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FKA USA
Reed King’s amazingly audacious novel is something of a cross between L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Douglas Adams’s A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and Ernie Cline’s Ready Player One.
In Reed King’s wildly imaginative and possibly prescient debut, the United States has dissolved in the wake of environmental disasters and the catastrophic policies of its final president.
It is 2085, and Truckee Wallace, a factory worker in Crunchtown 407 (formerly Little Rock, Arkansas, before the secessions), has no grand ambitions besides maybe, possibly, losing his virginity someday.
But when Truckee is thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight he is tapped by the President for a sensitive political mission: to deliver a talking goat across the continent. The fate of the world depends upon it.
The problem is—Truckee’s not sure it’s worth it.
Joined on the road by an android who wants to be human and a former convict lobotomized in Texas, Truckee will navigate an environmentally depleted and lawless continent with devastating—and hilarious—parallels to our own, dodging body pickers and Elvis-worshippers and logo girls, body subbers, and VR addicts.
Elvis-willing, he may even lose his virginity.
FKA USA is the epic novel we’ve all been waiting for about the American end of times, with its unavoidable sense of being on the wrong end of the roller coaster ride. It is a masterwork of ambition, humor, and satire with the power to make us cry, despair, and laugh out loud all at once. It is a tour de force unlike anything else you will read this year.
In Reed King’s wildly imaginative and possibly prescient debut, the United States has dissolved in the wake of environmental disasters and the catastrophic policies of its final president.
It is 2085, and Truckee Wallace, a factory worker in Crunchtown 407 (formerly Little Rock, Arkansas, before the secessions), has no grand ambitions besides maybe, possibly, losing his virginity someday.
But when Truckee is thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight he is tapped by the President for a sensitive political mission: to deliver a talking goat across the continent. The fate of the world depends upon it.
The problem is—Truckee’s not sure it’s worth it.
Joined on the road by an android who wants to be human and a former convict lobotomized in Texas, Truckee will navigate an environmentally depleted and lawless continent with devastating—and hilarious—parallels to our own, dodging body pickers and Elvis-worshippers and logo girls, body subbers, and VR addicts.
Elvis-willing, he may even lose his virginity.
FKA USA is the epic novel we’ve all been waiting for about the American end of times, with its unavoidable sense of being on the wrong end of the roller coaster ride. It is a masterwork of ambition, humor, and satire with the power to make us cry, despair, and laugh out loud all at once. It is a tour de force unlike anything else you will read this year.
480 pages, Hardcover
First published June 18, 2019
229 people are currently reading
5074 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 322 reviews
January 31, 2019
Had it not been for the free ARC I received from NetGalley, I would most likely not have finished this book. The overall story arc was a typical quest story. But the incessant use of lingo from the dystopian future was too much. And while the footnotes, which I generally like in a book, were so intrusive in the story, I found that I lost track of the plot while trying to figure out what the background info was. There were also many times where the end of one chapter didn't coincide enough with the beginning of another chapter, and times where there was so much detail it was boring, but others where there was no detail and the tale got lost. King just tried to do too much I think. Also, I know the point was that people are not educated, but the constant use of should/could/would "of" instead of have was unnecessary and confusing.
January 17, 2019
FKA stands for "Formerly Known As." Sort of like AKA is "also known as." This novel presents a post-dissolution view of North America after wars, famine, etc., split the country up into different entities ranging from the corporate entities like Crunch to the Free State of Texas. It's now in the 2070's a divided country with borders, different currencies, etc. Crunch is a corporate run country on former Arkansas land, producing artificial chemical foods by workers living in hopeless shantytowns and plagued by drug addiction, boredom, angst. There's still a World Wide Web of sorts, virtual reality, and androids, including mindless automatons, android whores, and androids developing consciousness and feelings. Many area of the country are desolate, depopulated, radioactive, strip-mined, fracked, and others hosting Russian and Chinese colonies. It's sort of Mad Max country outside the corporate factory worlds. But not a dystopia since no one tried to create a utopia.
The book is irreverent, gritty, sarcastic. It pays homage to Hitchhiker's Guide with each chapter featuring a selection from the Grifter's Guide. A sixteen year old nobody makes his way cross country with a metal person (Sam), a Strawman whose brain has been sliced and diced (Tiny Tim), and a talking but cowardly goat ( Barnaby), paying homage to another legendary work. The book doesn't sent always take itself too seriously and there's gallows humor and scat humor abounding.
I enjoyed this a lot as the motley crew explored the world, although their underlying mission was a bit too goofy. I have a sense though the audience for this is more limited than expansive.
The book is irreverent, gritty, sarcastic. It pays homage to Hitchhiker's Guide with each chapter featuring a selection from the Grifter's Guide. A sixteen year old nobody makes his way cross country with a metal person (Sam), a Strawman whose brain has been sliced and diced (Tiny Tim), and a talking but cowardly goat ( Barnaby), paying homage to another legendary work. The book doesn't sent always take itself too seriously and there's gallows humor and scat humor abounding.
I enjoyed this a lot as the motley crew explored the world, although their underlying mission was a bit too goofy. I have a sense though the audience for this is more limited than expansive.
January 22, 2019
I’m always up for a dystopia, but had I been aware of this one’s voluminous page count, not sure I would have read it. Conciseness…I’m a huge fan of conciseness, precision, succinctness, just a basic ability to tell a story in, say, 300 pages. 400 if you must. Going close to 500 is seldom justified (and often just self indulgent), unless you’re Tolstoy or similar. But this novel does have a lot to say for all its verbosity. In the near future (end of 2100s) the country Formerly Known As USA is no more. Instead it’s a disjointed conglomerate of city states and territories, some wilder than others and most devastated by environmental and political catastrophes. And one 16 year old (don’t worry, he reads older or at least mature enough) must travel across this new and hostile land on an important mission that might just save the world. But not alone. Truckee is joined by scene stealing companions of android and mammalian persuasion. In fact, the latter, Barnaby, absolutely made the book for me. I didn’t get into it really until he showed up and he carried every scene, absolutely one of the best literary animal creations of all time. Having read and eaten his way through a library, he’s also the smartest of the bunch and…eventually…just as courageous. But Barnaby’s star appeal aside, this book really did have much to offer. It’s an epic journey story and as such it is populated accordingly with strange characters and stranger places, limited only by the author’s imagination, which you’d be quite happy to find out, is pretty limit free. So you get an ultimate quest story and a humorous one at that and although at times exhausting, it’s always entertaining and the main takeaway upon finishing is…what a great adventure. Page count justified. This is fun. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
February 22, 2022
Криво-ляво, с прибежки и припълзявания успях да сборя солидното тухле, но едва ли ще посегна към продължението, загатнато от отворения му край. И причината не е качеството на четивото - то си е съвсем прилично, последните сто страници дори ме забавляваха на макс - а чисто субективна - не съм особен почитател на киберпънка, каквато, мисля, е жанровата рамка тук. В анотацията не се твърди нищо подобно, но се бях настроил (заблудил, внушил...), че ще се сблъскам с някакъв хардкор постапокалипсис... Колебая се между три и четири звезди, обаче ще ударя една надолу, заради пространните авторови коментари под линия за уредбата на новия свят - ясно е, че трябва да подплатят мистификацията с дневника на главния герой Тръки Уолъс, но лично аз винаги съм се дразнил на тоя писателски маниер. А с лек напън от страна на Рийд Кинг въпросните бележки можеха интимно да бъдат вплетени в повествованието и щяха да придадат друг тип плътност на текста. Липсваше ми и карта на дистопичната щатска вселена в българското издание.
August 21, 2019
I saw this book a number of times before I realized that my friend Audra @ouija.doodle.reads was reading it. She said it had footnotes and was hilarious and I immediately knew this was one that I needed to read. Then I read the synopsis on the inside cover and it said it was a cross between THE HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY and THE ROAD. At that point I was giddy. I couldn't wait to read this book.
Something else that really drew me in was that the endpapers have a hand drawn map of what the area that used to be the USA looks like in the present. That present is the year 2085. Horrify and hilarious all at once, it's a bit of a stretch, but it's not impossible to see the country in the future divided into ridiculous and terrifyingly lawless regions. One example is that the protagonist lives in Crunchtown 407 one of Crunch United's Colonies, formerly Arkansas. The map and the footnotes give me series David Foster Wallace/Infinite Jest vibes, and I've been anxiously waiting for a book like that to come along. Reading this book was a no brainer at this point. It was going to happen.
Our protagonist and hero Truckee Wallace lives in squalor with a job he didn't choose, and a tracker on his arm that makes sure he always is where he is supposed to be. Truckee knows nothing other than his life in Crunchtown, so when he is suddenly thrust into the spotlight while at work one day, Truckee isn't sure what to do. He's tasked with taking a talking goat across the former continent of the United States of America. Except nothing is united anymore, and each territory or region has their own rules and regulations.
When Truckee and and his goat friend are quite suddenly joined by his android friend from Crunchtown and a former convict who was lobotomized in the Sovereign Nation of Texas, the story starts to take on a serious WIZARD OF OZ vibe. You also get a feeling in sections that King is paying homage to READY PLAYER ONE, because there is a lot of VR communication, and Truckee actually falls for a girl with an avatar called Bad Kitty. I sincerely can't make this up.
So our rag tag group fight their way through impossible scenarios in order to get the goat to San Francisco. California is now the Real Friends of the North, but they kept San Francisco and relocated LA and called it New Los Angeles. I loved this group of misfits, and at one point I was hoping that Truckee would stand up to the man and save his new friends. But Truckee is super problematic for me. He's selfish. He doesn't even know how to give a proper goodbye to a friend he has known for years, and all he cares about is hooking up with Bad Kitty in real life. But this is a dystopian world, and literally everything has gone to sh*t. Perhaps Truckee is the hero everyone needs in 2085. All in all, I loved this one. There were parts where I literally laughed out loud. If you like any of he fandoms I mentioned, this one is for you.
Something else that really drew me in was that the endpapers have a hand drawn map of what the area that used to be the USA looks like in the present. That present is the year 2085. Horrify and hilarious all at once, it's a bit of a stretch, but it's not impossible to see the country in the future divided into ridiculous and terrifyingly lawless regions. One example is that the protagonist lives in Crunchtown 407 one of Crunch United's Colonies, formerly Arkansas. The map and the footnotes give me series David Foster Wallace/Infinite Jest vibes, and I've been anxiously waiting for a book like that to come along. Reading this book was a no brainer at this point. It was going to happen.
Our protagonist and hero Truckee Wallace lives in squalor with a job he didn't choose, and a tracker on his arm that makes sure he always is where he is supposed to be. Truckee knows nothing other than his life in Crunchtown, so when he is suddenly thrust into the spotlight while at work one day, Truckee isn't sure what to do. He's tasked with taking a talking goat across the former continent of the United States of America. Except nothing is united anymore, and each territory or region has their own rules and regulations.
When Truckee and and his goat friend are quite suddenly joined by his android friend from Crunchtown and a former convict who was lobotomized in the Sovereign Nation of Texas, the story starts to take on a serious WIZARD OF OZ vibe. You also get a feeling in sections that King is paying homage to READY PLAYER ONE, because there is a lot of VR communication, and Truckee actually falls for a girl with an avatar called Bad Kitty. I sincerely can't make this up.
So our rag tag group fight their way through impossible scenarios in order to get the goat to San Francisco. California is now the Real Friends of the North, but they kept San Francisco and relocated LA and called it New Los Angeles. I loved this group of misfits, and at one point I was hoping that Truckee would stand up to the man and save his new friends. But Truckee is super problematic for me. He's selfish. He doesn't even know how to give a proper goodbye to a friend he has known for years, and all he cares about is hooking up with Bad Kitty in real life. But this is a dystopian world, and literally everything has gone to sh*t. Perhaps Truckee is the hero everyone needs in 2085. All in all, I loved this one. There were parts where I literally laughed out loud. If you like any of he fandoms I mentioned, this one is for you.
January 6, 2020
In this dystopia, the USA has been split up into several territories based on how they viewed android rights and the religious implications. Our MC, Truckee Wallace, is just a kid and is given a huge task by the President of his territory - take a talking goat across the continent. Truckee soon finds himself (and thus the goat) hunted by nearly everyone, yet he makes his way toward the west coast. Along the way, he reads from a grifter's guide to the continent.
This book had a 15 week wait at the library and I can see the appeal despite the low ratings here on GR. It is very quirky - I mean come on, there is a talking goat! You also get a good dose of teenage angst mixed in with the philosophical questions associated with machines (or talking goats) having souls. There is a bit of everything mixed up in this plot, even a strange twist at the end. I liked it.
This book had a 15 week wait at the library and I can see the appeal despite the low ratings here on GR. It is very quirky - I mean come on, there is a talking goat! You also get a good dose of teenage angst mixed in with the philosophical questions associated with machines (or talking goats) having souls. There is a bit of everything mixed up in this plot, even a strange twist at the end. I liked it.
January 16, 2019
There is no doubt Reed King went all out in this novel. He has an epic world with crazy characters. The writing is good, the humor is sly. For me however this book didn't work. Too many sci-fi cliches; dystopian world ran by corporation-government hybrids, a mission of travel that hits bumps along the way, etc.
King shows promise and I would read again, but this one felt like someone who wanted to show everything they got in their debut and ended up throwing in the kitchen sink.
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I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
King shows promise and I would read again, but this one felt like someone who wanted to show everything they got in their debut and ended up throwing in the kitchen sink.
---
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
September 20, 2019
Review to follow... This was the literary equivalent of a Michael Bay movie. Directed by Jerry Bruckheimer.
April 23, 2020
Thank you to Flatiron Books for the ARC!
“How would you like to save the world, son?”
FKA USA is a wild ride.
If you’re tired of reading the same old formulaic dystopian novel, this is the book for you. There are some tropes, such as the evil government/corporations stuff, but it's done in a way that feels fresh. In my opinion, this is definitely a unique take on a dystopian sci-fi adventure story that involves some odd and fun characters and an odd and funny mission (which I'll summarize more with a quote a little further down). We’re dropped in the middle of a place “Formally Known As the USA” in the year 2085 with Truckee, an orphan who is basically a slave to the society he lives in (pretty much Hell) and a talking goat. There are other characters along the way, scientists, politicians, sentient androids, victims of radiation and chemical deformities, villains, and more, but Truckee and this talking goat are our main dudes.
“The tortures mankind devises for its amusement will surely render the devil redundant.”
Life is…not great in the territories formally known as the USA. This is not all fluffy humor. So keep that in mind.
“I’m a firm believer in the right of every man, woman, and animal to end his or her life by choice, with dignity. We don’t choose the moment of our birth, and we certainly don’t choose the form our lives take on this pitiful planet. But we may choose the manner of our passing into the Great Pasture.”
Our current time here in 2019 is far from a utopia, but it’s nothing compared to the nightmare of the Territories FKA the USA. That being said, the president of this hellish future says, “Nostalgia’s awful, son, I’ll tell you that too. The past has the advantage of being harmless. Even predators look pretty, so long as they’re good and dead.”
If you’re a fan of books with maps, footnotes, and appendices, this is definitely the book for you. Thank you, Reed King, for giving the people what they want. I’m honestly most impressed with these three aspects. I’m one of those readers who salivates over maps, and these maps are awesome. There is a map in the inside cover of the book that shows the entirety of what used to be the United States of America, and there are also 6 maps before each of the 6 parts in this book. Those 6 are more detailed closeups of locations that show the path traveled. So 7 maps total. They’re beautiful and oh so appreciated.
The footnotes are also something I love but rarely see in fantasy or science fiction books (or really any books that aren’t classic literature/poetry or nonfiction). I really appreciated the footnotes because we were just dropped into this complex world, and the footnotes provide a history lesson of sorts. Since the book is told as a “true story”, as if an editor found an autobiography many years after the events in the story, the footnotes and appendices kind of serve as editor’s notes. There are so many footnotes, and I can’t imagine this book without them. At times it felt like an overload of information, but the challenge was welcome. Crunchbucks, crumbs and uppercrusts, grifters, accidental persons, transspeciating, feeds, crazy new drugs like Shiver and Jump (and the “dimeheads” who abuse them), the Burnham Prize (a race to beat death), every single new element of the geography of the country formally known as the USA, and so much more. It’s a lot, but in a good way.
If you're a fan of the show Black Mirror, this is the book for you. Technology plays a big role in this future, in a very interesting way. To quote Truckee, “You can make technology as smart as you want, but you can bet bank humans will be stupid about it.”
This is also a world where social interactions are mostly had via “feeds” and VR, and a world where “physical contact without verbal consent was illegal in the colony— which wasn’t a bad thing, exactly, but made it pretty awkward for a sixteen-year-old kid hoping and praying he wouldn’t always be a virgin.” We see a very interesting view of how technology, science, and society interact in a dark vision of the future.
If you love 1984 and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this is the book for you. We have the capitalist, controlling dystopian government, the insane hierarchy of class and wealth, a rich new vocabulary, a darkly bizarre humor, and funny characters on an adventure. There’s even a book called The Grifter’s Guide to the Territories FKA USA that’s continuously referenced and quoted at the beginning of chapters. The sections we see are usually both funny and sad. A pretty great summary of the book is actually a line that also demonstrates the kind humor you’ll find while reading:
“I’d never been big on weed, not compared to everyone else I knew—Jared vaped every morning and even Annalee liked to take blueberry-flavored fresh on her lunch breaks— but since I was sneaking into enemy territory to deliver brain cells to a Crunch sleeper agent in the hopes that we could stop a global apocalypse of mind-controlled zombies, I figured it was as good a time to get high as any.”
It’s ambitious and quite an impressive feat of complex world-building. I wrote a lot more notes on my post-its than I’m used to, but again, I was happy to do it. It’s a dream come true to readers like me who like to make little “guides”, if you will, to books you’re reading. There are so many great quotes I saved and I wish I could share them all, but I don’t want to fill this review with spoiler tags.
This book definitely isn’t for the average reader. It isn’t an easy read. You have to completely immerse yourself in the world and keep track of details and characters. It’s important to know that before diving in because this book is an investment. I haven’t read a book like this before, and I think it could’ve been too overwhelming to enjoy if the story wasn’t so immersive and interesting. The impressive writing and friendly/familiar/playfully dark narrative voice definitely help.
Reed King is a skilled writer, you can’t argue that. (A quick search says "Reed King is the pseudonym of a New York Times bestselling author and TV writer", so I'm just going to use "he" and assume King a guy). His imagination is a powerful drug, and I hope he continues to produce and share with the world. This is a special book but it is an acquired taste and not for everyone. I recommend FKA USA to anyone with the determination to slug through a dense, lengthy book, and to anyone who feels bored by the sameness-structure of the genre.
“How would you like to save the world, son?”
FKA USA is a wild ride.
If you’re tired of reading the same old formulaic dystopian novel, this is the book for you. There are some tropes, such as the evil government/corporations stuff, but it's done in a way that feels fresh. In my opinion, this is definitely a unique take on a dystopian sci-fi adventure story that involves some odd and fun characters and an odd and funny mission (which I'll summarize more with a quote a little further down). We’re dropped in the middle of a place “Formally Known As the USA” in the year 2085 with Truckee, an orphan who is basically a slave to the society he lives in (pretty much Hell) and a talking goat. There are other characters along the way, scientists, politicians, sentient androids, victims of radiation and chemical deformities, villains, and more, but Truckee and this talking goat are our main dudes.
“The tortures mankind devises for its amusement will surely render the devil redundant.”
Life is…not great in the territories formally known as the USA. This is not all fluffy humor. So keep that in mind.
“I’m a firm believer in the right of every man, woman, and animal to end his or her life by choice, with dignity. We don’t choose the moment of our birth, and we certainly don’t choose the form our lives take on this pitiful planet. But we may choose the manner of our passing into the Great Pasture.”
Our current time here in 2019 is far from a utopia, but it’s nothing compared to the nightmare of the Territories FKA the USA. That being said, the president of this hellish future says, “Nostalgia’s awful, son, I’ll tell you that too. The past has the advantage of being harmless. Even predators look pretty, so long as they’re good and dead.”
If you’re a fan of books with maps, footnotes, and appendices, this is definitely the book for you. Thank you, Reed King, for giving the people what they want. I’m honestly most impressed with these three aspects. I’m one of those readers who salivates over maps, and these maps are awesome. There is a map in the inside cover of the book that shows the entirety of what used to be the United States of America, and there are also 6 maps before each of the 6 parts in this book. Those 6 are more detailed closeups of locations that show the path traveled. So 7 maps total. They’re beautiful and oh so appreciated.
The footnotes are also something I love but rarely see in fantasy or science fiction books (or really any books that aren’t classic literature/poetry or nonfiction). I really appreciated the footnotes because we were just dropped into this complex world, and the footnotes provide a history lesson of sorts. Since the book is told as a “true story”, as if an editor found an autobiography many years after the events in the story, the footnotes and appendices kind of serve as editor’s notes. There are so many footnotes, and I can’t imagine this book without them. At times it felt like an overload of information, but the challenge was welcome. Crunchbucks, crumbs and uppercrusts, grifters, accidental persons, transspeciating, feeds, crazy new drugs like Shiver and Jump (and the “dimeheads” who abuse them), the Burnham Prize (a race to beat death), every single new element of the geography of the country formally known as the USA, and so much more. It’s a lot, but in a good way.
If you're a fan of the show Black Mirror, this is the book for you. Technology plays a big role in this future, in a very interesting way. To quote Truckee, “You can make technology as smart as you want, but you can bet bank humans will be stupid about it.”
This is also a world where social interactions are mostly had via “feeds” and VR, and a world where “physical contact without verbal consent was illegal in the colony— which wasn’t a bad thing, exactly, but made it pretty awkward for a sixteen-year-old kid hoping and praying he wouldn’t always be a virgin.” We see a very interesting view of how technology, science, and society interact in a dark vision of the future.
If you love 1984 and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, this is the book for you. We have the capitalist, controlling dystopian government, the insane hierarchy of class and wealth, a rich new vocabulary, a darkly bizarre humor, and funny characters on an adventure. There’s even a book called The Grifter’s Guide to the Territories FKA USA that’s continuously referenced and quoted at the beginning of chapters. The sections we see are usually both funny and sad. A pretty great summary of the book is actually a line that also demonstrates the kind humor you’ll find while reading:
“I’d never been big on weed, not compared to everyone else I knew—Jared vaped every morning and even Annalee liked to take blueberry-flavored fresh on her lunch breaks— but since I was sneaking into enemy territory to deliver brain cells to a Crunch sleeper agent in the hopes that we could stop a global apocalypse of mind-controlled zombies, I figured it was as good a time to get high as any.”
It’s ambitious and quite an impressive feat of complex world-building. I wrote a lot more notes on my post-its than I’m used to, but again, I was happy to do it. It’s a dream come true to readers like me who like to make little “guides”, if you will, to books you’re reading. There are so many great quotes I saved and I wish I could share them all, but I don’t want to fill this review with spoiler tags.
This book definitely isn’t for the average reader. It isn’t an easy read. You have to completely immerse yourself in the world and keep track of details and characters. It’s important to know that before diving in because this book is an investment. I haven’t read a book like this before, and I think it could’ve been too overwhelming to enjoy if the story wasn’t so immersive and interesting. The impressive writing and friendly/familiar/playfully dark narrative voice definitely help.
Reed King is a skilled writer, you can’t argue that. (A quick search says "Reed King is the pseudonym of a New York Times bestselling author and TV writer", so I'm just going to use "he" and assume King a guy). His imagination is a powerful drug, and I hope he continues to produce and share with the world. This is a special book but it is an acquired taste and not for everyone. I recommend FKA USA to anyone with the determination to slug through a dense, lengthy book, and to anyone who feels bored by the sameness-structure of the genre.
February 15, 2022
Рядко се случва книга да ме привлече само с корицата си. Постапокалиптичния жанр все по-рядко се издава у нас и с интерес хвърлям по едно око на всяка проявена издателска смелост в тази посока. Обещанието за разбита от епидемия Америка, в съчетание с приключенски сетинг, книгата веднага привлече вниманието ми, зарязах всичко друго което чета и се потопих света на Рийд Кинг. Оказа се, че историята не точно моята бира. Поизмъчи ме, на няколко пъти се замислих дали да не я зарежа. Последните 100 страници малко живна и развръзката ми хареса. Предполагам, че по-големите специалисти в сай фай жанра ще я оценят по-добре.
January 17, 2019
Reed King is an amazing writer. And though I wonder who this bestselling author is writing under the pseudonym Reed King, I think they did an amazing job. This world is immersive and the writing is crazy good. Can't wait for more from this author. And who doesn't love a book with a talking goat that's kind of a weirdo? It's such a great read, and it's easy to see why booksellers are loving this book. Oh and the twists and turns are amazing! So unexpected.
May 15, 2019
The book reviews that I struggle with the most are for those books that I fall in love with. I want to say “Trust me, just read it.” FKA USA by Reed King is one of those books. Trust me, just read it.
The title FKA USA is for Formerly Known As, though every time I saw it on the cover or the spine, my mind saw Effing-A USA. Am I wrong? When you read this, as you must, you will see there are reasons why it should be that.
Imagine The Wizard of Oz in 2085 when the United States has fractured into warring regions following the climate change chickens coming home to roost, or more accurately to die in the Great Die Off. There have been cataclysmic quakes breaking off large chunks of California and erasing Hawaii. Rising sea levels have erased most of Florida and the Gulf. Corporate dominance has expanded to the decree that the employee handbook is the constitution.
In this broken country, Truckee Wallace is sent on a secret mission to cross the country to San Francisco to deliver a talking fainting goat o a great scientist and save humanity. An android sneaks along on the first leg, hoping to go with him as far as the Independent Nation of Engineered People-Things, an android nation run by ALF, the Android Liberation Front. When captured by some outlaws, the escape with a lobotomized fellow prisoner named Tiny Tim because he’s so big. The surgery is performed on criminals, reducing their intellectual capacity. The creator of this futuristic lobotomy was named Straw, and the people effected are called Straw Men.
It’s a grim world, but Truckee and his friends ease on down the road encountering all sorts of people while being chased by drones and other spies. The environment is a constant challenge with drought, sun, and unpredictable storms and tornadoes. The most hilarious, though, may be when Truckee and friends are rescued and taken to an idyllic preserve where there are fresh water and home-grown fruits and vegetables, foods not processed with all sorts of chemicals. Truckee just can’t deal with the awful food.
I love everything about FKA USA from the hilarious product names, all trademarked, the unique properties of the diverse states of the territories formerly known as USA. Seriously, people in the Real Friends® of the North get paid in likes, winks, and nudges while The Confederacy is militant and anti-science and unable to spread their insurrection successfully thanks to prohibiting any technology post-1868.
Part of the joy is recognizing elements from “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s all there but not in-your-face. You know how a great musician can cover a familiar song and transform it so it becomes not just new and fresh, but give it new meaning. That is what Reed King does to Baum’s masterpiece.
FKA USA will be published on June 18th. I received an ARC from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
FKA USA at Macmillan Publishers
Reed King has no author site. The name is a pseudonym.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
The title FKA USA is for Formerly Known As, though every time I saw it on the cover or the spine, my mind saw Effing-A USA. Am I wrong? When you read this, as you must, you will see there are reasons why it should be that.
Imagine The Wizard of Oz in 2085 when the United States has fractured into warring regions following the climate change chickens coming home to roost, or more accurately to die in the Great Die Off. There have been cataclysmic quakes breaking off large chunks of California and erasing Hawaii. Rising sea levels have erased most of Florida and the Gulf. Corporate dominance has expanded to the decree that the employee handbook is the constitution.
In this broken country, Truckee Wallace is sent on a secret mission to cross the country to San Francisco to deliver a talking fainting goat o a great scientist and save humanity. An android sneaks along on the first leg, hoping to go with him as far as the Independent Nation of Engineered People-Things, an android nation run by ALF, the Android Liberation Front. When captured by some outlaws, the escape with a lobotomized fellow prisoner named Tiny Tim because he’s so big. The surgery is performed on criminals, reducing their intellectual capacity. The creator of this futuristic lobotomy was named Straw, and the people effected are called Straw Men.
It’s a grim world, but Truckee and his friends ease on down the road encountering all sorts of people while being chased by drones and other spies. The environment is a constant challenge with drought, sun, and unpredictable storms and tornadoes. The most hilarious, though, may be when Truckee and friends are rescued and taken to an idyllic preserve where there are fresh water and home-grown fruits and vegetables, foods not processed with all sorts of chemicals. Truckee just can’t deal with the awful food.
I love everything about FKA USA from the hilarious product names, all trademarked, the unique properties of the diverse states of the territories formerly known as USA. Seriously, people in the Real Friends® of the North get paid in likes, winks, and nudges while The Confederacy is militant and anti-science and unable to spread their insurrection successfully thanks to prohibiting any technology post-1868.
Part of the joy is recognizing elements from “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s all there but not in-your-face. You know how a great musician can cover a familiar song and transform it so it becomes not just new and fresh, but give it new meaning. That is what Reed King does to Baum’s masterpiece.
FKA USA will be published on June 18th. I received an ARC from the publisher through Shelf Awareness.
FKA USA at Macmillan Publishers
Reed King has no author site. The name is a pseudonym.
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpre...
February 19, 2022
“Екс-САЩ” описва света след края, който си продължава все така: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/e...
Стъпвайки върху “Магьосникът от Оз” на Лиман Франк Баум, която по случайност четох преди броени седмици, Кинг ни повежда на приключение с една странна компания. Тръки Уолъс е хлапак, жител на една от корпоративните държавички, играеща си на голяма политика, който по случайно се оказва близък с един говорящ генномодифициран козел (Лъва). Изпратен е на опасна мисия в посока Изумрудения град – Сан Франциско, а към необикновената двойка след ред опасни премеждия се присъедняват един чувствителен андроид ранен модел (Тенекиения дървар) и осакатен ментално бивш затворник с огромна сила в ролята на Плашилото.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/e...
Стъпвайки върху “Магьосникът от Оз” на Лиман Франк Баум, която по случайност четох преди броени седмици, Кинг ни повежда на приключение с една странна компания. Тръки Уолъс е хлапак, жител на една от корпоративните държавички, играеща си на голяма политика, който по случайно се оказва близък с един говорящ генномодифициран козел (Лъва). Изпратен е на опасна мисия в посока Изумрудения град – Сан Франциско, а към необикновената двойка след ред опасни премеждия се присъедняват един чувствителен андроид ранен модел (Тенекиения дървар) и осакатен ментално бивш затворник с огромна сила в ролята на Плашилото.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/e...
Стъпвайки върху “Магьосникът от Оз” на Лиман Франк Баум, която по случайност четох преди броени седмици, Кинг ни повежда на приключение с една странна компания. Тръки Уолъс е хлапак, жител на една от корпоративните държавички, играеща си на голяма политика, който по случайно се оказва близък с един говорящ генномодифициран козел (Лъва). Изпратен е на опасна мисия в посока Изумрудения град – Сан Франциско, а към необикновената двойка след ред опасни премеждия се присъедняват един чувствителен андроид ранен модел (Тенекиения дървар) и осакатен ментално бивш затворник с огромна сила в ролята на Плашилото.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/e...
Стъпвайки върху “Магьосникът от Оз” на Лиман Франк Баум, която по случайност четох преди броени седмици, Кинг ни повежда на приключение с една странна компания. Тръки Уолъс е хлапак, жител на една от корпоративните държавички, играеща си на голяма политика, който по случайно се оказва близък с един говорящ генномодифициран козел (Лъва). Изпратен е на опасна мисия в посока Изумрудения град – Сан Франциско, а към необикновената двойка след ред опасни премеждия се присъедняват един чувствителен андроид ранен модел (Тенекиения дървар) и осакатен ментално бивш затворник с огромна сила в ролята на Плашилото.
Colibri Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/e...
March 26, 2019
I got an electronic version of this book through NetGalley. I was enticed by the publisher's blurb and do, generally, enjoy dystopian novels, sarcasm and intrigue, but I just could not tolerate the premise of the story or the writing. I managed to get through about 15 pages and gave up. Then, I felt like I should give it a second chance, but - sorry - no. It is rare that I have this kind of reaction. This was one of the few times that I've taken this advice from my mother (an English Lit major and a librarian) on reading, "If you don't like it, don't read it. There are plenty of other books in the world. If it's an assignment, then you'd better finish. Otherwise, move on!"
August 19, 2019
This was imaginative, but I couldn’t stand the writing style. I was not in tune with its language and rhythm and I couldn’t get into the whole “talking goat” thing. Most of the time I was just confused by its meandering. I made it to the 27% point and conceded defeat. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
August 28, 2022
"...можеш да направиш технологиите колкото си пожелаеш умни, но може да си сигурен в едно: хората ще продължават да ги използват тъпо - заради този цитат вкаран за всеки случай два пъти с книгата, книгата си заслужава.
Личи си, че е писана от сценарист, имаме си бърз антиутопичен сценарий и на една Дорти, този път 16 годишно момче с всичките му изразни средства и нужди преминаване през иницияциата си на един много различен САЩ. Един свят, за който сме предупредени изтребило се всичко, климатът се скапал, ние се сблъскаме с пластмаса и умираме в милиони, до тук всичко познато и живеем във ФБ... ъъъ в нещо подобно, но вместо смартфон си имат визьори
Дорти...ъъъ Тръки който идва от Крънч(ама имената с адски иронични) се прокрадва през различните територии заедно с супер-дупер начетен козел в ролята на Лъва, Плашилото в търсене на мозък с помощта добрата вещица от където беше (черното лошо коте или там) към Изумрудения град, там го чака един също толкова фалшив магьосник от Оз и бягат от руска нашесвеница-генийка, която би трябвало да е суперзлодеят Лошата вещица (някой да каже вече на американците, че руските фамилии завършват с "а" не е толкова трудно да се запомни, прозяв)с тях е един андроид, който няма пол, но е влюбен в Тръки и Сами става тя понеже на мъжленцето така ще е по-удобно по старата максима ако нещо не е мъжко, то е женско в ролята на тенекиеният човек. Разбира се, в книгата има хиляда пола, да не обиди автора някого или да иронизира всички, знам ли... но имаше философски наченки как религията ограничава, какво е човек, андроидски борби за свобода сравнението им с африканските роби и както си му е редът.
Тръки е адски лош живот в дома си като Дорти, но напусне ли го осъзнава, че жалкото му съществуване му липсва(както би направил всеки един от нас) все пак разбира истината за всека, в който живее и всичко се оказва наобратно(също очакван прийом, но приятен).
Историята имаше доста потенциал, но изглежда авторът или е искал да пише продължение, или не му се е занимавало, понеже да описваш 500 стр вонящи умиращи и горещи неща се изтърква в един момент, бележките под линия с цел да вдъхнат истинност дразнят много повече особено с този шрифт.
Личи си, че е писана от сценарист, имаме си бърз антиутопичен сценарий и на една Дорти, този път 16 годишно момче с всичките му изразни средства и нужди преминаване през иницияциата си на един много различен САЩ. Един свят, за който сме предупредени изтребило се всичко, климатът се скапал, ние се сблъскаме с пластмаса и умираме в милиони, до тук всичко познато и живеем във ФБ... ъъъ в нещо подобно, но вместо смартфон си имат визьори
Дорти...ъъъ Тръки който идва от Крънч(ама имената с адски иронични) се прокрадва през различните територии заедно с супер-дупер начетен козел в ролята на Лъва, Плашилото в търсене на мозък с помощта добрата вещица от където беше (черното лошо коте или там) към Изумрудения град, там го чака един също толкова фалшив магьосник от Оз и бягат от руска нашесвеница-генийка, която би трябвало да е суперзлодеят Лошата вещица (някой да каже вече на американците, че руските фамилии завършват с "а" не е толкова трудно да се запомни, прозяв)с тях е един андроид, който няма пол, но е влюбен в Тръки и Сами става тя понеже на мъжленцето така ще е по-удобно по старата максима ако нещо не е мъжко, то е женско в ролята на тенекиеният човек. Разбира се, в книгата има хиляда пола, да не обиди автора някого или да иронизира всички, знам ли... но имаше философски наченки как религията ограничава, какво е човек, андроидски борби за свобода сравнението им с африканските роби и както си му е редът.
Тръки е адски лош живот в дома си като Дорти, но напусне ли го осъзнава, че жалкото му съществуване му липсва(както би направил всеки един от нас) все пак разбира истината за всека, в който живее и всичко се оказва наобратно(също очакван прийом, но приятен).
Историята имаше доста потенциал, но изглежда авторът или е искал да пише продължение, или не му се е занимавало, понеже да описваш 500 стр вонящи умиращи и горещи неща се изтърква в един момент, бележките под линия с цел да вдъхнат истинност дразнят много повече особено с този шрифт.
April 19, 2020
FKA USA is compared to "L. Frank Baum’s The Wizard of Oz, Douglas Adams’s A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, and Ernie Cline’s Ready Player One" and I think my expectations were just way too high. I could definitely see the similarities to Ready Player One though. I listened to the audiobook and that definitely helped the reading experience because the production was a lot of fun.
June 23, 2020
Immerse yourself in a fully imagined American shitstorm taking place some time during or after the 2080s. Follow Truckee on a morbid journey with talking goat Barnaby, an android that is one of his 2.5 friends, and a lobotomized ex-con named Tiny Tim -- the crew charged with saving what is left of America. What a ride it is. Almost everything that could go wrong with America has, except for really excellent tech. The writer has a juvenile, raunchy way of writing at times, which could be attributed to Truckee since he is a sixteen year old... but the mostly body related humor is also apparent in the much quoted 'The Grifter's Guide to the Territories FKA USA' (at the beginning of most chapters). So I guess it's just the way Reed King writes? All of the similes and metaphors though -- egads, the subject matter is horrible enough without hardly a simile or metaphor that isn't body related. But if you can ignore all of those, there is some great writing and ideas here. The narrative is FULLY detailed and world built. Don't skip the footnotes - they are great. Small details like the rich being called the "uppercrust" and the workers called "crumbs" -- fantastic. There was only one sentence of a hint at what was happening outside of America and I would LOVE a worldly sequel.
This book reminds me of Ready Player One, Douglas Adams, Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, the Fallout games, Jasper Fforde, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep', Jonathan Lethem's 'Amnesia Moon', 'Bats of the Republic' by Zachary Thomas Dodson, 'American War' by Omar El Akkad, 'The Heap' by Sean Adams, the TV show Z Nation, the film Brazil, Mad Max and very obviously the Wizard of Oz (BUT REALLY RETURN TO OZ WHICH IS BETTER). So many many things I love that I can see in this book. How could I not enjoy it?
Honestly, this book is so dark, and part of it is even true already... I find it difficult for any writer to want to stamp this with their name. But I think whomever wrote it had a field day with the worldbuilding especially... all of the detail is striking and the best part of the book. So which writers are best at worldbuilding? Why is the writer a secret? WHO IS BEHIND THE PSEUDONYM?? (Really the most intriguing reason for me to read the book.) The only hints have been that they are a NYTimes bestselling author and they work in TV -- so not any movies? Only TV? Other than all those dreaded raunchy similes and metaphors, this is a solid book. The only reason it might be secret is because it doesn't really shine a very positive light on America (and understandably so in these times) but this book isn't saying anything that America might not actually be heading towards, as some evidence is already showing. OR the writer usually writes "literature" and not genre, and wouldn't want to be attributed to writing this future dystopian satire?
Here are my guesses:
+Before reading, I already suspected the book is written by George R.R. Martin because he knows he should be working instead on one of the most anticipated books in the world and people would be very angry with him if he isn't working on that. Then there is a Hobbit reference very early on? I know that is one of his favorite books. Also, the world building here is on par with GoT.
+Another guess is Neil Gaiman. Not originally from America, he might be hesitant to add his name to a DARK American satire (so my first guess would be a writer that ISN'T from America.) There is also the huge amount of influences this book reminds me of, which might be why I like it so much, and many of those things seem to fall into what Mr. Gaiman might like.... especially The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy if you replace all the funny with darkness (but really no one can compare to Douglas Adams.)
+My third guess might be Joe Hill. Because it just seems comparable to another book I read from him - NOS4A2, including a similar writing style. Possibly he figured he already wrote a dark road trip novel? And this can't really be classified as "horror" even though this future America is truly HORRIFYING. Maybe he is supposed to be mainly known for horror, like his dad. Also, he'd have a field day using a pseudonym using his dad's name!
+ Other guesses: Lev Grossman, Jim Butcher, Kass Morgan (who did the 100 show), Noah Hawley (Legion-like crazy), Max Brooks (this book is much like World War Z and he also wrote for SNL, so there is the TV connection), Joss Whedon (he loves his apocalypses and dystopias... is he on the NYTimes Bestseller list though?).... I really hope it isn't James Patterson (well, the team of writers using his name could probably come up with much of this book anyway).... Is the book dripping with raunchiness to throw me off, so I'm not guessing more female writers? The list goes on... I'm just very intrigued to know!
Who do YOU think wrote the book?
This book reminds me of Ready Player One, Douglas Adams, Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy, the Fallout games, Jasper Fforde, 'Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep', Jonathan Lethem's 'Amnesia Moon', 'Bats of the Republic' by Zachary Thomas Dodson, 'American War' by Omar El Akkad, 'The Heap' by Sean Adams, the TV show Z Nation, the film Brazil, Mad Max and very obviously the Wizard of Oz (BUT REALLY RETURN TO OZ WHICH IS BETTER). So many many things I love that I can see in this book. How could I not enjoy it?
Honestly, this book is so dark, and part of it is even true already... I find it difficult for any writer to want to stamp this with their name. But I think whomever wrote it had a field day with the worldbuilding especially... all of the detail is striking and the best part of the book. So which writers are best at worldbuilding? Why is the writer a secret? WHO IS BEHIND THE PSEUDONYM?? (Really the most intriguing reason for me to read the book.) The only hints have been that they are a NYTimes bestselling author and they work in TV -- so not any movies? Only TV? Other than all those dreaded raunchy similes and metaphors, this is a solid book. The only reason it might be secret is because it doesn't really shine a very positive light on America (and understandably so in these times) but this book isn't saying anything that America might not actually be heading towards, as some evidence is already showing. OR the writer usually writes "literature" and not genre, and wouldn't want to be attributed to writing this future dystopian satire?
Here are my guesses:
+Before reading, I already suspected the book is written by George R.R. Martin because he knows he should be working instead on one of the most anticipated books in the world and people would be very angry with him if he isn't working on that. Then there is a Hobbit reference very early on? I know that is one of his favorite books. Also, the world building here is on par with GoT.
+Another guess is Neil Gaiman. Not originally from America, he might be hesitant to add his name to a DARK American satire (so my first guess would be a writer that ISN'T from America.) There is also the huge amount of influences this book reminds me of, which might be why I like it so much, and many of those things seem to fall into what Mr. Gaiman might like.... especially The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy if you replace all the funny with darkness (but really no one can compare to Douglas Adams.)
+My third guess might be Joe Hill. Because it just seems comparable to another book I read from him - NOS4A2, including a similar writing style. Possibly he figured he already wrote a dark road trip novel? And this can't really be classified as "horror" even though this future America is truly HORRIFYING. Maybe he is supposed to be mainly known for horror, like his dad. Also, he'd have a field day using a pseudonym using his dad's name!
+ Other guesses: Lev Grossman, Jim Butcher, Kass Morgan (who did the 100 show), Noah Hawley (Legion-like crazy), Max Brooks (this book is much like World War Z and he also wrote for SNL, so there is the TV connection), Joss Whedon (he loves his apocalypses and dystopias... is he on the NYTimes Bestseller list though?).... I really hope it isn't James Patterson (well, the team of writers using his name could probably come up with much of this book anyway).... Is the book dripping with raunchiness to throw me off, so I'm not guessing more female writers? The list goes on... I'm just very intrigued to know!
Who do YOU think wrote the book?
August 25, 2022
Loved this fun look at what was Formerly Known As the USA. FKA USA is a cross between Douglas Adams’s Hitchiker’s Guide and The Wizard of Oz. This one has everything tossed in and it was a real hoot. You’re gonna love it or you’re gonna hate it. 🤷🏻♀️
Recommended for sci- fi fans who like irreverent, wacky humor.
Recommended for sci- fi fans who like irreverent, wacky humor.
July 30, 2019
I’d describe this book as The Hitchhiker’s Guide crossed with a futuristic homage to The Wizard of Oz set at the end of the world. With a talking goat.
I loved this book. It is definitely one of the unique books I’ve read this year. The world that King has created is so fully realized and he shares with readers every piece of the journey, from interesting tidbits that just make the world come alive to necessary historical background that ties everything together.
The framing of the book is more complicated than it appears: it’s Truckee telling his story but the whole book is filled with footnotes from an editor who seems to be from some point in the future and is filling the reader in on details through footnotes and appendices of extra information. This makes the book feel like a historical relic, like we’re reading it from some point in the future, even though it’s set in 2084. At the start of each chapter there are also hilarious notes from the “Grifter’s Guide” that Truckee follows as he makes his way across the former US of A.
The general tone of the book is fun and witty—as you can see from the jacket copy. (Knock knock. Who’s there? No one, dick, it’s the end of the world. ) I found this such a fun way to read about a seriously messed up future version of our world. Instead of being all downer, the book takes on ideas like climate change and sees how far it can push: if we run out of land to grow crops, what will people eat? Well, we already eat so much processed food anyway, where would that lead? And what about robots and their potential sentience? If we are so divided about rights for people who identify as LBGTQIA+, what will we do when robots want to be considered human? Starting from where our society currently is, the book extrapolates out to the hyperbolic extremes of some potential future—one that is sort of funny to read about, but still serves as a warning to how we’re currently living.
This book goes a mile a minute. I thought it would take me a long time to read it because of the length and the footnotes, but it really is just so readable. I enjoyed every minute. King’s vision would be so excellent translated to the screen—I’d love to see a movie or mini-series adaptation of this book.
If dystopian future books are your thing, you have to add this one to your list. If you loved the tone and wit of Douglas Adams, this book is for you. If a talking goat sparks your interest, I probably don’t have to say any more.
My thanks to Flatiron Books for my copy of this one to read and review.
I loved this book. It is definitely one of the unique books I’ve read this year. The world that King has created is so fully realized and he shares with readers every piece of the journey, from interesting tidbits that just make the world come alive to necessary historical background that ties everything together.
The framing of the book is more complicated than it appears: it’s Truckee telling his story but the whole book is filled with footnotes from an editor who seems to be from some point in the future and is filling the reader in on details through footnotes and appendices of extra information. This makes the book feel like a historical relic, like we’re reading it from some point in the future, even though it’s set in 2084. At the start of each chapter there are also hilarious notes from the “Grifter’s Guide” that Truckee follows as he makes his way across the former US of A.
The general tone of the book is fun and witty—as you can see from the jacket copy. (Knock knock. Who’s there? No one, dick, it’s the end of the world. ) I found this such a fun way to read about a seriously messed up future version of our world. Instead of being all downer, the book takes on ideas like climate change and sees how far it can push: if we run out of land to grow crops, what will people eat? Well, we already eat so much processed food anyway, where would that lead? And what about robots and their potential sentience? If we are so divided about rights for people who identify as LBGTQIA+, what will we do when robots want to be considered human? Starting from where our society currently is, the book extrapolates out to the hyperbolic extremes of some potential future—one that is sort of funny to read about, but still serves as a warning to how we’re currently living.
This book goes a mile a minute. I thought it would take me a long time to read it because of the length and the footnotes, but it really is just so readable. I enjoyed every minute. King’s vision would be so excellent translated to the screen—I’d love to see a movie or mini-series adaptation of this book.
If dystopian future books are your thing, you have to add this one to your list. If you loved the tone and wit of Douglas Adams, this book is for you. If a talking goat sparks your interest, I probably don’t have to say any more.
My thanks to Flatiron Books for my copy of this one to read and review.
January 31, 2021
Saw this in my local book store and as a huge sucker for cyberpunk/dystopia I had to grab it, and t does not disappoint on that front while also adding a bit of whimsy and weirdness too.
If I was going to compare it to anything, I'd say if you wrote Snow Crash from a modern perspective this is the dystopian setting you'd arrive at. Still with corpo-states controlling everything but now with the added bonus of a horrendous climate emergency.
I was pretty happy with the progressive inclusion of various identities, I really enjoyed a lot of the lingo - it presents itself as a memoir from the future so it's peppered with (relatively easy to grok) terms that make sense from the future-cultural standpoint.
If anything, my only negative would be it occasionally meanders and the climax feels a tad forced, but it hit the spot in so many other places I can't help but strongly recommend it.
If I was going to compare it to anything, I'd say if you wrote Snow Crash from a modern perspective this is the dystopian setting you'd arrive at. Still with corpo-states controlling everything but now with the added bonus of a horrendous climate emergency.
I was pretty happy with the progressive inclusion of various identities, I really enjoyed a lot of the lingo - it presents itself as a memoir from the future so it's peppered with (relatively easy to grok) terms that make sense from the future-cultural standpoint.
If anything, my only negative would be it occasionally meanders and the climax feels a tad forced, but it hit the spot in so many other places I can't help but strongly recommend it.
August 6, 2019
I've finished this book only because I'm an optimist - I'm always thinking that author will surprise me with something, add a brilliant plot twist or reveal second meaning that I didn't see. Not this time. Its a typical hero quest - Truckee Wallance and his company travel across post apocalyptic USA to deliver object that will save the world. It would be quite an enjoyable read if you will take out all the toilet jokes and constant mentioning that main character is a virgin (which would probably cut the book in a half). Lost potential.
November 6, 2019
There are mostly good points and just a few minor annoyances about this novel.
First, the good:
How could I not love a story where enemies are embodied in the pantsuited members of HR?
Also, this book addresses something I rarely see in dystopian fiction: the unique role of teenagers. It's spot-on to imagine teens employing the twin coping strategies of risk-taking and dark humor, in an otherwise unforgiving stale landscape with an unpalatable future.
Reed King is a pseudonym, so we cannot be entirely sure of the author's identity. The book reads like a cross between Douglas Adams and Andy Borowitz which is to say funny, irreverent, and with great warmth.
The author makes obvious, cynical, and thinly veiled references to a variety of social ills. Not only are the opiate crisis and the dangers of meth labs mirrored in this story, but there are also clear references to historical and current events: Kristallnacht, trans rights activism, anti-immigration sentiments, the refugee crisis, human trafficking, and the urgent need for reform in prisons, corporations, energy sectors, and in the military.
Now for the annoyances: first, the footnotes. They will drive you nuts. I didn't even look at the Appendices. And, if you are a stickler for grammar, the constant use of would of, could of, should of, will drive you out of your ever lovin' skull. Apparently, this is either meant as an acceptable speech pattern for every single character in this speculative future, OR, maybe the author is trolling us. Oddly, I suspect the second explanation is more plausible.
The author has gone to great lengths to create an intensely creative post-apocalyptic landscape. The story and characters are very entertaining.
Maybe just skip the footnotes.
First, the good:
How could I not love a story where enemies are embodied in the pantsuited members of HR?
Also, this book addresses something I rarely see in dystopian fiction: the unique role of teenagers. It's spot-on to imagine teens employing the twin coping strategies of risk-taking and dark humor, in an otherwise unforgiving stale landscape with an unpalatable future.
Reed King is a pseudonym, so we cannot be entirely sure of the author's identity. The book reads like a cross between Douglas Adams and Andy Borowitz which is to say funny, irreverent, and with great warmth.
The author makes obvious, cynical, and thinly veiled references to a variety of social ills. Not only are the opiate crisis and the dangers of meth labs mirrored in this story, but there are also clear references to historical and current events: Kristallnacht, trans rights activism, anti-immigration sentiments, the refugee crisis, human trafficking, and the urgent need for reform in prisons, corporations, energy sectors, and in the military.
Now for the annoyances: first, the footnotes. They will drive you nuts. I didn't even look at the Appendices. And, if you are a stickler for grammar, the constant use of would of, could of, should of, will drive you out of your ever lovin' skull. Apparently, this is either meant as an acceptable speech pattern for every single character in this speculative future, OR, maybe the author is trolling us. Oddly, I suspect the second explanation is more plausible.
The author has gone to great lengths to create an intensely creative post-apocalyptic landscape. The story and characters are very entertaining.
Maybe just skip the footnotes.
July 29, 2019
This was just ok. Definitely could have been paired down a bit. I thought that the annotations did not add to the book at all. It was really out there, and that is ok. The writing did remind me of a junior high, high school level. Not bad overall, but not something I would recommend!
July 15, 2019
This is just a big old mess of a novel, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It just bursts with ideas, many of them silly beyond belief. Like many stories set in the future, it takes a while to actually make sense of the terms and acronyms flung around. If you don't take that too seriously I think it helps. It is also longer than it has any right to be. That would be OK if there was a point to the length, but the ending is pretty abrupt and doesn't really finalize the story. Still, this is fun if you are in the right mood and I wish great good luck to Truckee Wallace and his friends
February 5, 2020
I can understand why this book wouldn't please many people: it's packed full to the brim with so much lore and references to a fictional universe that it could become tedious. But I found the book a fun ride and the little references weren't tedious to me but fun Easter eggs of imagination.
June 1, 2021
3.5 I didn’t like the characters, plot, or style enough to give it a 4. But the concept of speculation on what will become of the United States when they ultimately divide makes it a must-read anyway. So does the rest of the social commentary (which I found a bit oblique at times, but necessary nevertheless).
I agree with the overall comparisons to the books referenced in the promotional material. Only the appendices were “page-turners” for me. I wish those and the “Grifter’s Guide” had been written as separate books. Maybe those are sequel opportunities.
I was graciously gifted the Goodreads ARC and unfortunately the only way I can get through a book that long is by audio. Ultimately I’m glad I did.
I agree with the overall comparisons to the books referenced in the promotional material. Only the appendices were “page-turners” for me. I wish those and the “Grifter’s Guide” had been written as separate books. Maybe those are sequel opportunities.
I was graciously gifted the Goodreads ARC and unfortunately the only way I can get through a book that long is by audio. Ultimately I’m glad I did.
May 1, 2019
I wanted to like it, and I didn’t hate it, but almost halfway through I still simply didn’t care. Reed has created a disturbing post apocalyptic America which isn’t terribly far fetched, but each chapter feels like an excuse to explore more of the degradation of society than to move the story along. I honestly can’t give a solid reason why this didn’t work for me, but each time I picked the book up I was doing so as a chore, not enjoyably. Perhaps it’s just me. Might be worth a second try another time.
August 12, 2019
I was intrigued by the idea of this dystopian story set in the future of the fractured land formerly known as the USA. Part of my interest came from its being written by someone who is supposedly a bestselling author, here using a pen name. I don't know who wrote it, but the story was convoluted and too self-consciously clever, and it contained far too many footnotes! And then there are all the many, many references to human waste.
June 25, 2019
3.5 stars
This is one of the most unique apocalyptic takes on our future world that I have ever read. King has definitely done a lot of research and planning in organizing the fate of various countries, religions and groups. Initially, I was a bit overwhelmed by how much information is thrown at the reader (what with the long footnotes that gave miscellaneous background information and the history lessons interwoven in Truckee’s narrative). It makes the book feel like a historical tour guide across the former United States, especially with the maps that detail how geography has changed (I loved the maps, btw). I think that people who really like history and geography will be more invested in this type of book; for me, it felt too much like a text book at times, and often I found myself skipping over the longer footnotes. However, I really did enjoy seeing how the USA had changed. Strangely enough, my favorite scene was the one with the Friendly Militia. What a twisted way for them to evolve! But it was weirdly funny.
I really enjoyed the road trip aspect of the book, but I never felt like the found-family aspect ever came to fruition. There was so much potential for this ragtag group of misfits and weirdoes to really bond as they journeyed together through the treacherous land the USA has become, but it never seemed to reach that point. Truckee never seems to grow as a person. Instead, his innate prejudices come to light and he doesn’t learn after confronting them. I think this stems from the fact that this book is not character driven: the driving force behind this book is a tour guide of the new (not so much improved) USA. In that aspect, it really succeeds. Unfortunately, I needed more character growth to really pull me in.
If action is more your concern, never fear. This book is filled with gunfire and running, as well as a strange mission to get a fainting goat with a penchant for quoting from his memoir to a lab across the former United States. I really enjoyed the action, the mishaps, and the constant struggle against near-death. The twist towards the end managed to fool me, which was refreshing and fun. However, the conclusion left much to be desired. It didn’t feel complete. A lot happens in the span of a few pages, and then in the middle of a gunfight the book just ends. There are lots of revelations, but no resolution about what they’re going to do about it. It just needed one more chapter to round it out. Instead, I was left at the end flipping through the various appendixes in confusion.
And one final nitpicky gripe: the constant use of “would of” instead of “would have”. I am the type of reader who has to reread a sentence if I don’t read it correctly in my head the first time, and every single time “would of” popped up, it would trip me up in my head and I would be forced to backtrack. I get that this is a style choice to show Truckee’s accent, but the rest of the narrative is grammatically correct so this one choice constantly annoyed me. There were two instances where “would have” was used instead, which only confused me more. I should have counted how many times “would of” was used, because it honestly felt like every other page. It’s the one thing glaring me in the face that I just could not come to terms with. And it’s so trivial!
So, overall, this is definitely a dystopian-type novel that I would recommend to people. It is clever, it is funny, and it is very well thought out. It’s a fun travel read, a fun romp through a future that could very well come to be. The thought is frightening, but it makes for an interesting read.
Many thanks to goodreads giveaways and Flatiron Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is one of the most unique apocalyptic takes on our future world that I have ever read. King has definitely done a lot of research and planning in organizing the fate of various countries, religions and groups. Initially, I was a bit overwhelmed by how much information is thrown at the reader (what with the long footnotes that gave miscellaneous background information and the history lessons interwoven in Truckee’s narrative). It makes the book feel like a historical tour guide across the former United States, especially with the maps that detail how geography has changed (I loved the maps, btw). I think that people who really like history and geography will be more invested in this type of book; for me, it felt too much like a text book at times, and often I found myself skipping over the longer footnotes. However, I really did enjoy seeing how the USA had changed. Strangely enough, my favorite scene was the one with the Friendly Militia. What a twisted way for them to evolve! But it was weirdly funny.
I really enjoyed the road trip aspect of the book, but I never felt like the found-family aspect ever came to fruition. There was so much potential for this ragtag group of misfits and weirdoes to really bond as they journeyed together through the treacherous land the USA has become, but it never seemed to reach that point. Truckee never seems to grow as a person. Instead, his innate prejudices come to light and he doesn’t learn after confronting them. I think this stems from the fact that this book is not character driven: the driving force behind this book is a tour guide of the new (not so much improved) USA. In that aspect, it really succeeds. Unfortunately, I needed more character growth to really pull me in.
If action is more your concern, never fear. This book is filled with gunfire and running, as well as a strange mission to get a fainting goat with a penchant for quoting from his memoir to a lab across the former United States. I really enjoyed the action, the mishaps, and the constant struggle against near-death. The twist towards the end managed to fool me, which was refreshing and fun. However, the conclusion left much to be desired. It didn’t feel complete. A lot happens in the span of a few pages, and then in the middle of a gunfight the book just ends. There are lots of revelations, but no resolution about what they’re going to do about it. It just needed one more chapter to round it out. Instead, I was left at the end flipping through the various appendixes in confusion.
And one final nitpicky gripe: the constant use of “would of” instead of “would have”. I am the type of reader who has to reread a sentence if I don’t read it correctly in my head the first time, and every single time “would of” popped up, it would trip me up in my head and I would be forced to backtrack. I get that this is a style choice to show Truckee’s accent, but the rest of the narrative is grammatically correct so this one choice constantly annoyed me. There were two instances where “would have” was used instead, which only confused me more. I should have counted how many times “would of” was used, because it honestly felt like every other page. It’s the one thing glaring me in the face that I just could not come to terms with. And it’s so trivial!
So, overall, this is definitely a dystopian-type novel that I would recommend to people. It is clever, it is funny, and it is very well thought out. It’s a fun travel read, a fun romp through a future that could very well come to be. The thought is frightening, but it makes for an interesting read.
Many thanks to goodreads giveaways and Flatiron Books for providing me with an arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
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