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A Shallow Heart: Dystopian Sci-Fi Drama
WHEN TRUTH KNOCKS, WILL SHE ANSWER?
Lynelle built the system. She knows how it works, and what it buries.
In a near-future city kept orderly by design, she has power, a family, and every reason to look the other way. For years, she does.
Until she can't.
A tense, twisty story about one woman caught between the world she helped create and the one she can no longer ignore.
Lynelle built the system. She knows how it works, and what it buries.
In a near-future city kept orderly by design, she has power, a family, and every reason to look the other way. For years, she does.
Until she can't.
A tense, twisty story about one woman caught between the world she helped create and the one she can no longer ignore.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 2, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Author
A woman who helped build the system running her city discovers a secret that could bring it crashing down.
I really enjoyed this atmospheric dystopian sci-fi. It took me a little while to get into, but once I passed the first 20%, I flew through it. The writing was easy to follow, the scenes vivid, and the story kept me wanting to know what would happen next.
I liked most of the characters, though some could have been explored in more depth. The ambiguity also left several questions open to interpretation, which may work well for some readers but occasionally frustrated me.
Overall, an engaging, thought-provoking read that I raced through once it got going.
Thanks to the author for the eArc!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this atmospheric dystopian sci-fi. It took me a little while to get into, but once I passed the first 20%, I flew through it. The writing was easy to follow, the scenes vivid, and the story kept me wanting to know what would happen next.
I liked most of the characters, though some could have been explored in more depth. The ambiguity also left several questions open to interpretation, which may work well for some readers but occasionally frustrated me.
Overall, an engaging, thought-provoking read that I raced through once it got going.
Thanks to the author for the eArc!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Author
A Shallow Heart caught my attention from the very first pages. The story takes us to a futuristic city where everything has its place, its rules, and a clearly defined purpose. At first glance, it seems like a perfectly functioning society. But the deeper we get into the story, the more we begin to sense that something far more complicated is hiding beneath the surface.
Lynelle is part of a world she has always known as safe and orderly. Gradually, however, she begins to encounter strange events and inconsistencies that make her question everything around her. And it is this gradual uncovering of the truth that keeps you intrigued, wondering what the author has in store for us.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its atmosphere. The author doesn't need constant action to create tension. Small details, unsettling moments, recurring motives, and the feeling that something simply isn't right are enough.
Another strong point is the way the story explores technology, social control, memory, and identity. It makes you think about where comfort ends and manipulation begins – and what we are willing to sacrifice in exchange for safety or the chance to preserve what we have lost.
But the theme that resonated with me the most was loss and grief. It gives the story a much more personal and emotional dimension, keeping it from feeling like just another dystopian sci-fi novel.
I do have to mention that A Shallow Heart has a slower pace, with a lot of attention given to world-building and gradually revealing information. If you're looking for action-packed sci-fi, this approach might catch you off guard. Personally, I enjoyed the slow unraveling, and the ending showed me why even the smallest details mattered.
For me, A Shallow Heart is a thoughtfully crafted dystopian sci-fi novel with a mysterious atmosphere and a strong emotional core. It's the kind of book that made me keep thinking for a while after finishing it, wondering what had actually been hiding between the lines.
Lynelle is part of a world she has always known as safe and orderly. Gradually, however, she begins to encounter strange events and inconsistencies that make her question everything around her. And it is this gradual uncovering of the truth that keeps you intrigued, wondering what the author has in store for us.
One of the book's greatest strengths is its atmosphere. The author doesn't need constant action to create tension. Small details, unsettling moments, recurring motives, and the feeling that something simply isn't right are enough.
Another strong point is the way the story explores technology, social control, memory, and identity. It makes you think about where comfort ends and manipulation begins – and what we are willing to sacrifice in exchange for safety or the chance to preserve what we have lost.
But the theme that resonated with me the most was loss and grief. It gives the story a much more personal and emotional dimension, keeping it from feeling like just another dystopian sci-fi novel.
I do have to mention that A Shallow Heart has a slower pace, with a lot of attention given to world-building and gradually revealing information. If you're looking for action-packed sci-fi, this approach might catch you off guard. Personally, I enjoyed the slow unraveling, and the ending showed me why even the smallest details mattered.
For me, A Shallow Heart is a thoughtfully crafted dystopian sci-fi novel with a mysterious atmosphere and a strong emotional core. It's the kind of book that made me keep thinking for a while after finishing it, wondering what had actually been hiding between the lines.
October 2, 2026
Book review of A Shallow Heart by James Badman, releasing today, Oct 2, 2026. Many thanks to the author for this ARC.
"Do you ever wonder," she said, "if the system is actually broken. Or if it's working exactly as designed."
Set in a possibly not so distant future, A Shallow Heart is a dystopian sci-fi drama about control and grief. Taking place in an unnamed city divided into districts, the top percentage of the population live in comfort, turning a blind eye to the suffering of those in the lower districts, encouraged by an algorithm that keeps the truth hidden, offering pretty slogans and mind-numbing entertainment to keep the population compliant.
On the surface this is a quite gentle, quite mundane story of people just doing their jobs and going about their day, working, raising children and going to school. But at a closer look, this is a terrifying tale of a society built on deceit and suffering, maintained not by evil people spreading pain and suffering with malicious intent, but by normal people who see the world as numbers and statistics and therefore chose a system with some degree of stability over complete chaos, regardless of the human sacrifices entailed in an AI-controlled system that chooses who is worthy of welfare and who isn't.
It is a story of what happens when efficiency and data take precedence over empathy and kindness, when human lives are reduced to numbers in a report, and when the happiness of a select elite is prioritised over the greater good for all of mankind. And it is a story of a family functioning on routine and habit until one day when their carefully curated existence is changed forever.
Thought-provoking, unsettling and raising far more questions than it answers, A Shallow Heart examines the frictions and contradictions between freedom and control, stability and chaos, systems and individuality.
"Do you ever wonder," she said, "if the system is actually broken. Or if it's working exactly as designed."
Set in a possibly not so distant future, A Shallow Heart is a dystopian sci-fi drama about control and grief. Taking place in an unnamed city divided into districts, the top percentage of the population live in comfort, turning a blind eye to the suffering of those in the lower districts, encouraged by an algorithm that keeps the truth hidden, offering pretty slogans and mind-numbing entertainment to keep the population compliant.
On the surface this is a quite gentle, quite mundane story of people just doing their jobs and going about their day, working, raising children and going to school. But at a closer look, this is a terrifying tale of a society built on deceit and suffering, maintained not by evil people spreading pain and suffering with malicious intent, but by normal people who see the world as numbers and statistics and therefore chose a system with some degree of stability over complete chaos, regardless of the human sacrifices entailed in an AI-controlled system that chooses who is worthy of welfare and who isn't.
It is a story of what happens when efficiency and data take precedence over empathy and kindness, when human lives are reduced to numbers in a report, and when the happiness of a select elite is prioritised over the greater good for all of mankind. And it is a story of a family functioning on routine and habit until one day when their carefully curated existence is changed forever.
Thought-provoking, unsettling and raising far more questions than it answers, A Shallow Heart examines the frictions and contradictions between freedom and control, stability and chaos, systems and individuality.
October 14, 2026
This was an interesting take on the dystopian. Often in dystopian's we get the perspective of those who exist in the margins of society. The victims of this system. However, this novel takes a different approach. We are witnessing the callous, heartlessness of a ruling class determined to maintain their roles and a system built on disenfranchisement. We see how they brainwash their
populace; how easy it is for them not to care and to put lives in danger. This bleeds into Lynelle's personal life and often leaves you with the question: how can anyone be so shallow?
My only complaint with this novel is the B plot. The hunt to locate and release the file. It was an interesting journey among all 4 sections of the heart. Truths are revealed, lies are exposed and then it just leads nowhere. Its a plot line that honestly feels super disjointed from the rest of the novel. And I wanted more with the team, or at least a follow up post mission as they were my favorite characters!
Based on these thoughts, I was planning on giving this review a 3, but the twist at the end will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about this family and the choices that they have made to this point. And more specifically how far someone will go to have more time with the ones they love!
populace; how easy it is for them not to care and to put lives in danger. This bleeds into Lynelle's personal life and often leaves you with the question: how can anyone be so shallow?
My only complaint with this novel is the B plot. The hunt to locate and release the file. It was an interesting journey among all 4 sections of the heart. Truths are revealed, lies are exposed and then it just leads nowhere. Its a plot line that honestly feels super disjointed from the rest of the novel. And I wanted more with the team, or at least a follow up post mission as they were my favorite characters!
Based on these thoughts, I was planning on giving this review a 3, but the twist at the end will have you rethinking everything you thought you knew about this family and the choices that they have made to this point. And more specifically how far someone will go to have more time with the ones they love!
October 2, 2026
A Shallow Heart: Dystopian Sci-Fi DramaAs someone who doesn’t usually read science fiction, I really enjoyed this story. In particular I liked how the author developed the characters throughout the book, so much so that you started to emphasise with them at times. The book kept you hooked with the two parallel story lines, and all I’ll say is you won’t be prepared for the twist at the end! Still wrapping my head around that!
September 12, 2026
A Shallow Heart was an interesting sci-fi dystopian novel that focuses on technology, power and the characters living in a curated system.
I enjoyed the authors choice not to answer everything, allowing readers to question their own understanding of what is the narrative vs truth. I liked the characters, their complexities and moralities; and would have loved more exploration of what happens to them.
I found myself reading for longer than planned every time I sat down with this book, and that is always a great sign for me.
ARC gifted by author.
I enjoyed the authors choice not to answer everything, allowing readers to question their own understanding of what is the narrative vs truth. I liked the characters, their complexities and moralities; and would have loved more exploration of what happens to them.
I found myself reading for longer than planned every time I sat down with this book, and that is always a great sign for me.
ARC gifted by author.
October 5, 2026
‘A Shallow Heart’ took me a few chapters to get into the story but once I did, the novel became unputdownable, I found this to be an action packed and engaging read. I enjoyed the futuristic atmosphere, the dystopian sci-fi vibes were matched so well. I enjoyed learning about the characters, they were easy to like and each of them faced challenges in their own way.
This was also an incredibly thought provoking read and it really gets you thinking after you’ve finished the book.
If you are looking for you next sci-dystopian read then add this to your tbr!
This was also an incredibly thought provoking read and it really gets you thinking after you’ve finished the book.
If you are looking for you next sci-dystopian read then add this to your tbr!
October 2, 2026
This was a wonderfully written story it was well-paced and intriguing. Picturing this futuristic city and characters James Badman created it was very easy to be immersed it each character’s circumstances. I felt like I knew them all personally, I felt the tension and a palpable sense of foreboding that kept me glued to the story. Well done.
October 12, 2026
I finished this over a weekend and couldn’t stop myself. It left me thinking about it and I like those sorts of fiction
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews