Green Valley

by Louis Greenberg

WINNER OF THE FOREWORD INDIE BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD'Immersive, smart, eerily prescient and crackling with tension and atmosphere.' Sarah Lotz, author of Day Three and Day Four.Chilling near-future SF for fans of Black Mirror and True Detective.When Lucie Sterling's niece is abducted, she knows it won't be easy to find answers. Stanton is no ordinary invasive digital technology has been banned, by public vote. No surveillance state, no shadowy companies holding databases of information on private citizens, no phones tracking their every move. Only one place stays firmly anchored in the bad old ways, in a huge bunker across Green Valley, where the inhabitants have retreated into the comfort of full-time virtual reality--personae non gratae to the outside world. And it's inside Green Valley, beyond the ideal virtual world it presents, that Lucie will have to go to find her missing niece.

Genres: Science Fiction, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Fantasy, Dystopia, Speculative Fiction

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2019

Reviews

[Aoife · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I received this book from Titan Books in exchange for an honest review.

Lucie Sterling lives in a city that has banned all forms of invasive digital technology - that means no phones, no gaming, and no online databases that could result in a privacy breach. However, when children start going missing and bodies show up, Lucie is forced to enter Green Valley - a mysterious bunker shut off from the rest of the city in which the inhabitants live exclusively through VR simulation. As Lucie struggles to save her niece, who has grown up in Green Valley, she begins to see what the VR lifestyle may really be hiding.

This was just okay. I liked the concept behind the story, and how the author played with two sides of a world that detested invasive tech and another side that embraced it. As readers, we got to see the upside and downside of both worlds; and there was definitely an interesting and important message in the book about not losing yourself to an online world and allowing children to be children and not staring at a screen/attached to a screen all day.

I though something more was going to come out of the Sentinel. It was creepy and mysterious as a defensive body can go, and I thought there would be some revelations at the end of the book about Barbra and her ilk and what they were really doing but there was nothing. I also felt like the end of the book was the equivalent of letting a balloon go. It was so boring and anti-climatic.

The VR set up in this book is very cool but I definitely feel like there were parts of it that were really lacking; and I also found it hard to believe a whole subset of a population could decide to live that way and get so much wrong at the same time? I've seen VR done better (Ready Player One for example) and weirdly, I actually think the story told in this novel would do better as a condensed episode on Black Mirror.

[Paperbacks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green Valley is a real slow burn of a novel, I'll admit it took me a little while to get into, but when it finds it's feet everything kicks up a notch or two. Lucie's analogue world feels quaint but immediately frustrating, thinking back to only being able to move as far as your telephone wire will let you, will certainly strike a chord! it's unsurprising, however, that there would be some who were so entrenched with the digital, that it would seem almost unthinkable to revert to payphones and pen and paper.  I was surprised at how small an area Green Valley was, but being faced with a fully immersive "jacked in" society, I would certainly choose to walk away from my computer and keep to the real world.

It's a stark choice though, one or the other.  Families are divided and friendships lost, children not able to decide and having to follow what ever vote their parents took, and what of those born into Green Valley? Lucie though, falls in the middle. Maintaining her relationship with her analogue pioneer boyfriend, whilst secretly coveting the bad old days, I instantly identified with her. I have to love any relationship when the golden rule whilst reading is not to disturb one another until the chapter has ended! But her job in criminal justice was certainly easier with CCTV and DNA databases and never more so when unidentified children begin turning up dead all around town.

The story had a real City and the City feel to it, Louis Greenberg did an amazing job of painting Stanton as an almost beige society, I read it very much picturing the 1970's/1980's where concrete architecture was at it's worst and orange and brown dominated homewares and fashion.  It felt cold and a little bleak if I'm honest. Green Valley by comparison, projected like a perpetual infomercial bursting with happy faces and colour.

Lucie' descent into total immersion into her investigation was very well written, I enjoyed the pacy thriller style as the pieces started to fit into place, with twists and revelations that left me in shock. I found it tough to read at times, the drama taking a darker turn as the true toll of living in a virtual world took shape. I was turning each page with increasing horror as more information filtered through but by this point I felt as immersed as Lucie and just couldn't stop reading. It was an incredibly atmospheric read, almost oppressive at times, but I truly felt I was in Green Valley with her, holding my breath with her - such skilled writing.

One thing is for certain, it's made me think a lot about what passes by, even in my own home, when i'm looking at my phone. Although the salutary tale may appear trite, it really had a deep effect on me, Green Valley will certainly be a story that will stay with me for a long time and that reminder from time to time can only be a good thing.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wasn't a fan of this book.

While I did think it was very clever, different and original, the execution was poor.

I went into this thinking it was a thriller. And while it does have thriller/mystery aspects, it definitely leans more on the sci fi side of things. If you like sci fi thrillers, I think you will really like this but I personally prefer my thrillers set in reality.

For me, I found this book quite dull and boring. It didn't grab my interest straight away and I often found myself not being fully engaged in the writing or study throughout the book.

I don't think this book is bad by any means. I did really like learning about green valley, I think it was an original concept. There was just something missing from this book, to keep me captivated and interested.

I think I didn't like this book because of my own personal preferences when it comes to thrillers. If you like sci fi mysteries, I think you will enjoy this but for me, it wasn't my cup of tea

[Joe · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Green Valley" was a great concept but a poor execution. There wasn't nearly enough world building for what needed to happen here.

Premise: Apple Computers and Steve Jobs (essentially) finally went too far and were forced to wall themselves off in their own independent fiefdom and the rest of society goes back to pre-tech days. No cell phones/smart phones, no surveillance, nothing. Children from inside the Apple facility start turning up dead. Police work ensues.

The best parts of the book were obviously the ones inside Green Valley and the difference between what was real and what wasn't but I was never able to get a handle on how many people were supposed to still be in there. 10? 1,000,000? Lots of lost opportunities but, like I said, a real interesting idea.

[Elite Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shows what happens to a society where the virtual is the reality, and nothing is truly private

The Turn – the people of Stanton set aside technology and decided to live an ethical, socially responsible life free of digital surveillance and control, abuse of privacy rights, systematic repression of dissent, complicity and conspiracy. However, some people did not, and Green Valley was created for them. Green valley is a quarantined enclave run by the Zeroth Foundation, flesh and blood people living inside a vast warehouse. It is so much safer or healthier than the real world – with its cutting-edge circadian lighting systems, far safer and more nourishing than the carcinogenic sunlight. It has taintless hydroponic food and natural vitamin blends for optimal nutrition which is much more efficient and environmentally friendly than common farming. Or is it? When two children are found dead on the outskirts of Stanton, bristling with nanotechnology and Zeroth implants Lucie Sterling, special consultant with the Stanton CID, together with Detective Jordan Martinez investigate. Lucie has a personal interest in this, her sister and niece live in Green Valley – is her niece safe? What is happening to the children in Green Valley?

Nanotechnology is the study, use, manipulation and creation of materials, devices and systems at very tiny scales – mainly at the atomic and molecular levels. At this “nanoscale”, the normal rules of physics and chemistry often no longer apply, and as a result, many materials start to display novel, and sometimes, surprising properties, which can be exploited. It can be advantageous to humankind but can it also be taken too far?

This is a scary reminder of what the world could come to one day with advances in technology changing the world around us as we know it and megalomaniacs controlling these changes. The world is already very different from what it was fifty-years ago, what will it be in fifty-years-time? Are people going to have to choose how they want to live? I enjoyed the book as a scientist and recommend it everyone who wants a glimpse of our possible future.

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

[Keary Birch · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting concept with too little story. It meanders along at an easy pace, but in the end I felt nothing really happened.

[Amy Swenson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had such high hopes for this book because the concept was different and unique, but ultimately I was left underwhelmed by this read as well as a little confused.

[˗ˏˋ ada ´ˎ˗ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obwohl ich ungerne Dystopien lese, hat mir dieses Buch überraschend gut gefallen. Dem Leser wurde das perfekte Maß an Informationen zum Thema Technik geschildert, sodass man weder erschlagen von unzähligen Begriffen war, noch im Dunkeln getapst hat. Auch Lucie, unsere Protagonistin, war äußerst sympathisch, und hat sich im Verlaufe der vier Tage, in denen sich die Hauptstory zuspielt, bewiesen, das wurde gerade auch mit dem einfachen, lockerem Schreibstil untermalt.
Auch wenn ich das Buch nicht wirklich weiterempfehlen würde, kam es mir sehr gelegen und war eine Abwechslung für mich. :)

[Isabel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me some time to get into it but there were about 140 pages where I couldn't put the book down.

[Freya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review to come :)

[Viki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zieht sich am anfangeam Ende wurde es aber sehr spannend!

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little top heavy but a very clever and enjoyable premise. Full review to follow

[daria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dnf,ich will zwar wissen wie das Buch ausgeht,es dafür aber nicht beenden müssen😭

[Heather Warner · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Green Valley” had an interesting premise; two societies that view technology in very different ways. One doesn’t allow any invasive tech at all and the other that has completely embraced that same tech. Unfortunately the book never seemed to really find its footing-everything about the story and the two worlds seemed to be shallow and undeveloped. I’m pretty open minded about speculative or dystopian stories and don’t require the science/tech to be particularly “real” but I do need to be engrossed in whatever world is being created and I just wasn’t with this book. It’s unfortunate because like I said-the premise of the book was interesting.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another underdeveloped and wasn't well thought through sci-fi about virtual reality. The premise as with The Fall or Dodge in hell was interesting but the ending was not satisfactory. I am wondering is it because of the writing talent or just authors cannot really imagine the full implications of VR to reality?

[Anna Brewer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great idea and awesome opening premise - I was certainly hooked after the first chapter or so. But I'm afraid that I lost interest. There wasn't enough exploration of the main idea of the novel - that of Green Valley itself - despite how radical and unusual it was. I found myself struggling what was actually happening, or why certain parts were included.

[Runalong · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think an excellent mesh of crime, horror and science fiction exploring our relationship with Technology.

Full review https://www.runalongtheshelves.net/bl...

[Alyson Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book: Green Valley
Author: Louis Greenberg
Rating: 3 Out of 5 Stars

Prior to gong into this one, I didn’t know anything about it nor had I heard of it. The idea sounded very interesting. However, the way it was carried out was not the best. I found the book was one of those things that sounded good on paper, but was not written down on the page the best.

In this one, we have a world that is controlled by A.I Only the whole world is not controlled by A.I. There are parts of it that remain free. Those living in Green Valley live in this world that is centred about the A.l. Life is supposed to be great and wonderful there. On the outside looking in, it does appear this way. Everything is perfect and the people living there could not ask for a better life. This all changes whenever children from Green Valley start turning up dead in the lands that are not controlled by the A.I. Lucie, our main character, is concerned and starts to do some digging. The more gets into the world and finds out its secrets, the more she comes to realize that not everything is as pretty as it seems.

This is such an amazing set up. The summary alone was very interesting. It is the sole reason why I picked this one up. The idea of having this place that lives in virtual reality and having it look like the ideal life is something that many of us dream about. We all want to live in a world where we don’t have to worry about anything and have everything we want. No one denies it. Then, to see how badly things can go wrong and having this big mission to save people should have added so many layers. However, I found these layers to completely miss the mark. It was like we had this great buildup and this great idea, but it did not come out the way it should have. There could have been so much more done for this. This could have been such an intense book.

The book reads like a young adult book, it is adult. I almost feel that had this been a YA book that it could have had more of a punch. Yet, the characters really would not have worked for YA. I am not saying that adult books cannot have an easier writing style. What I am saying is that I felt like the book missed the mark on the emotional aspect. The stakes are pretty high in this one. Yet, if I had not been told that I would have not picked up on that. The emotional element that comes along with such high stakes was missing. If you are going to write a book about children dying and a main character who is fearful for her niece’s life, then you have to nail the emotional aspect of it.

Overall, I felt like the book was super underdeveloped. It felt like there was almost too much plot for the length of the book. The book should have been longer or it should have gotten a second book. I felt like the author was trying to add too much for the length of the book. We needed a little bit more to allow the book to develop more.

This was an average book for me. Again, had things been a little more developed, I think I would have enjoyed it a little bit more.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This week, I finished Green Valley by Louis Greenberg. I can't remember how it ended up on my reading shelf, but I mostly enjoyed it.

It's a detective story, set in a future where the majority of people have rejected technology, surveillance, internet, social media, etc - while a certain subset have retreated within a giant warehouse, where they live with a virtual reality system built into their brains, which shows them different surroundings and controls both their senses and their emotions.

The VR enclave is called Green Valley, and kids from there start turning up dead in the city outside.

Our protagonist is Lucie Sterling, who works for a secret department within the police force, which still has access to various bits of technology, to track suspects, search electronic records and do electronic surveillance. Her niece, who lives in Green Valley, disappears, which is why Lucie gets involved in the case.

There's a sense of Stalinist dystopia about the world outside Green Valley, but there's also evidently corruption and deception within the enclave too. So, neither system is presented as being the 'right' one - both have problems, with the authorial view presumably being that neither extreme is the right way to go in society.

There was a *lot* of exposition at the start of the book and it was presented quite clunkily. I've also always had issues with the concept of 'physical' VR, whereby you move around an actual space, but just see a different reality overlaid on your senses. It works to a certain extent here, but I don't see how people could actually live that way, rather than the other option of being 'plugged in' to a different reality and having their body be suspended and maintained in some way outside.

Anyway, those issues aside, I liked the protagonist, the world was well realised, the plot kept me engaged, and the writing was generally good. Anyone who like detective stories and speculative fiction about where certain aspects of our society might be headed will likely enjoy this book.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Green Valley is a plugged-in, autonomous virtual community sequestered behind concrete walls. It's a technological paradise surrounded on all sides by the community of Stanton who have turned their back on digital technology.

Of course the story is bound to be a cautionary metaphor for the dangers of our increasingly online world as we escape further into our carefully curated bubbles to avoid the messiness of the real world. But I was not ready for the third act turn toward horror. I should have suspected when children begin showing up dead in Stanton which prompts Lucie Sterling to investigate, driven by her need to know if her niece is ok.

The setup is all there but I still struggled with the world building. There's a lot of handwaving to create the story's conditions and I found the writing a bit clunky as the author moved characters around the board. I could sense the taut thriller this might have been given some judicious editing.

[Georgina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green Valley is a virtual reality enclave, sealed off from the city of Stanton by a giant wall. Stanton is part of a world that eschews all forms of invasive technology, having opted to regress to rotary phones and other outdated technology to help ensure the privacy of its citizens.

Lucie Sterling lives in Stanton, but when Green Valley kids start showing up dead outside the wall, she is determined to get inside to find out if her dead sister's daughter is still safe.

There are great insights into the sacrifices we have made to engage with advanced technology, and the question is raised of where we'll draw the line. There are also some gruesome horror moments, which isn't usually my thing, but worked in this context.

[Dawn Prolix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Green Valley was a science fiction exploration of a world where people are divided into those with technology and those without it. The action was mainly psychological, so it seemed to more like a science fiction novel than a thriller. The mystery driving the story was tied up far too neatly by someone else to feel any real sense of victory.

But the setting was fantastic. The concept behind it was novel, and it was a cool world to explore with the characters. If you're looking for a story about an epic, action-packed adventure, this book isn't for you. But if you enjoy cool science fiction problems and psychological intrigue, give it a read.

[Leah Andrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the near future, society finally values security and privacy. The era of totalitarian digital spying is over. On the outskirts of town, a virtual reality enclave exists behind a massive cement wall. Beyond the wall, the people are living in an augmented-reality paradise... Or are they?

I found this an interesting premise and some of the implications of dependence on technology are explored. This includes critique of hypercapitalism, tech entrepreneurs, and enshitification. The story has some thrills, body horror, and some viscerally disgusting scenes. I would recommend for all of the VR lovers and haters.

[Jayne Bauling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stanton is a place where intrusive technology is forbidden, and then there’s Green Valley, where virtual reality has reached extremes. This scenario is quickly established and the story takes off fast with creeping unease rapidly spiking into clawing apprehension, then terror.
The novel is set in the very near future, but with aspects of current reality to make it that much more disturbing. Clever building of suspense, and characters we care about, make for compulsive reading. Not just creepy, but nightmarish in the best way.

[Mana Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprisingly good, especially reading it in the back of the synapse sequence by another author. Dystopian science fiction where what the world can become if we has really become some of my favorite lately. As a warning especially as we are slowly willingly handing tech access to everything from Echo, to Home, to Siri, which are always listening. These types of books really make the information that we are freely and legally giving these companies come to light. Read the terms and conditions, I know most people don’t, but really read them

[Rey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An amazing premise

I loved the storyline - it's quite thought provoking. I also appreciated the imagery when writing about Green Valley and the wonderful snippets of language at various interval.

My only problem was the protagonist - I had to take breaks to get over my annoyance of her character and behaviour and finish the book. I'm unsure if the whiny nature of the character was supposed to reflect the result of the Green Valley experience or simply an attempt to write a female character. Either way, it didn't work for me.

[Lisa Jiardini · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had some heavy tech vocabulary to weed through but also had some cool descriptions of particular moments of human behavior. I found it spooky and profound, which lead me down a rabbit hole of thought - what or whom can you really trust?! The logic did not seem entirely well thought out - how were women even conscious enough to birth babies when they were plugged into a virtual reality? Were there even hospitals at that point or just did the fetuses just drop on the floor? But in general, an interesting scenario of a possible scary future!

[Kristy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This book was just one big tease. There was great set up and world building, lots of interesting characters, tons of hinted at intrigue, and soooo much tension. Then.....nothing. Just literally nothing. I feel like I was set up. This book was getting 4 stars from me until I realized that nothing was resolved and so much was still unanswered and there were less than 20 pages left.
I guess the author forgot that a good story needs a beginning, a middle, and an END. (A descent ending not the sad excuse for one this book dishes up.)

[CrowCaller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the idea but it seemed just too thin and didn't give me enough. The horrors of a sealed off town where everyone is in virtual reality is interesting but much of the book is focused on things unimportant to that, like random hallucination and a long unneeded POV of a secondary character. The main character actually also goes the titular Green Valley only twice- one with VR, once without.

The conflict too seems to boil down to very little actually - there's no good reason the second POV character hasn't just alerted town authorities, considering he has proof and that's what happens at the end.

So I liked a bunch of the ideas and the concept but it just seems to lack the follow through to explore it more.

[Margaret Haigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A virtual reality thriller, once again a dystopian view of technology, it would be great to read about an advance that actually succeeds and improves human nature. However, it was well written and credible, so would read another by the author. This is the last of my library books from before lockdown, so thrown back on the huge piles of books I’ve amassed.