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672
The world of the future has split into two dividing factions. Civilization has changed in its meaning, and citizens now live in glass towers built to sustain life as would in the natural world. Society in 672 has also taken on a different form, with natural prodigies being the ones who inhabit the glass towers, they work upon the newest technologies and abide by their belief that intelligence is genetically based. The rest of the world populace is shunned, otherwise known as the “Piggies” whom have become targets of ridicule for the citizens.
Emilia finds her own destiny inexplicably intertwined within the world that has come to be, and upon discovering a dark truth-must make a heartbreaking decision that will either lead to her utter destruction, or salvation.
Readers who enjoy classic dystopian science fiction novels such as Brave New World or 1984, may enjoy 672 as well.
Learn more at: www.672thebook.com
Emilia finds her own destiny inexplicably intertwined within the world that has come to be, and upon discovering a dark truth-must make a heartbreaking decision that will either lead to her utter destruction, or salvation.
Readers who enjoy classic dystopian science fiction novels such as Brave New World or 1984, may enjoy 672 as well.
Learn more at: www.672thebook.com
198 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 6, 2015
About the author
J.S. Lee
1 book1 followerBased in the Bay Area of California, J.S. Lee has always been an avid reader and lover of stories that speak of the deeper issues in society. In terms of literary tastes, J.S. Lee loves a good science fiction, fantasy or literary novel, but like most voracious readers- will read any story that speaks from and to the heart.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 16, 2015
I received a copy of 672 from the author in exchange for an honest review. You can read my full review on my blog here.
May 1, 2015
I was asked by J.S Lee to review their book so here is my review. 672 is a fantasy story set in the future where people live in giant towers after a world war. The towers were built to protect people from attack from other nations. The rich and important people live at the top, the middle class are at the centre and the lower classes are at the bottom. People are allowed to travel around the tower but it depends on their rank on how high they can go. Most people never leave the tower and spend their whole lives in it. The towers are wonderful places to live in for everyone; there is free food, floors devoted to entertainment and free healthcare.
Outside the tower live the piggies , uncivilized people who live out in the wild. Piggies are known for their low intelligence and large weight. The tower inhabitants hate the savages, viewing them as murderous people who would kill tower citizens if they had the chance. The tower inhabitants regularly slaughter piggies and hope to one day kill them all. However, the piggies may not be their enemies at all.
There are two main characters in the story, the first is a teenage girl named Emilia who doesn’t remember her past or how she came to the tower. She lives with a roommate named Annie, a sensitive girl who loves watching soap operas. Emilia also has a caretaker named Silver who looks after her welfare. Emilia spends her time by exploring the tower; her favourite places being the zoo and conservatory to view plant life. At times, she is suspicious about life in the tower and fears that something underhanded is happening in secret.
The other main character is John who is a scientist. He lives in the upper floors of the tower. The president of the tower assigns him the role of creating perfect humans that are beautiful and intelligent. John is married to Penelope who desperately wants a baby and begs him to steal one of his specimens.
I thought the John character was more developed than Emilia and I liked John more. I thought John’s attitudes, actions and feelings were well described particularly his feelings towards his wife and the women in his life. I did not like how he patronized the women but they were a bit silly and naïve.
I found that there was a lack of detail on Emilia’s background story. When Emilia learns the truth about her place in the tower, she suddenly has new skills that make her into a good fighter and strategist. I think a flashback needs to be added into the story of Emilia’s past to make it more fleshed out. At first, I liked Emilia for her curiosity and bravery and as the story progressed I found her to be less believable.
I thought 672 was a novel when I first downloaded it but it’s actually a short story. So I was surprised when it ended abruptly and with unfinished business. Overall, I feel that the story is well written and has potential if a few things were fixed. The story feels like it is a very good draft for a novel. I actually hope that the story is developed further. I would suggest the writer work on putting a bit more realism and detail into the story.
For example *Spoilers*
Emilia, Annie and Eli have never been in the wilderness before and have no camping equipment. Yet, they never complain about being cold or dirty. I thought it was surprising that Annie who is a very sensitive and sheltered person would enjoy camping in the forest.
I was also surprised that Emilia didn’t have the urge to rescue or take revenge. She abandoned the other cropplings and had no interest in the piggies once she was free.
John is ordered to take Emilia and Eli back to the tower after he captures them. The president knows how dangerous Emilia is so why doesn’t he send an armed guard to go get her?
Also , another aspect of the story I found jarring was how the president ordered for baby Olive to be sterile. To achieve sterility, she must drink a substance called milkwood so that she can never fall pregnant. The president orders that Olive will under guard to ensure that she does drink milkwood in the future. I think a better solution would have been to order a hysterectomy or have the child killed because then you don’t have as much doubt. I was surprised that such a ruthless president would not have murdered John, Penelope and Olive and be done with the mess.
I would have liked to have read more about the piggies. They seemed like really interesting people and it would have been good if there were more interaction with the tower people. The tower people think the piggies are unintelligent but they are actually smarter than they look.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe that J.S Lee is a talented writer. I think J.S Lee was successful in creating a vivid world that is fascinating and sinister at the same time. I just think this story has some flaws that diminish the potential for a great read.
Outside the tower live the piggies , uncivilized people who live out in the wild. Piggies are known for their low intelligence and large weight. The tower inhabitants hate the savages, viewing them as murderous people who would kill tower citizens if they had the chance. The tower inhabitants regularly slaughter piggies and hope to one day kill them all. However, the piggies may not be their enemies at all.
There are two main characters in the story, the first is a teenage girl named Emilia who doesn’t remember her past or how she came to the tower. She lives with a roommate named Annie, a sensitive girl who loves watching soap operas. Emilia also has a caretaker named Silver who looks after her welfare. Emilia spends her time by exploring the tower; her favourite places being the zoo and conservatory to view plant life. At times, she is suspicious about life in the tower and fears that something underhanded is happening in secret.
The other main character is John who is a scientist. He lives in the upper floors of the tower. The president of the tower assigns him the role of creating perfect humans that are beautiful and intelligent. John is married to Penelope who desperately wants a baby and begs him to steal one of his specimens.
I thought the John character was more developed than Emilia and I liked John more. I thought John’s attitudes, actions and feelings were well described particularly his feelings towards his wife and the women in his life. I did not like how he patronized the women but they were a bit silly and naïve.
I found that there was a lack of detail on Emilia’s background story. When Emilia learns the truth about her place in the tower, she suddenly has new skills that make her into a good fighter and strategist. I think a flashback needs to be added into the story of Emilia’s past to make it more fleshed out. At first, I liked Emilia for her curiosity and bravery and as the story progressed I found her to be less believable.
I thought 672 was a novel when I first downloaded it but it’s actually a short story. So I was surprised when it ended abruptly and with unfinished business. Overall, I feel that the story is well written and has potential if a few things were fixed. The story feels like it is a very good draft for a novel. I actually hope that the story is developed further. I would suggest the writer work on putting a bit more realism and detail into the story.
For example *Spoilers*
Emilia, Annie and Eli have never been in the wilderness before and have no camping equipment. Yet, they never complain about being cold or dirty. I thought it was surprising that Annie who is a very sensitive and sheltered person would enjoy camping in the forest.
I was also surprised that Emilia didn’t have the urge to rescue or take revenge. She abandoned the other cropplings and had no interest in the piggies once she was free.
John is ordered to take Emilia and Eli back to the tower after he captures them. The president knows how dangerous Emilia is so why doesn’t he send an armed guard to go get her?
Also , another aspect of the story I found jarring was how the president ordered for baby Olive to be sterile. To achieve sterility, she must drink a substance called milkwood so that she can never fall pregnant. The president orders that Olive will under guard to ensure that she does drink milkwood in the future. I think a better solution would have been to order a hysterectomy or have the child killed because then you don’t have as much doubt. I was surprised that such a ruthless president would not have murdered John, Penelope and Olive and be done with the mess.
I would have liked to have read more about the piggies. They seemed like really interesting people and it would have been good if there were more interaction with the tower people. The tower people think the piggies are unintelligent but they are actually smarter than they look.
Despite these criticisms, I do believe that J.S Lee is a talented writer. I think J.S Lee was successful in creating a vivid world that is fascinating and sinister at the same time. I just think this story has some flaws that diminish the potential for a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2016
J.S. Lee's novel is reminiscent of "The Island"(2005) futuristic/ dystopian movie starring Ewan McGregor.
J.S. Lee very eloquently reveals the ideology of humankind, it's superiority complex and it's need to maintain superiority in this world, possibly the universe, it's newly appointed role in this bloodthirsty quest for technological as well as genetic superiority of the human species, a futuristic Darwinism, which is very telling of where our human culture may be turning towards today.
Lee reveals the strict standards put upon this society to conform to a new world order that confines those whom are seen less than who are not what they perceive as an intellectual, such as someone who may be learned in books even beautifully creative but, genetically flawed because they don't exude superior intelligence( extremely high IQ) in their DNA makeup. Lee also shows how those who are seen as intellectuals are held to a higher standard than those who seemingly are not by society standards.
Also Lee reveals quite fascinatingly I might add a philosophical standpoint about how society is immersed in all aspects of our lives, like an eternal clique integrating us into its grand design whether we like it or not. We are a slave to society such as in the symbolism of Lee's book when the "Pigges" two children at the beginning of the novel are chained around their necks. This also shows how amoral society is and is becoming even now in our society. This is a very intelligent, insightful and very intuitive as well as very informative read. Absolutely well worth it!
J.S. Lee very eloquently reveals the ideology of humankind, it's superiority complex and it's need to maintain superiority in this world, possibly the universe, it's newly appointed role in this bloodthirsty quest for technological as well as genetic superiority of the human species, a futuristic Darwinism, which is very telling of where our human culture may be turning towards today.
Lee reveals the strict standards put upon this society to conform to a new world order that confines those whom are seen less than who are not what they perceive as an intellectual, such as someone who may be learned in books even beautifully creative but, genetically flawed because they don't exude superior intelligence( extremely high IQ) in their DNA makeup. Lee also shows how those who are seen as intellectuals are held to a higher standard than those who seemingly are not by society standards.
Also Lee reveals quite fascinatingly I might add a philosophical standpoint about how society is immersed in all aspects of our lives, like an eternal clique integrating us into its grand design whether we like it or not. We are a slave to society such as in the symbolism of Lee's book when the "Pigges" two children at the beginning of the novel are chained around their necks. This also shows how amoral society is and is becoming even now in our society. This is a very intelligent, insightful and very intuitive as well as very informative read. Absolutely well worth it!
May 11, 2015
"The world of the future has split into two dividing factions. Civilization has changed in its meaning, and citizens now live in glass towers built to sustain life as would in the natural world. Society in 672 has also taken on a different form, with natural prodigies being the ones who inhabit the glass towers, they work upon the newest technologies and abide by their belief that intelligence is genetically based. The rest of the world populace is shunned, otherwise known as the “Piggies” whom have become targets of ridicule for the citizens.
Emilia finds her own destiny inexplicably intertwined within the world that has come to be, and upon discovering a dark truth-must make a heartbreaking decision that will either lead to her utter destruction, or salvation."
It took me a while to finally get into this but it had a lot to do with timing. I've been in a bit of a slump these last few months and life has been hectic.
It started off strong and I really thought I was going to love this book but as it went on the writing style got a but irritating and point of view changes excessively. I couldn't connect with the characters and that really set be back from connecting with the story.
The fact that it is quite short meant there wasn't a lot of filler and it stayed on track well. I just lost interest about a third of the way through. I didn't care enough about the characters and the story, but J.S. Lee's writing has great potential and the story did have a refreshing style.
Emilia finds her own destiny inexplicably intertwined within the world that has come to be, and upon discovering a dark truth-must make a heartbreaking decision that will either lead to her utter destruction, or salvation."
It took me a while to finally get into this but it had a lot to do with timing. I've been in a bit of a slump these last few months and life has been hectic.
It started off strong and I really thought I was going to love this book but as it went on the writing style got a but irritating and point of view changes excessively. I couldn't connect with the characters and that really set be back from connecting with the story.
The fact that it is quite short meant there wasn't a lot of filler and it stayed on track well. I just lost interest about a third of the way through. I didn't care enough about the characters and the story, but J.S. Lee's writing has great potential and the story did have a refreshing style.
February 13, 2015
672 is set in a future society in which humans mostly live in glass towers. They are separated by floor with the elite living high above while the “piggies” live below. In this setting we meet Emilia, who lives near the base of the tower, and John and Penelope who live near the top. Emilia wakes with no memory or concern of who she is and floats through life with her friend Anna until she meets a man from the highest floor who is smitten with her and asks her to marry him. All is fine, until she meets a friend and we realize that perhaps she knows him from before she woke up.
In the meantime, Penelope upstairs has decided she wants a baby. She convinces John to steal one from the extremely important decade long genetics project he’s involved in at work. Life is good until Penelope’s mother shows up and warns John that he’ll have to give up his casual affairs.
I want to like this book, there is something endearing about the story line, but there are a number of technical issues that get in the way. Point of view shifts rapidly between characters, sometimes making it hard to know what is going on. Much of the story is told to us in a way that makes all the characters feel the same. There are issues with plot, but perhaps the biggest issue is the amount of exposition explaining what is happening instead of letting the reader experience it unfolding.
It isn’t that there are no redeeming qualities, but one must be patient and work hard to find them.
In the meantime, Penelope upstairs has decided she wants a baby. She convinces John to steal one from the extremely important decade long genetics project he’s involved in at work. Life is good until Penelope’s mother shows up and warns John that he’ll have to give up his casual affairs.
I want to like this book, there is something endearing about the story line, but there are a number of technical issues that get in the way. Point of view shifts rapidly between characters, sometimes making it hard to know what is going on. Much of the story is told to us in a way that makes all the characters feel the same. There are issues with plot, but perhaps the biggest issue is the amount of exposition explaining what is happening instead of letting the reader experience it unfolding.
It isn’t that there are no redeeming qualities, but one must be patient and work hard to find them.
February 8, 2015
I absolutely love dystopian/utopian books. The last dystopian fiction I've read was the divergent series. And that series sort of got me a little off from that genre. BUT thanks to 672, I am reminded once again why I fell for dystopian fiction to begin with.
The story was really good. It's quite short, and skipped through a lot, but I sort of got used to that from reading The Giver. They are quite similar in a lot of things, which is probably one of the main reasons why I like it.
I have to admit I was confused for a good 50+ pages, or probably more, but I think that was the good type of confusion because I started to understand it all at the same time and that gave me something like "okay, what? I am a little mind blown right now".
The only let down was that I actually did not feel much for the characters, they were just...characters. But I think it being a short story might be a reason. And I think the intriguing story sort of balances that loss.
I was genuinely surprised at the slightly harsh parts. And the whole savages thing and the separation of people and all is really going to get me thinking, and with the right amount of pessimism, it can definitely be seen as realistic.
All in all, it was a quite interesting and short, yet a little heavy read.
The story was really good. It's quite short, and skipped through a lot, but I sort of got used to that from reading The Giver. They are quite similar in a lot of things, which is probably one of the main reasons why I like it.
I have to admit I was confused for a good 50+ pages, or probably more, but I think that was the good type of confusion because I started to understand it all at the same time and that gave me something like "okay, what? I am a little mind blown right now".
The only let down was that I actually did not feel much for the characters, they were just...characters. But I think it being a short story might be a reason. And I think the intriguing story sort of balances that loss.
I was genuinely surprised at the slightly harsh parts. And the whole savages thing and the separation of people and all is really going to get me thinking, and with the right amount of pessimism, it can definitely be seen as realistic.
All in all, it was a quite interesting and short, yet a little heavy read.
March 8, 2015
Gave up on it at the half way mark.
Too many spelling mistakes and/or typos - like 'they're' for 'their' or 'there' - and missing punctuation. I'm surprised that other reviewers haven't picked up on this.
Also felt the dialogue was stilted (reminiscent in some places of the kind of thing Enid Blyton might have written!) and the story relied far too much on it. It may have been a deliberate choice, but it came across to me like the writer couldn't be bothered describing the characters' world or their actions.
By the half way mark I had begun to feel I was reading not dystopian literature but a soap opera. There was no compelling urgency in anything that was happening. Nothing to drive a reader forward and keep them turning the pages.
I wanted to like it but I'm afraid 672 just didn't cut it for me.
Too many spelling mistakes and/or typos - like 'they're' for 'their' or 'there' - and missing punctuation. I'm surprised that other reviewers haven't picked up on this.
Also felt the dialogue was stilted (reminiscent in some places of the kind of thing Enid Blyton might have written!) and the story relied far too much on it. It may have been a deliberate choice, but it came across to me like the writer couldn't be bothered describing the characters' world or their actions.
By the half way mark I had begun to feel I was reading not dystopian literature but a soap opera. There was no compelling urgency in anything that was happening. Nothing to drive a reader forward and keep them turning the pages.
I wanted to like it but I'm afraid 672 just didn't cut it for me.
January 29, 2015
This story was very much like what I expected it to be although it had a different feel to what i considered factions to be since reading divergent and being engrossed in that story this was an interesting dystopian novel. Although I didnt care for 1984 I did enjoy J.S. Lee's story.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews