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Neon Lullabies
Are you dreaming? Are you sleeping? Have the neon lullabies worked, or will you join the Awakening?
In the Seacity, the sun never shines. While the corporate-ruled utopia of Skycity glistens among the clouds, the sinking underworld of crime, salt water, and eternal night known as the Seacity makes a home among the sunken ruins of a former American metropolis. Here, criminal syndicates govern divided neighborhoods sponsored by various corporations, and status is defined by having the latest tech.
Growing up in the sunless alleyways of the Seacity, former Syndicate engineer Hat now carves a life out for themself by hacking into corporate databases and making edits for credits. When a job gone wrong lands them with a 100-grand bounty on their head, Hat finds themself at the mercy of the Awakening, a shadow-operating resistance group seeking to topple the mega-corporations that puppeteer everyday life in the Seacity.
Meanwhile, in Skycity, the Seacity-born Helena finds herself interning with Neol Inc., the world’s leading technology company. While Hat navigates the ranks of the Awakening, Helena gains an inside look at Skycity’s corporate propaganda and starts to understand that it’s never been corporation versus corporation so much as Skycity versus Seacity.
Forced to choose between the city of her birth and the possibilities of her future, Helena finds herself questioning the price of morality in the cut-throat corporate workplace of Skycity. And when Hat lands themself in a prison after learning of an impending software update with the potential to destroy any semblance of freedom the technologically reliant people of the Seacity still have, Hat must find a way to escape their high-security jail cell or witness the end of free will in the Seacity.
In the Seacity, the sun never shines. While the corporate-ruled utopia of Skycity glistens among the clouds, the sinking underworld of crime, salt water, and eternal night known as the Seacity makes a home among the sunken ruins of a former American metropolis. Here, criminal syndicates govern divided neighborhoods sponsored by various corporations, and status is defined by having the latest tech.
Growing up in the sunless alleyways of the Seacity, former Syndicate engineer Hat now carves a life out for themself by hacking into corporate databases and making edits for credits. When a job gone wrong lands them with a 100-grand bounty on their head, Hat finds themself at the mercy of the Awakening, a shadow-operating resistance group seeking to topple the mega-corporations that puppeteer everyday life in the Seacity.
Meanwhile, in Skycity, the Seacity-born Helena finds herself interning with Neol Inc., the world’s leading technology company. While Hat navigates the ranks of the Awakening, Helena gains an inside look at Skycity’s corporate propaganda and starts to understand that it’s never been corporation versus corporation so much as Skycity versus Seacity.
Forced to choose between the city of her birth and the possibilities of her future, Helena finds herself questioning the price of morality in the cut-throat corporate workplace of Skycity. And when Hat lands themself in a prison after learning of an impending software update with the potential to destroy any semblance of freedom the technologically reliant people of the Seacity still have, Hat must find a way to escape their high-security jail cell or witness the end of free will in the Seacity.
237 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 19, 2025
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12 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
September 5, 2025
Neon Lullabies is scaringly close to so many things in life, especially the ever-advancing development of technology, our dependency on it, corporations selling products no one needs, as well as the rising discrepancy of wealth and poverty. Which is to say, Wilson has done an amazing job at capturing the fears and advantage of both technology and being dependent on it, as well as oppression of the "lower" class.
Set in the 25th century of a future-esque American world, the only things that have improved are a queernormative world and no skin color based racism. Instead, we have elitism between the Seacity, a city with no university or higher education, and no real sunlight, and the Skycity, where all technology is engineered and produced, a city that suppressed the Seacity with technological control.
Some quotes especially really are such a true and raw reflection of what's going on in our current world.
We have two POVs as well as several news articles and short paragraphs from books.
First, there's Hat, who grew up in the Seacity and is a rebel who wants to better their people's situation. They don't shy away from challenges and prefer to unite people over their own comfort. Especially loved the relationship with Solanine. It's wonderful to see a queerplatonic soulmates relationship in fiction.
The second POV is Helena, also born and raised in the Seacity. She accepted a scholarship in the Skycity though, one that Hat declined, and we follow her navigating the struggle between being Seacity-born and wanting to fit in with the Skycity. At first I felt with her, but later on...not so much. Helena is a saddening example of how elitism corrupts people and pushes them to throw their morality over board to fit in.
All over, Neon Lullabies is an amazing novel that reflects where our world is heading - and that we should stay vigilant of corporations accessing our data.
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy but I'm freely leaving this review. All opinions are my own.
Set in the 25th century of a future-esque American world, the only things that have improved are a queernormative world and no skin color based racism. Instead, we have elitism between the Seacity, a city with no university or higher education, and no real sunlight, and the Skycity, where all technology is engineered and produced, a city that suppressed the Seacity with technological control.
Some quotes especially really are such a true and raw reflection of what's going on in our current world.
You might own the device, but they own your data. Every last bit of it.
We have two POVs as well as several news articles and short paragraphs from books.
First, there's Hat, who grew up in the Seacity and is a rebel who wants to better their people's situation. They don't shy away from challenges and prefer to unite people over their own comfort. Especially loved the relationship with Solanine. It's wonderful to see a queerplatonic soulmates relationship in fiction.
The second POV is Helena, also born and raised in the Seacity. She accepted a scholarship in the Skycity though, one that Hat declined, and we follow her navigating the struggle between being Seacity-born and wanting to fit in with the Skycity. At first I felt with her, but later on...not so much. Helena is a saddening example of how elitism corrupts people and pushes them to throw their morality over board to fit in.
All over, Neon Lullabies is an amazing novel that reflects where our world is heading - and that we should stay vigilant of corporations accessing our data.
I received this book as an Advance Reader Copy but I'm freely leaving this review. All opinions are my own.
January 19, 2026
Neon Lullabies is an excellent book, filled with interesting characters and a compelling setting. The author's inclusion of short passages from in-universe books at the start of every chapter was a great way to continue the themes while giving insight and depth to the world of NL. The characters of Hat and Helena were particularly delightful and I look forward to seeing where they evolve in future works. Would recommend to anyone looking to spend an afternoon reading a thoughtful, well-developed story that will stick with them after they read the last page.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews