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Filtered
Wear Your Mask—in the smog-choked city of Einsam it’s not just a good idea, it’s the law.
Every aspect of life in the Great Society is regulated, your every action observed.
The only thoughts you can trust are your own.
Seventeen years of oppression boil in Evelyn’s mind and she’s desperate for a way out.
In an act of defiance, Evelyn breaks from routine and discovers a world of radicals and dissidents. Beliefs she thought immutable crumble away like ash.
Standing on the threshold between the world she’s always known and an uncertain path toward freedom, Evelyn must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to learn the truth about the Great Society.
Every aspect of life in the Great Society is regulated, your every action observed.
The only thoughts you can trust are your own.
Seventeen years of oppression boil in Evelyn’s mind and she’s desperate for a way out.
In an act of defiance, Evelyn breaks from routine and discovers a world of radicals and dissidents. Beliefs she thought immutable crumble away like ash.
Standing on the threshold between the world she’s always known and an uncertain path toward freedom, Evelyn must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to learn the truth about the Great Society.
- GenresScience Fiction
382 pages, Paperback
First published November 17, 2015
2 people are currently reading
407 people want to read
About the author
G.K. Lamb
3 books13 followersHi, I’m Gerald Lamb. I am a storyteller, filmmaker, historian, and occasional podcast host of Fiction Writer. I’ve been writing since I was a kid, using fiction to wrestle with life’s big questions and capture the small, human details that bring a story to life.
When I’m not writing, I’m often filming historical documentaries, exploring forgotten places, or wandering through archives in search of the next story. Whether it’s on the page, on screen, or through my podcast, my goal is the same: to tell stories that linger with you long after they’re over.
When I’m not writing, I’m often filming historical documentaries, exploring forgotten places, or wandering through archives in search of the next story. Whether it’s on the page, on screen, or through my podcast, my goal is the same: to tell stories that linger with you long after they’re over.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
March 18, 2016
Filtered struck me immediately with its power to pull me into a world that has become smothered under a deceitful and oppressive government. The author exhibits an uncanny ability to project what the characters are experiencing, so much so that I found myself feeling empathy with the central character to the point that I had to read the book in increments to stave off the depression and desperation to help her break free of the mental and emotional bondage that her society had grown to accept as the norm.
The story itself is told from a first-person perspective, well paced and rich with the environmental descriptions necessary to keep you connected with the characters, who are themselves deeply developed.
Gerald Lamb's extensive background makes itself known in the way he builds the antagonist and social system that has refined its control over a populace with skilled propaganda and threatening undertones. It speaks strongly of a world we might recognize as 1938, where fear brings the welcoming of government control that will eventually turn on the very ones who asked for it.
A good read for certain.
The story itself is told from a first-person perspective, well paced and rich with the environmental descriptions necessary to keep you connected with the characters, who are themselves deeply developed.
Gerald Lamb's extensive background makes itself known in the way he builds the antagonist and social system that has refined its control over a populace with skilled propaganda and threatening undertones. It speaks strongly of a world we might recognize as 1938, where fear brings the welcoming of government control that will eventually turn on the very ones who asked for it.
A good read for certain.
Read
December 17, 2015I like the dystopian elements of this novel; because it's not couched in made-up ridiculous terms (cough, Maze Runner, cough), the Great Society feels like a real, sinister totalitarian state that could exist--and has existed before. Unlike other dystopian YA novels, Evelyn isn't caught in a love triangle, or really any romantic arc at all, which is definitely a benefit. Although the dialogue can switch from being realistic to ultra-formal (e.g. "Enough platitudes and hollow words!"), Evelyn feels like a well-developed character, and I particularly like the moment that catalyzes her to question the Great Society and the potential dangers underneath the veneer of propaganda, violence, and surveillance. I'm excited to know more as the plot unravels in future books--there are many questions and few answers about the government, besides an interesting flashback to its beginnings.
September 19, 2019
This was, overall, a solid start to a series. Owing to the fact that this is the first novel in a planned trilogy, my expectation from the outset was to have some plot threads unresolved.
The world-building is well-done. The world is seemingly heavily polluted, with a respirator being required when outside. In addition, there is a perpetual ash-fall. A totalitarian government, which seems to promote rampant consumerism in the upper echelons of society, is in power. There were definite elements in the world-building that I felt were lacking. Partly, since the story is told from the perspective of Evelyn, a 17 year-old, this is due to the limits of her knowledge base. Still, I think the reading experience would have been richer with a clearer understanding of the setting. For example, I am really not certain where the city is, geographically. There are linguistic hints that it is set in Britain (parliament, "W/C," etc), but other clues point to an American locale. (I suspect the author may have been going for Anywhere, Anycountry, but my personal opinion is that generic settings don't resonate as clearly).
Another world-building element that I felt could have been stronger (and may be in reserve for the next installment as Evelyn learns more) was the history of the Great Society. I was disappointed that the philosophical underpinnings were never explored. (If a movement is able to seize and retain power, there is usually some sort of an underlying philosophy that some swath of the population supports). Again, I think this would have enriched the fictional world.
The story progressed at a good pace, with description interspersed throughout and not hijacking the action sequences. I thought this was particularly well-executed.
The character development is also good. While I found Evelyn to be a bit annoying and inconsistent, I have also been a 17 year-old girl, so I recognise that's part and parcel of the age. Her split desire - between doing what she believes is right and wanting to retreat to the safety of her known experiences - rang true. I was disappointed that her relationship with her parents remained so vague and amorphous. There are also missing elements of Evelyn's past that, I suspect, may come to light later in the story.
Aside from some minor mistakes (homonym confusion, the weird use of "the parliament" rather than "Parliament", etc), the prose was well-edited.
For me the difference between this being a 4-star and a 5-star book was in the amount of coincidences/synchronicity that were required in order for the plot to move forward. It really stretched credulity (even for me, and my life is one big synchronicity) that so many things would just align for Evelyn.
All in all, this is definitely a worthwhile read, and I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
The world-building is well-done. The world is seemingly heavily polluted, with a respirator being required when outside. In addition, there is a perpetual ash-fall. A totalitarian government, which seems to promote rampant consumerism in the upper echelons of society, is in power. There were definite elements in the world-building that I felt were lacking. Partly, since the story is told from the perspective of Evelyn, a 17 year-old, this is due to the limits of her knowledge base. Still, I think the reading experience would have been richer with a clearer understanding of the setting. For example, I am really not certain where the city is, geographically. There are linguistic hints that it is set in Britain (parliament, "W/C," etc), but other clues point to an American locale. (I suspect the author may have been going for Anywhere, Anycountry, but my personal opinion is that generic settings don't resonate as clearly).
Another world-building element that I felt could have been stronger (and may be in reserve for the next installment as Evelyn learns more) was the history of the Great Society. I was disappointed that the philosophical underpinnings were never explored. (If a movement is able to seize and retain power, there is usually some sort of an underlying philosophy that some swath of the population supports). Again, I think this would have enriched the fictional world.
The story progressed at a good pace, with description interspersed throughout and not hijacking the action sequences. I thought this was particularly well-executed.
The character development is also good. While I found Evelyn to be a bit annoying and inconsistent, I have also been a 17 year-old girl, so I recognise that's part and parcel of the age. Her split desire - between doing what she believes is right and wanting to retreat to the safety of her known experiences - rang true. I was disappointed that her relationship with her parents remained so vague and amorphous. There are also missing elements of Evelyn's past that, I suspect, may come to light later in the story.
Aside from some minor mistakes (homonym confusion, the weird use of "the parliament" rather than "Parliament", etc), the prose was well-edited.
For me the difference between this being a 4-star and a 5-star book was in the amount of coincidences/synchronicity that were required in order for the plot to move forward. It really stretched credulity (even for me, and my life is one big synchronicity) that so many things would just align for Evelyn.
All in all, this is definitely a worthwhile read, and I would definitely be interested in reading more from this author.
I received a copy of this book through Voracious Readers Only.
June 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. It took me a while to get into it but once I did I couldn’t put it down. I
June 13, 2019
This story just didn’t work for me.
The characters are cardboard, the plot is unrealistic with everything being way too coincidental.
What were the original revolutionaries fighting for, the ones that formed The Great Society? Other than having to wear air filters, what does the society stand for? What are the core beliefs? What are the new revolutionaries fighting to change? Why does Evelyn get migraines when trying to remember her past? There are millions of questions, but no answers.
I received a complimentary copy from VRO in return for an honest review.
The characters are cardboard, the plot is unrealistic with everything being way too coincidental.
What were the original revolutionaries fighting for, the ones that formed The Great Society? Other than having to wear air filters, what does the society stand for? What are the core beliefs? What are the new revolutionaries fighting to change? Why does Evelyn get migraines when trying to remember her past? There are millions of questions, but no answers.
I received a complimentary copy from VRO in return for an honest review.
June 6, 2019
I enjoyed the worldbuilding. As a reader, you can picture quite well the great society that is covered with soot and ash. Some aspects of the book reminded me a bit of the Hunger Games and Divergent series but at the same time this book is very different from them and is unique. Some chapters were slow paced and others were action packed. By the end of the book, l was saddened but hooked and hopeful for what's in store next for the characters.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading YA dystopian novels with multiple plot twists.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
I recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading YA dystopian novels with multiple plot twists.
I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author via Voracious Readers Only.
June 6, 2019
At first, I thought this book was going to be too much like George Orwell's 1984 - and whilst there are early similarities, it very quickly shifts to become very different.
Evelyn is 17 years old, and starting to question her world, her society. They are told that the air is poison, and they must wear a mask at all times when outside - but as Evelyn starts to find evidence to the contrary, she starts to push back against the regime, the Great Society, that is controlling her world.
This feels like a tale that could one day become all too real. I look forward to reading book 2 in the series
Evelyn is 17 years old, and starting to question her world, her society. They are told that the air is poison, and they must wear a mask at all times when outside - but as Evelyn starts to find evidence to the contrary, she starts to push back against the regime, the Great Society, that is controlling her world.
This feels like a tale that could one day become all too real. I look forward to reading book 2 in the series
June 9, 2019
A hidden gem
I've read this book twice now it's that great. You will too if you give it a chance. I'm very heart broken that theirs not wand book. That's a huge negative in my opinion bc the story has just begun at the end. So please write your reviews to encourage Lambs to finish this series!!!
I've read this book twice now it's that great. You will too if you give it a chance. I'm very heart broken that theirs not wand book. That's a huge negative in my opinion bc the story has just begun at the end. So please write your reviews to encourage Lambs to finish this series!!!
January 22, 2016
Fast-moving action keeps you guessing
From the first page, the author has you asking questions and flipping pages quickly as you follow the action and look for answers. Just when you think you have some of those questions answered, you realize that not only were you wrong, but you suddenly have even more questions.
The book ended with so many possibilities. I can't wait for the sequel to come out so I can find out if my thoughts of where things go from here are even close. Looking forward to running into old characters and meeting new ones when the sequel comes out...hopefully it won't be too long of a wait.
From the first page, the author has you asking questions and flipping pages quickly as you follow the action and look for answers. Just when you think you have some of those questions answered, you realize that not only were you wrong, but you suddenly have even more questions.
The book ended with so many possibilities. I can't wait for the sequel to come out so I can find out if my thoughts of where things go from here are even close. Looking forward to running into old characters and meeting new ones when the sequel comes out...hopefully it won't be too long of a wait.
February 4, 2016
Fantastic first book for G.K. Lamb! I can't wait for the rest of the trilogy to come out. If you like dystopian novels this is a great find for you. If you are sick of weak and wimpy heroines this is a great book for you. Highly recommend this.
June 15, 2019
I really enjoyed this book. Dystopian novel that makes you think and relate to current events. I didn’t understand why the main character Evelyn feels compelled to take upon herself the responsibility of everything. I feel like that could use some more explanation but very enjoyable read.
December 5, 2016
When I read the opening pages of Filtered, I expected to find the book clichéd. A teenaged girl in an oppressive, gas-mask wearing society begins to question the structures that surround her. She deals with broken parents with a broken marriage, and frightening images of death by painful asphyxiation all around her. Will she be the chosen one? What unique power will manifest, turning her into a superheroine that cleans the toxic, ashen air?
I was being superficial, and I regret my initial write-off of G.K. Lamb’s first novel as “just another” YA-targeted story. Filtered was engaging and well-crafted, and at the end of the day it was simply a good read.
It hit me with particular intensity through vivid descriptions of waiting in line to enter and exit buildings—the heads-down shuffling, seeing only the legs and feet of the person in front of you, the weight of your skull and brain pulling painfully at the muscles in your neck. It was a powerful way to show an oppressed society. But it was also directly relevant to an experience I began having shortly after starting the book. I changed my commuting pattern, and I now get on and off the train at one of the busiest stations in San Francisco. For more than a little while, the escalators were out of service, and the vast numbers of commuters clogging the platform had to walk up thin staircases, in single file, to get out of the station. Everyone looking down at their phones, shuffling slowly, waiting for their turn to lift a foot to the first step.
Here I was, reading about the psychological torment caused by the kind of waiting I was doing in my daily life.
But it’s not just that I was having an analogous experience to the protagonist. It’s that this notion of waiting, and others like it in Filtered, are eminently relatable. Even if we don’t have to wear gas masks to keep toxic air out, we can understand oppressive figures in schools, the shame and boredom and inanity of waiting in what feels like a senseless line, the confusion of adolescence, and the pain of solitude. These are the things Evelyn Brennan (the protagonist) is dealing with, but they’re all punctuated by—and indeed caused by, in a sense—the setting of Filtered, which plays a key role in the story.
Filtered presents Evelyn in peril, using her wits to investigate the un-investigable. Where Lamb departs from conventional thinking, however, is in punishing her, immediately and very harshly, for her actions. The injustice of it is stunning, and you’re left feeling her shame alongside her as she watches the torment meant for her delivered to an innocent creature. It’s far more powerful than if she’d been punished herself.
That moment foreshadows the climax of the story, in which our determined protagonist learns the secret of the Great Society’s founding (oppressive empire figure in Filtered) and galvanizes a heretofore-unknown radical group to action, resulting in catastrophe.
Filtered does what it does well, but the climactic action rises a little quickly given the pacing of the first 60% of the book. I enjoyed the pacing of the first half, but I think the book would have been greatly helped by more hints at revolutionaries throughout, laying foundation for Evelyn’s personal rebellion.
I was being superficial, and I regret my initial write-off of G.K. Lamb’s first novel as “just another” YA-targeted story. Filtered was engaging and well-crafted, and at the end of the day it was simply a good read.
It hit me with particular intensity through vivid descriptions of waiting in line to enter and exit buildings—the heads-down shuffling, seeing only the legs and feet of the person in front of you, the weight of your skull and brain pulling painfully at the muscles in your neck. It was a powerful way to show an oppressed society. But it was also directly relevant to an experience I began having shortly after starting the book. I changed my commuting pattern, and I now get on and off the train at one of the busiest stations in San Francisco. For more than a little while, the escalators were out of service, and the vast numbers of commuters clogging the platform had to walk up thin staircases, in single file, to get out of the station. Everyone looking down at their phones, shuffling slowly, waiting for their turn to lift a foot to the first step.
Here I was, reading about the psychological torment caused by the kind of waiting I was doing in my daily life.
But it’s not just that I was having an analogous experience to the protagonist. It’s that this notion of waiting, and others like it in Filtered, are eminently relatable. Even if we don’t have to wear gas masks to keep toxic air out, we can understand oppressive figures in schools, the shame and boredom and inanity of waiting in what feels like a senseless line, the confusion of adolescence, and the pain of solitude. These are the things Evelyn Brennan (the protagonist) is dealing with, but they’re all punctuated by—and indeed caused by, in a sense—the setting of Filtered, which plays a key role in the story.
Filtered presents Evelyn in peril, using her wits to investigate the un-investigable. Where Lamb departs from conventional thinking, however, is in punishing her, immediately and very harshly, for her actions. The injustice of it is stunning, and you’re left feeling her shame alongside her as she watches the torment meant for her delivered to an innocent creature. It’s far more powerful than if she’d been punished herself.
That moment foreshadows the climax of the story, in which our determined protagonist learns the secret of the Great Society’s founding (oppressive empire figure in Filtered) and galvanizes a heretofore-unknown radical group to action, resulting in catastrophe.
Filtered does what it does well, but the climactic action rises a little quickly given the pacing of the first 60% of the book. I enjoyed the pacing of the first half, but I think the book would have been greatly helped by more hints at revolutionaries throughout, laying foundation for Evelyn’s personal rebellion.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 23, 2016
I had a bit of a hard time with this one. I thought I'd really be into it but once I started reading that was not the case. It took me longer than usual to read a book of 250pg because I kept stopping and putting it aside. Honestly, I just didn't get all the way pulled in. There was a lot of redundancy, repetition and I simply didn't dig the main character Evelyn. I understand she was a sheltered teenager and all but she was so annoying with her childish impatience and constant change of desire. One second she's all, "Yes, let's get the truth!" and then if in 5 minutes when she doesn't make a ground breaking discovery she's all, "Forget it. I give up". To her credit she does admit she needs to stop doing this, but it was still annoying. Evelyn is the heroine but I didn't see her as one.
Also, it was as if everything was too perfectly set up. The plot didn't seem organic. It was like first Evelyn has this random burst of rebellion one day which "coincidentally" leads her to bump into this person the same day, and then she does this the next day, which "miraculously" leads her to this person, then so on and so on. It seems like within a week this centuries old Great Society is suddenly in chaos. Really?! Just like that?! I can't really get into it more without giving away spoilers.
I will say that the world building was ok. I was able to get a sense of the prevailing oppression and basically dictatorial society. It seemed very suffocating and lacking of personal identity. It conjured up ideas of a WWII Germany.
I'm assuming there will be more background given on the secondary characters in the sequel(s). I really don't know anyone's story except Evelyn. I couldn't get into a spirit of rebellion because I didn't know who these people were and or their when's, why's and how's. The plot pacing sped up dramatically around the last 50 or 60 pages and then BAM major cliffhanger. Just like that when it finally got interesting it was over. The abrupt ending made me ponder how the conflict resolution will come about in the sequel(s).
Overall, it was just ok. Though, for some reason I feel like the sequel(s) will be so much better.
FYI: I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway (THANK YOU!). The review is my own opinion and 100% honest.
Also, it was as if everything was too perfectly set up. The plot didn't seem organic. It was like first Evelyn has this random burst of rebellion one day which "coincidentally" leads her to bump into this person the same day, and then she does this the next day, which "miraculously" leads her to this person, then so on and so on. It seems like within a week this centuries old Great Society is suddenly in chaos. Really?! Just like that?! I can't really get into it more without giving away spoilers.
I will say that the world building was ok. I was able to get a sense of the prevailing oppression and basically dictatorial society. It seemed very suffocating and lacking of personal identity. It conjured up ideas of a WWII Germany.
I'm assuming there will be more background given on the secondary characters in the sequel(s). I really don't know anyone's story except Evelyn. I couldn't get into a spirit of rebellion because I didn't know who these people were and or their when's, why's and how's. The plot pacing sped up dramatically around the last 50 or 60 pages and then BAM major cliffhanger. Just like that when it finally got interesting it was over. The abrupt ending made me ponder how the conflict resolution will come about in the sequel(s).
Overall, it was just ok. Though, for some reason I feel like the sequel(s) will be so much better.
FYI: I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway (THANK YOU!). The review is my own opinion and 100% honest.
June 28, 2024
Great idea but not well-written
Well, I forced myself to finish this book because I don’t review books that I don’t finish. I was hoping the ending would increase my overall rating of the book but it didn’t. Where should I start? The concept for this book was awesome. I was so intrigued from the beginning. The more I read of the book, though, the less edited it seemed to be. I’m not just talking about typos but discontinuity in the storyline, scenes that made no sense, a character that came out of the blue that it seemed I was supposed to know, characters that I’m supposed to care about but don’t because I just met them, scenes that have dialogue that is dull and doesn’t move the plot forward, and scenes that are redundant or make no sense. I feel bad for the writer because he clearly had a great start to the book but either didn’t have an editor or just didn’t have experience finishing an idea. I have too many questions and I don’t trust to author to answer them because I think he feels he may have already answered some of them. Also, the ending to the book was so abrupt. We were just in the middle of a scene and it ended. I wish I could say more nice things about this book because it doesn’t have a lot of reviews but I can’t be dishonest. I think with quite a bit of editing, this could be an amazing book because it really does draw you in with its concept. However, as it stands, I would not recommend anyone to read this book in its current state.
Well, I forced myself to finish this book because I don’t review books that I don’t finish. I was hoping the ending would increase my overall rating of the book but it didn’t. Where should I start? The concept for this book was awesome. I was so intrigued from the beginning. The more I read of the book, though, the less edited it seemed to be. I’m not just talking about typos but discontinuity in the storyline, scenes that made no sense, a character that came out of the blue that it seemed I was supposed to know, characters that I’m supposed to care about but don’t because I just met them, scenes that have dialogue that is dull and doesn’t move the plot forward, and scenes that are redundant or make no sense. I feel bad for the writer because he clearly had a great start to the book but either didn’t have an editor or just didn’t have experience finishing an idea. I have too many questions and I don’t trust to author to answer them because I think he feels he may have already answered some of them. Also, the ending to the book was so abrupt. We were just in the middle of a scene and it ended. I wish I could say more nice things about this book because it doesn’t have a lot of reviews but I can’t be dishonest. I think with quite a bit of editing, this could be an amazing book because it really does draw you in with its concept. However, as it stands, I would not recommend anyone to read this book in its current state.
November 30, 2015
Absolutely one of my top favorite books. Between the suspense and intrigue, I lost many hours of sleep, but it was totally worth it! If you liked Hunger Games or like dystopian fiction, you will love Filtered.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews