one company (which we are already very close to). There is amplification ad absurdum, but there's no new ideas or anything like that.
That said, it's well-written and well-edited in a way that makes it a quick and engaging read. I found it an enjoyable read even though I wasn't all that invested.
My appreciation to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.
Blake Hamner is a PR extraordinaire. He can take the most insane political crisis and immediately turn it into a non-issue. Whether you have a killer robotic dog that has escaped your Presidential compound and murdered two hardworking American citizens or you're lacing your country's milk supply with opiates to keep them subdued and loyal, Blake's got your back. So when the King--ahem, President--of the US begins doing exactly these things and more (becoming more unhinged as the novel goes on), Blake has to keep coming up with new distractions and deflections to keep his administration afloat.
Of course, anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. After a while, all of these disasters just start to seem a little too...convenient. But convenient for who? Once a mysterious man in a jetpack (Jetpack man!) starts showing up at the scene of every incident, and showing up Blake and the rest of the PR team by making a scene of his own, Blake starts to see his entire career (and marriage) unraveling before his eyes. His intern gets promoted to be his boss (and, boy, does she rub it in), his wife gets fired, and he nearly lands himself in a dungeon that may or may not exist alongside a coworker who may or may not be missing. As the mysterious Jetpack man continues to make the President look awful at every turn, Blake's wife starts to think maybe she's seen him somewhere before....
The characters in this book are something else. Blake's a quirky dude who will never pass up an opportunity to remind people that the 'n' in his last name is silent. He's got a Chief Wiggum-level affinity for jelly donuts and an aversion to cursing that can rival Ned Flanders. Overweight and with a face "more suited for print journalism," Blake is also somehow married to a perfect news anchor. While he's got a one-line quip for every disaster, he's not exactly the funniest guy and is always stunned into silence by any banter with his wife. Maria, his wife, is smart, funny, beautiful, and basically his exact opposite in every way. The only truly likeable character in the whole book. Blake's best friend/closest coworker Scott has the mind of a middle schooler and zero filter, but he sure is loyal. But one of the most confusing points for me is that you don't actually get much of a glimpse of Our Leader/the President. I definitely expected him to have a bigger role in this novel.
Overall, I was disappointed that the speculative aspects were so unoriginal. There's one big tech company, Woozler, that basically owns everything from the main social media platform (which is basically Twitter) to the main ride-share service to the main search engine to GPS-based phone apps and digital personal assistants, etc. It's basically just condensing our current state of technological surveillance into one company (which we are already very close to). There is amplification ad absurdum, but there's no new ideas or anything like that.
That said, it's well-written and well-edited in a way that makes it a quick and engaging read. I found it an enjoyable read even though I wasn't all that invested.
My appreciation to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for the review.
February 2, 2021
* Disclaimer: I was provided an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. *
Utopia PR is a dystopian novel that, like many classic dystopian novels, describes the rise of an authoritarian government. The only difference: this one is wholly incompetent. The novel is written in a casual style which allows the humor to be amplified to level that had me laughing out loud more than I have laughed reading a book as far as I can remember. With plenty of allegory to the current state of politics in the world (and the US), this novel is relevant while also being light hearted and enjoyable.
The Plot:
Instead of following a common citizen or Our Leader himself, we follow Blake Hamner (with a silent n), an unfortunate fellow who has to work as PR for the leader. While juggling his personal life and his marriage, he is tasked with dealing with the constant blunders of the current administration.
Since the novel is quite short, my copy being 197 pages, I never felt bored or as if something should have been left out. Every line had a purpose, every joke made me chuckle, and most importantly: every scene advanced the plot in a meaningful way. The pacing felt perfect for what it is and it always kept me flipping the pages to find out how Blake was going to deal with the garbage heaps he had been handed.
The Characters:
The characters in this novel felt fully realized and all had wonderful personalities that differentiated them well, but my personal favorite was Blake and his Wife. I will try to limit what I say to avoid missing out on all the fun of the story, but their relationship is delightful and very real as there are many who are in similar relationships in the US who find their jobs at odds with those they love. The context of their relationship makes their interactions that much more humorous and also that much more meaningful.
The Bad:
If you are looking for a serious, complex satire that heavily critiques authoritarianism and government regimes, this is not it. The satirical elements of this novel are all rather shallow and 'knee-slap' humor, but that really does not make it any less enjoyable!
My Rating:
I gave this a 5/5 for one main reason: I can't name a single thing about the book I did not like. The plot was interesting, the characters were relatable, and I found the humor to be genuinely funny. While this doesn't rank on the "best-of-all-time" shelf for me, I can't justify rating it anything less than 5 stars simply because of my enjoyment while reading it.
I highly recommend obtaining a copy of this and giving it a read, I know I will be getting one and checking out more by this author.
"The idea was that they'd call me in to finesse the worst PR disasters. And to be clear, that's not a part-time role in this administration."
Utopia PR is a dystopian novel that, like many classic dystopian novels, describes the rise of an authoritarian government. The only difference: this one is wholly incompetent. The novel is written in a casual style which allows the humor to be amplified to level that had me laughing out loud more than I have laughed reading a book as far as I can remember. With plenty of allegory to the current state of politics in the world (and the US), this novel is relevant while also being light hearted and enjoyable.
The Plot:
Instead of following a common citizen or Our Leader himself, we follow Blake Hamner (with a silent n), an unfortunate fellow who has to work as PR for the leader. While juggling his personal life and his marriage, he is tasked with dealing with the constant blunders of the current administration.
Since the novel is quite short, my copy being 197 pages, I never felt bored or as if something should have been left out. Every line had a purpose, every joke made me chuckle, and most importantly: every scene advanced the plot in a meaningful way. The pacing felt perfect for what it is and it always kept me flipping the pages to find out how Blake was going to deal with the garbage heaps he had been handed.
The Characters:
The characters in this novel felt fully realized and all had wonderful personalities that differentiated them well, but my personal favorite was Blake and his Wife. I will try to limit what I say to avoid missing out on all the fun of the story, but their relationship is delightful and very real as there are many who are in similar relationships in the US who find their jobs at odds with those they love. The context of their relationship makes their interactions that much more humorous and also that much more meaningful.
The Bad:
If you are looking for a serious, complex satire that heavily critiques authoritarianism and government regimes, this is not it. The satirical elements of this novel are all rather shallow and 'knee-slap' humor, but that really does not make it any less enjoyable!
My Rating:
I gave this a 5/5 for one main reason: I can't name a single thing about the book I did not like. The plot was interesting, the characters were relatable, and I found the humor to be genuinely funny. While this doesn't rank on the "best-of-all-time" shelf for me, I can't justify rating it anything less than 5 stars simply because of my enjoyment while reading it.
I highly recommend obtaining a copy of this and giving it a read, I know I will be getting one and checking out more by this author.
April 15, 2021
With thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler free review.
Blake Hamner (silent ‘N’) is a PR genius for the current president, commonly referred to as ‘our leader’ (who happens to be a little power mad). After many brilliant moves to cover for the slightly unhinged leader by manipulating the media with his fellow PR members, Blake finally starts to crack after one of the presidents cyber dogs almost rips him limb from limb which sets off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage woes to the new intern trying to get him fired.
Slightly bonkers, this dystopian and very satirical novel is full of both comedy and touching looks at relationships, especially how work can take over our lives. The moment Blake is made to choose between work or going to a funeral especially hit home as my old workplace actually did that to me!
The book is a very quick read, well written so that it has a very good flow without any filler moments. Things are set up early in the book to great pay offs later. The characters are all good fun (Mel and Scott especially) and the use of diverse characters is not cynically used for brownie points. The plot and the world is bonkers on paper but scary in how close it feels to being real. However overall the book is great fun, I am certainly interested to read more by the author and would recommend to pretty much anyone no matter their genre preferences due to it being short and good enough I think anyone can enjoy or be a good starting point in the dystopian genre as it doesn’t take itself seriously like many do.
Spoiler free review.
Blake Hamner (silent ‘N’) is a PR genius for the current president, commonly referred to as ‘our leader’ (who happens to be a little power mad). After many brilliant moves to cover for the slightly unhinged leader by manipulating the media with his fellow PR members, Blake finally starts to crack after one of the presidents cyber dogs almost rips him limb from limb which sets off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage woes to the new intern trying to get him fired.
Slightly bonkers, this dystopian and very satirical novel is full of both comedy and touching looks at relationships, especially how work can take over our lives. The moment Blake is made to choose between work or going to a funeral especially hit home as my old workplace actually did that to me!
The book is a very quick read, well written so that it has a very good flow without any filler moments. Things are set up early in the book to great pay offs later. The characters are all good fun (Mel and Scott especially) and the use of diverse characters is not cynically used for brownie points. The plot and the world is bonkers on paper but scary in how close it feels to being real. However overall the book is great fun, I am certainly interested to read more by the author and would recommend to pretty much anyone no matter their genre preferences due to it being short and good enough I think anyone can enjoy or be a good starting point in the dystopian genre as it doesn’t take itself seriously like many do.
February 7, 2021
This was a short, off-the-wall comedy satire. Kind of like if you took Wag the Dog and cranked it up to level 10 insane incoherency.
The main character, Blake, is the emergency PR fix-it man for an incompetent, authoritarian presidency. The whole book vacillates wildly between Blake's wholesome desire to build his relationship with his wife, and the steadily escalating crimes that surround him at work. The distraction speech was a high point, and the story also ends happier than it has any right to.
Deeply weird, but overall enjoyable.
The main character, Blake, is the emergency PR fix-it man for an incompetent, authoritarian presidency. The whole book vacillates wildly between Blake's wholesome desire to build his relationship with his wife, and the steadily escalating crimes that surround him at work. The distraction speech was a high point, and the story also ends happier than it has any right to.
Deeply weird, but overall enjoyable.
May 7, 2022
This is the first time in over 30 years that I have read a Political Satire. This reminded me a little bit of Animal Farm by George Orwell but with a mix of dystopian gloom. What more can a reader ask for when trying to get away from life. I thought the plot served its purpose and I had a few good chuckles along the way.
Utopia PR is about Blake Hamner (pronounced Hammer, the N is silent) a PR Crisis Communication Manager, his reporter wife, Maria, his friend and coworker Scott, his intern Victoria, or is it Valerie (Blake never seems to remember her name) and of course and definitely not last the President or better known as "Our Leader" or "The King". Blake Hamner is a Crisis Communicator that works for "Our Leader" by wordsmithing him out of trouble. This character was probably my favorite besides his wife just because of how odd he is. Blake is an overweight man married to a beautiful woman that no one thinks should have given him the time of day. He is quick witted and has a sharp tongue when getting others out of trouble, just not quite like that around his wife. Maria my other favorite character is the polar opposite. She is smart, hardworking and knows what she wants and how to get it. Maria can handle anything and anyone. Throughout the book we see the relationship that Blake and Maria have sought to keep divided, they never bring work home and tell each other about their job. They did this to prevent each other from influencing work or asking for favors. But this is starting to wear on their marriage. They do not have kids because their careers were first. So, Blake decides he will just wordsmith one more problem for Our Leader and then he is done.
This story is packed of events that Blake and his team have to get the Leader out of. Including the mauling of two people by huge robotic dogs that guard the white house == better known as the Compound. This same dog almost kills Blake, Scott and another member of his team. But Blake knows just how to solve that problem, he tells the President to create a contest where the dog can be named. This plan works and the people soon forget about the mauling. Oh and of course they also did backstories for the people that were killed to make them seem unpatriotic, so their deaths are not as bad as they initially seem. Then Operation Milkman pops up. And Blake has to figure out a way to explain how and why "Our Leader" thought it would be a great idea to brainwash the citizens into happier people that do not question "Our Leader" by drugging their milk.
The story reaches its apex with Jet Pack Man appears and tries to save the day. He claims that "Our Leader" is not being honest with the citizens and he will shed light to all of the President's misdoings. Blake, Maria and Scott are on the trail to uncover the truth and the identity of who this Jet Pack Man really is but most importantly to prove that the President has only done things to protect the world and would never lie. What President would lie to their constituents? The book sets out to get the readers to the truth. Is Jet Pack Man really being honest, is the President "Our Faithful Leader" really bad? Did he do all of the terrible things Jet Pack Man claims.
I enjoyed reading the book. I think it does a good job at being satirical and getting the readers to laugh at what has happened politically over the past 10 years. I would recommend this book in an English class or even a history class. I could probably even stretch and say an Engineering class since this was set in the future and had some new inventions. It was a quick fun read.
Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.
Utopia PR is about Blake Hamner (pronounced Hammer, the N is silent) a PR Crisis Communication Manager, his reporter wife, Maria, his friend and coworker Scott, his intern Victoria, or is it Valerie (Blake never seems to remember her name) and of course and definitely not last the President or better known as "Our Leader" or "The King". Blake Hamner is a Crisis Communicator that works for "Our Leader" by wordsmithing him out of trouble. This character was probably my favorite besides his wife just because of how odd he is. Blake is an overweight man married to a beautiful woman that no one thinks should have given him the time of day. He is quick witted and has a sharp tongue when getting others out of trouble, just not quite like that around his wife. Maria my other favorite character is the polar opposite. She is smart, hardworking and knows what she wants and how to get it. Maria can handle anything and anyone. Throughout the book we see the relationship that Blake and Maria have sought to keep divided, they never bring work home and tell each other about their job. They did this to prevent each other from influencing work or asking for favors. But this is starting to wear on their marriage. They do not have kids because their careers were first. So, Blake decides he will just wordsmith one more problem for Our Leader and then he is done.
This story is packed of events that Blake and his team have to get the Leader out of. Including the mauling of two people by huge robotic dogs that guard the white house == better known as the Compound. This same dog almost kills Blake, Scott and another member of his team. But Blake knows just how to solve that problem, he tells the President to create a contest where the dog can be named. This plan works and the people soon forget about the mauling. Oh and of course they also did backstories for the people that were killed to make them seem unpatriotic, so their deaths are not as bad as they initially seem. Then Operation Milkman pops up. And Blake has to figure out a way to explain how and why "Our Leader" thought it would be a great idea to brainwash the citizens into happier people that do not question "Our Leader" by drugging their milk.
The story reaches its apex with Jet Pack Man appears and tries to save the day. He claims that "Our Leader" is not being honest with the citizens and he will shed light to all of the President's misdoings. Blake, Maria and Scott are on the trail to uncover the truth and the identity of who this Jet Pack Man really is but most importantly to prove that the President has only done things to protect the world and would never lie. What President would lie to their constituents? The book sets out to get the readers to the truth. Is Jet Pack Man really being honest, is the President "Our Faithful Leader" really bad? Did he do all of the terrible things Jet Pack Man claims.
I enjoyed reading the book. I think it does a good job at being satirical and getting the readers to laugh at what has happened politically over the past 10 years. I would recommend this book in an English class or even a history class. I could probably even stretch and say an Engineering class since this was set in the future and had some new inventions. It was a quick fun read.
Thanks NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book and give my honest opinion.
February 23, 2021
Blake Hamner, Crisis Communications Manager in the president's circle, and Maria Worthington, a news media anchor, are married and struggling with many of the same issues most young couples face: demanding careers, conflicting schedules and family planning delays. Written in the first person, the reader gets inside Blake's head, which is filled with ambivalence.
As Blake's personal life and health takes a backseat to his role as point person for damage control, he has his hands full. Blake serves the president, referred to as "our leader," a man whose character is the antithesis of presidential. The newly appointed Crisis Communications Director is demoniacal, and robotic dogs protecting "Our Leader's Compound" are out of control.
While Blake spins the news and Maria reports it, Jetpack, a mysterious rebel superhero, tries to undermine the presidency. Throughout all this chaos, the author cleverly weaves in humor at just the right moments. As the mystery builds, curves and unravels, the sparring between the characters adds an element of levity that makes this book a fun read. I also like the diversity of characters inclusive of transgender and interracial marriage.
The book is well-edited, and Bender wraps up the ending nicely. I recommend this book to fans of dystopia who would appreciate a comedic writing style and the underlying themes of marital challenges, finding your purpose, diversity and manipulation through social media.
Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) on Reedsy Discovery.
Also posted on Reedsy/Discovery. and my blog.
As Blake's personal life and health takes a backseat to his role as point person for damage control, he has his hands full. Blake serves the president, referred to as "our leader," a man whose character is the antithesis of presidential. The newly appointed Crisis Communications Director is demoniacal, and robotic dogs protecting "Our Leader's Compound" are out of control.
While Blake spins the news and Maria reports it, Jetpack, a mysterious rebel superhero, tries to undermine the presidency. Throughout all this chaos, the author cleverly weaves in humor at just the right moments. As the mystery builds, curves and unravels, the sparring between the characters adds an element of levity that makes this book a fun read. I also like the diversity of characters inclusive of transgender and interracial marriage.
The book is well-edited, and Bender wraps up the ending nicely. I recommend this book to fans of dystopia who would appreciate a comedic writing style and the underlying themes of marital challenges, finding your purpose, diversity and manipulation through social media.
Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Review Copy (ARC) on Reedsy Discovery.
Also posted on Reedsy/Discovery. and my blog.
April 20, 2022
Relevant, crazy and so easy to believe is based on truth...
A power-mad President (famous for being a reality TV star). Regular insane statements and crises that require spin doctors and distraction. No, this isn't the international news. This is fiction. Supposedly.
Very funny near-dystopic fiction. With the PR guy as its empathetic star. But he's a 'Crisis Communications Manager', a full-time job under this President, affectionately (or chillingly) termed 'Our Leader' by the American populace. And Blake Hamner (with a silent 'n') has neglected his honeymoon for three years to concentrate on his career and his daily struggles to keep the Administration out of political trouble.
Which isn't easy with Our Leader asking for drugged-up milk to be given to the entire country. Or the fact that Blake's wife is a news anchor on national television.
With both hilarious and horrifying constant crises to manage, Blake gives away the tips of his trade to the reader (faking a nuclear strike, announcing a marriage) while juggling the relationship he's desperate to keep. He and Maria make a witty and loveable couple, I adored their spin games and way of speaking to each other, Maria herself would make for a great narrator and protagonist.
Blake's rise to the top makes him an Everyman to us, he's skilled and worked hard, and his morals working for Our Leader may be 'grey area' but his heart is in the right place, and he's 'just doing his job' of course...
This is madcap, satirical quirkiness at its best. It's scary 'cos it could actually be based on fact. It's funny 'cos it isn't. I think.
Loved the audio version, it's short and I wished it was much longer, though it ended neatly and I would heartily recommend it.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.
A power-mad President (famous for being a reality TV star). Regular insane statements and crises that require spin doctors and distraction. No, this isn't the international news. This is fiction. Supposedly.
Very funny near-dystopic fiction. With the PR guy as its empathetic star. But he's a 'Crisis Communications Manager', a full-time job under this President, affectionately (or chillingly) termed 'Our Leader' by the American populace. And Blake Hamner (with a silent 'n') has neglected his honeymoon for three years to concentrate on his career and his daily struggles to keep the Administration out of political trouble.
Which isn't easy with Our Leader asking for drugged-up milk to be given to the entire country. Or the fact that Blake's wife is a news anchor on national television.
With both hilarious and horrifying constant crises to manage, Blake gives away the tips of his trade to the reader (faking a nuclear strike, announcing a marriage) while juggling the relationship he's desperate to keep. He and Maria make a witty and loveable couple, I adored their spin games and way of speaking to each other, Maria herself would make for a great narrator and protagonist.
Blake's rise to the top makes him an Everyman to us, he's skilled and worked hard, and his morals working for Our Leader may be 'grey area' but his heart is in the right place, and he's 'just doing his job' of course...
This is madcap, satirical quirkiness at its best. It's scary 'cos it could actually be based on fact. It's funny 'cos it isn't. I think.
Loved the audio version, it's short and I wished it was much longer, though it ended neatly and I would heartily recommend it.
With thanks to Netgalley for providing a sample audio copy.
April 15, 2021
With thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the copy in exchange for an honest review.
Spoiler free review.
Blake Hamner (silent ‘N’) is a PR genius for the current president, commonly referred to as ‘our leader’ (who happens to be a little power mad). After many brilliant moves to cover for the slightly unhinged leader by manipulating the media with his fellow PR members, Blake finally starts to crack after one of the presidents cyber dogs almost rips him limb from limb which sets off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage woes to the new intern trying to get him fired.
Slightly bonkers, this dystopian and very satirical novel is full of both comedy and touching looks at relationships, especially how work can take over our lives. The moment Blake is made to choose between work or going to a funeral especially hit home as my old workplace actually did that to me!
The book is a very quick read, well written so that it has a very good flow without any filler moments. Things are set up early in the book to great pay offs later. The characters are all good fun (Mel and Scott especially) and the use of diverse characters is not cynically used for brownie points. The plot and the world is bonkers on paper but scary in how close it feels to being real. However overall the book is great fun, I am certainly interested to read more by the author and would recommend to pretty much anyone no matter their genre preferences due to it being short and good enough I think anyone can enjoy or be a good starting point in the dystopian genre as it doesn’t take itself seriously like many do.
Spoiler free review.
Blake Hamner (silent ‘N’) is a PR genius for the current president, commonly referred to as ‘our leader’ (who happens to be a little power mad). After many brilliant moves to cover for the slightly unhinged leader by manipulating the media with his fellow PR members, Blake finally starts to crack after one of the presidents cyber dogs almost rips him limb from limb which sets off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage woes to the new intern trying to get him fired.
Slightly bonkers, this dystopian and very satirical novel is full of both comedy and touching looks at relationships, especially how work can take over our lives. The moment Blake is made to choose between work or going to a funeral especially hit home as my old workplace actually did that to me!
The book is a very quick read, well written so that it has a very good flow without any filler moments. Things are set up early in the book to great pay offs later. The characters are all good fun (Mel and Scott especially) and the use of diverse characters is not cynically used for brownie points. The plot and the world is bonkers on paper but scary in how close it feels to being real. However overall the book is great fun, I am certainly interested to read more by the author and would recommend to pretty much anyone no matter their genre preferences due to it being short and good enough I think anyone can enjoy or be a good starting point in the dystopian genre as it doesn’t take itself seriously like many do.
May 31, 2022
Actually when I chose to review this title I didn’t knew much about it, and you know what, is not about a utopia, in reality this is kind of the dystopian world that is all around us, when I listened to the audiobook, I related the president with my own first minister (Antonio Costa), please don’t think that the only country that have problems with their rulers is America, actually Antonio Costa when first went to power, he didn’t win the elections, he just embraced the left and that made him rise to power, he has family or have given money to almost all the Portuguese media, therefore, no one dares to speak against him, or against the PS.
The story of this book is really cleaver, it tackles the view of the PR, the real responsible s for who changes the view of the public, even a bad situation can be seen positively if someone controls what the public seems or understands. Hamner (the n is silent hahah that is almost a joke in the whole book) and his wife maria, they are both likeable characters, they just worked too much and didn’t put their lives first and during the audiobook they are forced to open their eyes and see what is more important.
I enjoyed the person reading the audiobook, he managed to keep things interesting, this book made me think about what is important, how the media throw sand into the eyes of the public and how we the public are easily distracted of what is important.
I highly recommend this audiobook, is worth of our time for sure, I got a free copy of the audiobook in NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
The story of this book is really cleaver, it tackles the view of the PR, the real responsible s for who changes the view of the public, even a bad situation can be seen positively if someone controls what the public seems or understands. Hamner (the n is silent hahah that is almost a joke in the whole book) and his wife maria, they are both likeable characters, they just worked too much and didn’t put their lives first and during the audiobook they are forced to open their eyes and see what is more important.
I enjoyed the person reading the audiobook, he managed to keep things interesting, this book made me think about what is important, how the media throw sand into the eyes of the public and how we the public are easily distracted of what is important.
I highly recommend this audiobook, is worth of our time for sure, I got a free copy of the audiobook in NetGalley and this is my honest opinion.
May 31, 2022
NetGalley and the publisher, Adam Bender, provided me with a review copy.
I've been seeing Utopia PR around a good amount over the last year or so, and this copy got me to take the plunge, so to speak.
I'm quite glad I did.
Utopia PR is a witty, clever story that hearkens back to Wag the Dog -- but at what cost.
We follow Blake Hamner, a former PR blogger turned Crisis Communications Manager, as he tries to avert what seems like daily crises in the wake of the musician-turned-president, nicknamed Our Leader. On top of being exhausted and overworked, he's the husband of one of the premier cable news network's lead anchor. When things start to get weird -- and serious, but mostly weird-- Hamner will face all kinds of decisions, primarily about where his priorities lie.
The book is more satire than laugh-out-loud comedy, although some fairly silly elements do slip in. Frankly, I thought some of the silliest components of the story struck close too home, but that's the goal of satire, I suppose.
The plot is a little messy, the characters are a bit archetypal, and the explanation for some of Hamner's mistakes feels a bit like a cop-out for this supposed PR genius, but the pacing and satire are absolutely on-point. This may not be the most structurally perfect read, but it is incredibly entertaining.
If you're into political satire beyond a satire about policy or decisions, and if you want a fast-moving book that might get too close to the truth here and there, this is a solid choice.
I've been seeing Utopia PR around a good amount over the last year or so, and this copy got me to take the plunge, so to speak.
I'm quite glad I did.
Utopia PR is a witty, clever story that hearkens back to Wag the Dog -- but at what cost.
We follow Blake Hamner, a former PR blogger turned Crisis Communications Manager, as he tries to avert what seems like daily crises in the wake of the musician-turned-president, nicknamed Our Leader. On top of being exhausted and overworked, he's the husband of one of the premier cable news network's lead anchor. When things start to get weird -- and serious, but mostly weird-- Hamner will face all kinds of decisions, primarily about where his priorities lie.
The book is more satire than laugh-out-loud comedy, although some fairly silly elements do slip in. Frankly, I thought some of the silliest components of the story struck close too home, but that's the goal of satire, I suppose.
The plot is a little messy, the characters are a bit archetypal, and the explanation for some of Hamner's mistakes feels a bit like a cop-out for this supposed PR genius, but the pacing and satire are absolutely on-point. This may not be the most structurally perfect read, but it is incredibly entertaining.
If you're into political satire beyond a satire about policy or decisions, and if you want a fast-moving book that might get too close to the truth here and there, this is a solid choice.
July 31, 2022
First of all thank you so much to the publishers and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen and review this audiobook. This was my first audiobook and I was not disappointed. First of all, the book was narrated really well by Tristan Wright and the characters were well played. The book itself was well detailed and I could picture the plot and current events while listening. I love fantasy/dystopian novels and this one definitely had well written elements of these genres. The plot was intriguing and the characters were likeable. At first I was unsure where the plot would lead but this built up intrigue. I enjoyed listening to this audiobook book and will definitely be recommending this novel. My favourite part of the plot would, overall, be the build up to the ending. It did not feel rushed yet a lot happened. The epilogue was a nice finish to the book. There was no unnecessary information that dragged out the novel. In fact I think it is a perfect size, has a steady and medium pace and is a binge-worthy read. You should definitely look out for this book, it's worth it!
May 9, 2022
This was a timely, relevant book that also had a great level of humor and sarcasm.
As far as the storyline and characters, I work in communications/marketing so that topic is typically pretty interesting to me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, I listened to the audio version (in exchange for an honest review) and I enjoyed it overall! The characters weren't super deep and there really weren't any standouts to me personally so this is a book that I actually preferred as an audio option. It was easy to multi-task while listening to this, which is something I tend to measure audio by (this can be good or bad but I appreciated it in this case).
The narrator was fitting and had a good voice and the appropriate tones. I tend to listen to audio at 1.5x speed so my opinions of these details might be a little slanted but overall it worked well!
This was the first book I experienced by this author and I will definitely need to look into others!
As far as the storyline and characters, I work in communications/marketing so that topic is typically pretty interesting to me.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, I listened to the audio version (in exchange for an honest review) and I enjoyed it overall! The characters weren't super deep and there really weren't any standouts to me personally so this is a book that I actually preferred as an audio option. It was easy to multi-task while listening to this, which is something I tend to measure audio by (this can be good or bad but I appreciated it in this case).
The narrator was fitting and had a good voice and the appropriate tones. I tend to listen to audio at 1.5x speed so my opinions of these details might be a little slanted but overall it worked well!
This was the first book I experienced by this author and I will definitely need to look into others!
June 15, 2022
Blake Hamner (n is silent) is a PR consultant to "The Leader" and has to solve one problem after the other.🤔
Oh, how I hate how ridiculous, and still frighteningly real this was.😬
The situations Hamner finds himself in which he will need to spin, sound so out there, but the explanations he eventually gives, seem like they are taken from real life scenarios.🧐
It is meant to be satire and dystopian, but it did make me think (as a good dystopian novel should do).🤯
I of course did not only internalize the absurdity and gravity of everything.😅
I did let myself be entertained by the craziness of it all.😂
I had some laugh out loud moments and enjoyed my time listening to this story.🤣
It only reinforced my stance on PR and spin doctors.😒
They are dangerous people. They can skew anyone's perspective on facts, and that is horrifying.🤨
A great read/listen, dystopian satire at its best!💙
Oh, how I hate how ridiculous, and still frighteningly real this was.😬
The situations Hamner finds himself in which he will need to spin, sound so out there, but the explanations he eventually gives, seem like they are taken from real life scenarios.🧐
It is meant to be satire and dystopian, but it did make me think (as a good dystopian novel should do).🤯
I of course did not only internalize the absurdity and gravity of everything.😅
I did let myself be entertained by the craziness of it all.😂
I had some laugh out loud moments and enjoyed my time listening to this story.🤣
It only reinforced my stance on PR and spin doctors.😒
They are dangerous people. They can skew anyone's perspective on facts, and that is horrifying.🤨
A great read/listen, dystopian satire at its best!💙
April 29, 2022
A Hint of The Thick of It Plus Killer Hounds
🧡 This was funny in parts and overall an enjoyable story. I’d have liked it to have been more overt in its absurdity, maybe in a David Wong direction. It did remind me in parts of the BBC’s The Thick of It.
Soundbite
🎧 A fun, escapist listen well-performed by Tristan Wright.
Big thanks to NetGalley, Adam Bender and the Independent Book Publishers Association for providing me with an ALC in return for an honest review.
Find more bird’s eye view audiobooks reviews at Audiobooks Nest.
May 12, 2022
I was attracted to this book because I work in PR and I (sometimes) like a satirical read. Utopia PR is a bit bonkers. It's also very clever and well executed, the characters are a bit odd and seems to be based on real-life people.
Blake Hamner is a crisis communications manager for the government. His job is to try to keep ‘The Leader’ out of trouble and when unsuccessful in that effort he must put a positive spin on things – sound familiar? The job becomes too much for crack after one of the presidents’ cyber dogs almost tears him apart. The attack off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage trouble to a colleague trying to get him fired.
Utopia PR is a dystopian and very satirical novel. It takes a funny yet realistic at relationships, and how work can take over our lives
Blake Hamner is a crisis communications manager for the government. His job is to try to keep ‘The Leader’ out of trouble and when unsuccessful in that effort he must put a positive spin on things – sound familiar? The job becomes too much for crack after one of the presidents’ cyber dogs almost tears him apart. The attack off a chain of events in Blakes life, from marriage trouble to a colleague trying to get him fired.
Utopia PR is a dystopian and very satirical novel. It takes a funny yet realistic at relationships, and how work can take over our lives
May 13, 2022
A dystopian satire that hits a bit too close to reality for my comfort. This story was a trip; equal bits funny and alarming, this was a quick listen (or read) that I enjoyed the whole way through. Following PR whiz Blake Hamner (the n is silent), we watch as he attempts to balance his job as a Crisis Communications Manager for Our Leader and his relationship with his news anchor wife, two aspects of his life that are very much at odds. This is a fun read for anyone who likes their escapism with a heavy dose of political commentary.
Thanks to NetGalley and Adam Bender for the opportunity to listen to this book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Adam Bender for the opportunity to listen to this book.
January 10, 2022
This book is almost like a few episodes of Black Mirror smushed together but starring Leslie Nielson. The banter between the characters sometimes makes the reader forget the seriousness of the dystopian America presented in the novel. The author's feelings about romance and relationships, acceptance of others, and celebration of small victories become apparent. I might have liked to see more actual consequences for the "bad guys" but considering the protagonist is a master of PR spin I think the story ended right where it needed to. It's an interesting job and perspective.
May 29, 2022
While listening to this audiobook, I could easily see it as a made-for-Netflix movie or limited series. I loved the banter between characters and the dry humor. I think it would play out nicely on screen.
The audiobook narrator was engaging and fun to listen to.
This speculative fiction was a little too close to home, as there were seemingly quite a few parallels to a previous American president...but all in all, an entertaining read/listen.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
The audiobook narrator was engaging and fun to listen to.
This speculative fiction was a little too close to home, as there were seemingly quite a few parallels to a previous American president...but all in all, an entertaining read/listen.
Thank you, NetGalley, for providing this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.
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