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Lights Out
Lights Out
Prepare for the first in the Lights Out trilogy Ever since the war ended, the United English Cityships have had equality. The rules are clear. You are born, you live and the day following your sixtieth birthday, you are sent off for your final sleep. Lock is a firm believer in the system. It means that everyone is truly treated equally. It’s only when she checks in an attendee who claims to be younger than her chip says that Lock starts to realise there may be someone gaming the system. The problem is the corruption goes higher than Lock could even begin to imagine. As her belief in the world she lives in starts to crumble, Lock finds herself wanting justice for those who have gone before their time. Can she do it? Or will they silence her before she can get the word out?
559 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 10, 2019
About the author
Joey Paul
26 books587 followersJoey Paul is a multi-award-winning indie author, exploring the young adult genre. She has released twenty-four books in total so far, with one more due out in 2025. Her current works include the "Dying Thoughts" series, which is eight books, the "Lights Out" trilogy, the "Cramping Chronicles" series, the “Invisible” quartet, as well as several standalone novels. She writes across genres, with crime, mystery, paranormal, dystopian and urban fantasy being her usual genres. She is writing her next two books at the moment, having recently finished her last two.
Joey is disabled and a graduate from The Open University with a BA (Hons) in Health & Social Care. When not reading medical textbooks, she enjoys reading crime novels, medical dramas and young adult novels. When she's out and about, she likes doing weekly wheelchair walks occasionally challenging herself for charity. And when she's not doing THAT, she's sleeping! She's 44 and has been writing since she was retired from her job on medical grounds at the age of 19. She plans to write for as long as she has ideas or until someone tells her to stop!
Joey is disabled and a graduate from The Open University with a BA (Hons) in Health & Social Care. When not reading medical textbooks, she enjoys reading crime novels, medical dramas and young adult novels. When she's out and about, she likes doing weekly wheelchair walks occasionally challenging herself for charity. And when she's not doing THAT, she's sleeping! She's 44 and has been writing since she was retired from her job on medical grounds at the age of 19. She plans to write for as long as she has ideas or until someone tells her to stop!
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
August 2, 2020
During recent months I have been increasingly drawn to dystopian type novels. The ones I find most intriguing and unsettling are ones that show a plausible logical. Like this one.
After the devastation of wars, society has made a hard decision. To ensure everyone receives a share of the limited resources everyone is allowed one child and to live for sixty years. Due to technology, the system can not be beaten. The day after your sixtieth birthday each and every person is called up for the big sleep or Lights Out.
Lock who works at the base, supervising the Light Out events, has grown up believing in the system as it is a fair one. Everyone is equal. Until at one event, a woman complains there is a fault and she is not sixty. When Lock looks closer at the case she discovers that some people are more equal than others and for some their sixty years are more than others. If she continues to dig she may well find her own sixty years or those of her family and friends may start to speed up.
A clever, if chilling idea, idea well executed.
After the devastation of wars, society has made a hard decision. To ensure everyone receives a share of the limited resources everyone is allowed one child and to live for sixty years. Due to technology, the system can not be beaten. The day after your sixtieth birthday each and every person is called up for the big sleep or Lights Out.
Lock who works at the base, supervising the Light Out events, has grown up believing in the system as it is a fair one. Everyone is equal. Until at one event, a woman complains there is a fault and she is not sixty. When Lock looks closer at the case she discovers that some people are more equal than others and for some their sixty years are more than others. If she continues to dig she may well find her own sixty years or those of her family and friends may start to speed up.
A clever, if chilling idea, idea well executed.
December 30, 2020
Gave me an existential crisis just like I expected! Lol! Full review coming to youtube soon
July 18, 2019
Wow! This author sure has a way of keeping you on the edge of your seat! I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to see what happens next. The mystery in the storyline has had me trying to figure it all out and just as I think I’m there, turn of events and I’m wrong. It’s awesome!
I love that all of Joey Paul’s books come with a lesson or is based on true events, just changed some to fit the story, as this is about the Sixty and one day law and you go to your final sleep. But people are being bumped up or down as certain people see fit. Protesters want it changed , they say that all is not equal as the king says it is. They want to live until their body says its time to die. But two girls know that they are on to something big and the higher ups want them silenced. So they decide to sneak off the base and head to the unknown and the author had me in tears in spots and I felt just as nervous as Lock and Clara did in their escape.
What would you do if you stumbled across a government cover up? Would you just look the other way? Would you do a bit of research? Or would you stand up for what you believe in and risk life and limb to change things?
I’ve thought about that all through this book and knowing me, I’d be right there with Lock fighting for what I believe in. And of course, you are left hanging in a crucial spot and now I need the next book to see what happens.
I love that all of Joey Paul’s books come with a lesson or is based on true events, just changed some to fit the story, as this is about the Sixty and one day law and you go to your final sleep. But people are being bumped up or down as certain people see fit. Protesters want it changed , they say that all is not equal as the king says it is. They want to live until their body says its time to die. But two girls know that they are on to something big and the higher ups want them silenced. So they decide to sneak off the base and head to the unknown and the author had me in tears in spots and I felt just as nervous as Lock and Clara did in their escape.
What would you do if you stumbled across a government cover up? Would you just look the other way? Would you do a bit of research? Or would you stand up for what you believe in and risk life and limb to change things?
I’ve thought about that all through this book and knowing me, I’d be right there with Lock fighting for what I believe in. And of course, you are left hanging in a crucial spot and now I need the next book to see what happens.
August 28, 2020
“Lights Out” is a fascinating dystopian novel that poses many important questions: is forced population control a viable solution? Is there an alternative? Is the system truly fair to everyone or it’s just as corrupt as the rest of the political systems of the past? Lock, who works for the government, finds herself asking these uncomfortable questions as a glitch occurs in the system, which ultimately leads to a much bigger conspiracy. However, it’s when Lock begins to suspect that her girlfriend Lana may be involved with the scheme it gets personal and quite dangerous. When your own family member is in danger, would you continue to investigate and speak out against the system or would you continue to do your job and keep quiet, even in the face of great injustice occurring? That’s precisely the dilemma Lock is facing. Riveting and frighteningly real, “Lights Out” is a great first installment in the series, which I would highly recommend to all fans of the genre.
October 15, 2019
I decided to dip my toes into the dystopian genre for my latest read and chose Lights Out (Lights Out #1) by Joey Paul. Read on for my thoughts!
Synopsis (from the author):
Ever since the war ended, the United English Cityships have had equality. The rules are clear. You are born, you live and the day following your sixtieth birthday, you are sent off for your final sleep.
Lock is a firm believer in the system. It means that everyone is truly treated equally. It’s only when she checks in an attendee who claims to be younger than her chip says that Lock starts to realise there may be someone gaming the system.
The problem is the corruption goes higher than Lock could even begin to imagine. As her belief in the world she lives in starts to crumble, Lock finds herself wanting justice for those who have gone before their time.
Can she do it? Or will they silence her before she can get the word out?
What I liked:
Lights Out was an interesting read and there are many things in it that could apply to today’s world. However, that is not the focus of my review. Lock, our protagonist, is a good character. There was ample diversity in the book and I liked the idea of everyone treated the same. But, as with most “utopian society” ideas, it really isn’t fair. The mystery is who makes the decision and how can it be stopped? And, does society even want it stopped? No spoilers from me, so you’ll just have to read it to find out!
What I didn’t like:
For me, the story dragged in a few places and it took a while to get to the heart of the story. Some of the characters were a little underdeveloped (Chris, for example), and there was too much repetition in the characters’ mannerisms.
Overall impression:
Lights Out by Joey Paul had many good elements. Lock’s character was good, the storyline intriguing, and the mystery behind who was gaming the system added a nice touch. If you enjoy dystopia, read this one!
My rating:
4 Stars
Synopsis (from the author):
Ever since the war ended, the United English Cityships have had equality. The rules are clear. You are born, you live and the day following your sixtieth birthday, you are sent off for your final sleep.
Lock is a firm believer in the system. It means that everyone is truly treated equally. It’s only when she checks in an attendee who claims to be younger than her chip says that Lock starts to realise there may be someone gaming the system.
The problem is the corruption goes higher than Lock could even begin to imagine. As her belief in the world she lives in starts to crumble, Lock finds herself wanting justice for those who have gone before their time.
Can she do it? Or will they silence her before she can get the word out?
What I liked:
Lights Out was an interesting read and there are many things in it that could apply to today’s world. However, that is not the focus of my review. Lock, our protagonist, is a good character. There was ample diversity in the book and I liked the idea of everyone treated the same. But, as with most “utopian society” ideas, it really isn’t fair. The mystery is who makes the decision and how can it be stopped? And, does society even want it stopped? No spoilers from me, so you’ll just have to read it to find out!
What I didn’t like:
For me, the story dragged in a few places and it took a while to get to the heart of the story. Some of the characters were a little underdeveloped (Chris, for example), and there was too much repetition in the characters’ mannerisms.
Overall impression:
Lights Out by Joey Paul had many good elements. Lock’s character was good, the storyline intriguing, and the mystery behind who was gaming the system added a nice touch. If you enjoy dystopia, read this one!
My rating:
4 Stars
July 10, 2019
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
So I was pretty excited to read this book and it held up to my expectations! Lock lives in a future-"utopian" version of England where everyone is treated fairly and equitably and it doesn't matter your skin color, gender, sexuality or disability. Everyone lives for 60 years and then they are voluntarily euthanized. Sometimes less than voluntarily. Lock is a firm believer in this system until she begins to question if it's being gamed-- if it isn't really as fair as she believes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's well written and the character of Lock is great. I liked seeing an actually disabled character as a protagonist where her disability is neither the crux of the plot nor miraculously cured throughout the story. I wish the story was a little bit longer, but I guess it's meant to be a series, so it makes sense it wasn't completely wrapped up by the end. My biggest issue with the story was some insta-love going on and a bit of a love triangle, which are my biggest pet peeves in books.
So I was pretty excited to read this book and it held up to my expectations! Lock lives in a future-"utopian" version of England where everyone is treated fairly and equitably and it doesn't matter your skin color, gender, sexuality or disability. Everyone lives for 60 years and then they are voluntarily euthanized. Sometimes less than voluntarily. Lock is a firm believer in this system until she begins to question if it's being gamed-- if it isn't really as fair as she believes.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It's well written and the character of Lock is great. I liked seeing an actually disabled character as a protagonist where her disability is neither the crux of the plot nor miraculously cured throughout the story. I wish the story was a little bit longer, but I guess it's meant to be a series, so it makes sense it wasn't completely wrapped up by the end. My biggest issue with the story was some insta-love going on and a bit of a love triangle, which are my biggest pet peeves in books.
August 27, 2019
LIGHTS OUT is a futuristic journey that is guaranteed to hold your interest. The story reminds me of an old episode of Battlestar Galactica or Star Wars, can't remember which. I was intrigued with the premise of everyone having to be euthanized at a certain age and give up their life whether they were ready to or not. As with all 'best laid plans of mice and men', the government always seems to find a way to enter in and screw the whole thing up, which lends itself to a very creative tale. There is a saying, "don't judge a book by its cover." So glad I did not do that. This cover had me convinced LIGHTS OUT was a children's book. So glad I investigated a little closer.
August 12, 2021
AWARD WINNING FICTION
Official Selection in Young Adult Scifi/Horror - New Apple Literary eBook Awards 2019
Lights Out was picked as an In The Margins 2020 Recommended Fiction Title!
You can see all of them here: https://inthemarginssite.blog/2020-re...
FIVE star review from Readers’ Favorite
Reviewed By Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite
Lights Out is the first book in the Lights Out trilogy by Joey Paul, an outstanding futuristic science fiction work with a well-imagined setting. The book is set in a dystopian period after the devastation of war. This time, the new society establishes the rule of equality, and in the United English Cityships, everyone enjoys life equality, and everyone is subjected to the sixty years and one day rule. It means that on the day after their sixtieth birthday, citizens are sent to their final sleep. Lock works at the base and supervises the Lights Out events. She believes and trusts in the system until she makes a startling discovery. In fact, the system can be cheated, and when one woman complains that she is not sixty, Lock’s curiosity is aroused, and she begins to investigate the incident. She quickly understands that not everyone is equal and that technology can be manipulated to represent the wrong age for some. She sets out with her friend, Clara, to uncover the truth. The stakes are high, and each step they take is fraught with treachery.
Lights Out is an excellent story with a compelling premise: the law that allows everyone to have just one child and to live only for sixty years is not equal for everyone. When the female protagonist discovers massive corruption in the government, she is not only startled but utterly alarmed, and she escapes from the base. Joey Paul weaves tense scenes, putting her characters into situations of danger. The characters are expertly written, and their humanity rubs off powerfully on readers. I found myself rooting for Clara and Lock, wanting them to succeed in their mission and feeling deeply for them. While this novel is set in an imaginary, dystopian setting, it is replete with realism and humanity. The characters are relatable, the technological world realistic, and the originality in the plot is an element that will intrigue readers. Joey Paul has the gift of capturing the hearts of readers and keeping them engaged throughout the story. It is simply fascinating.
Official Selection in Young Adult Scifi/Horror - New Apple Literary eBook Awards 2019
Lights Out was picked as an In The Margins 2020 Recommended Fiction Title!
You can see all of them here: https://inthemarginssite.blog/2020-re...
FIVE star review from Readers’ Favorite
Reviewed By Ruffina Oserio for Readers’ Favorite
Lights Out is the first book in the Lights Out trilogy by Joey Paul, an outstanding futuristic science fiction work with a well-imagined setting. The book is set in a dystopian period after the devastation of war. This time, the new society establishes the rule of equality, and in the United English Cityships, everyone enjoys life equality, and everyone is subjected to the sixty years and one day rule. It means that on the day after their sixtieth birthday, citizens are sent to their final sleep. Lock works at the base and supervises the Lights Out events. She believes and trusts in the system until she makes a startling discovery. In fact, the system can be cheated, and when one woman complains that she is not sixty, Lock’s curiosity is aroused, and she begins to investigate the incident. She quickly understands that not everyone is equal and that technology can be manipulated to represent the wrong age for some. She sets out with her friend, Clara, to uncover the truth. The stakes are high, and each step they take is fraught with treachery.
Lights Out is an excellent story with a compelling premise: the law that allows everyone to have just one child and to live only for sixty years is not equal for everyone. When the female protagonist discovers massive corruption in the government, she is not only startled but utterly alarmed, and she escapes from the base. Joey Paul weaves tense scenes, putting her characters into situations of danger. The characters are expertly written, and their humanity rubs off powerfully on readers. I found myself rooting for Clara and Lock, wanting them to succeed in their mission and feeling deeply for them. While this novel is set in an imaginary, dystopian setting, it is replete with realism and humanity. The characters are relatable, the technological world realistic, and the originality in the plot is an element that will intrigue readers. Joey Paul has the gift of capturing the hearts of readers and keeping them engaged throughout the story. It is simply fascinating.
August 1, 2019
Joey Paul is one of my favourite authors of the year and this book reinforces my opinion. Living a full life and dying at 60 is reasonable and feasible to many people--especially those suffering in pain on a daily basis. Could it become reality? It does in Lights Out. In a society that accepts their fate and abides by it, what happens when the rich and powerful don't? It's one heck of a topic -- let's face it life, and death, aren't always fair.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews