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Always Greener
"An absolute joy to read. As clever as it is hilarious, as profound as it is captivating.” –James Dashner, Author of The Maze Runner
“A stinging science fiction satire that takes the downsides of modern living to their hilarious and horrifying conclusion.” – Foreword Reviews
"A cultured, witty, and very British attack on vapid reality TV values, set in an empty-souled tomorrow." –Kirkus Reviews
ABOUT ALWAYS GREENER:
Life's biggest victim, please step up and claim your prize!
A smash-hit reality show is offering a lifetime of luxury to the one person living the world’s worst life, and now everyone is out to prove just how bad they’ve got it.
Want in? All you’ve got to do is accept ocular implants that let the whole world see life through your eyes, twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week.
Fortunately, there’s still one person who hasn’t lost faith in all humanity. The show’s ever-smiling host is determined to wring some tiny bit of meaning out of this twisted competition and your unhappy existence.
There has to be a purpose behind all this misery.
…doesn’t there?
Launching in February 2020, ALWAYS GREENER mixes the whimsical wordplay of Douglas Adams with the ominous relevance of the TV show “Black Mirror.” Set in a near-future corporate dystopia, this satirical sci-fi novel explores how individuals willingly sacrifice privacy and control of their own lives in exchange for new technologies and a few minutes of fame.
“A stinging science fiction satire that takes the downsides of modern living to their hilarious and horrifying conclusion.” – Foreword Reviews
"A cultured, witty, and very British attack on vapid reality TV values, set in an empty-souled tomorrow." –Kirkus Reviews
ABOUT ALWAYS GREENER:
Life's biggest victim, please step up and claim your prize!
A smash-hit reality show is offering a lifetime of luxury to the one person living the world’s worst life, and now everyone is out to prove just how bad they’ve got it.
Want in? All you’ve got to do is accept ocular implants that let the whole world see life through your eyes, twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week.
Fortunately, there’s still one person who hasn’t lost faith in all humanity. The show’s ever-smiling host is determined to wring some tiny bit of meaning out of this twisted competition and your unhappy existence.
There has to be a purpose behind all this misery.
…doesn’t there?
Launching in February 2020, ALWAYS GREENER mixes the whimsical wordplay of Douglas Adams with the ominous relevance of the TV show “Black Mirror.” Set in a near-future corporate dystopia, this satirical sci-fi novel explores how individuals willingly sacrifice privacy and control of their own lives in exchange for new technologies and a few minutes of fame.
321 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 18, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 14, 2020
2.5 stars rounded up to 3
This book is set in the future, a mere 50 years from now. Always Greener is a game show. When you become a contestant on this show, you are fitted with a augmented reality lenses. The viewers will then be able to see your world through your eyes. It's constant 24/7. The viewer had to find the person who is living the worst life.
The first few chapters in this book I found hard to get into. I really thought I was going to stop reading it. That aside, it got quite interesting. There is a lot of repetition. We get the definitions of some of the words the author uses, but they are sometimes a bit long winded. There is some humor. The author did a fine job setting the scene. We get mostly the host of the shows point of view.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Uproar Books and the author J.R.H. Lawless for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This book is set in the future, a mere 50 years from now. Always Greener is a game show. When you become a contestant on this show, you are fitted with a augmented reality lenses. The viewers will then be able to see your world through your eyes. It's constant 24/7. The viewer had to find the person who is living the worst life.
The first few chapters in this book I found hard to get into. I really thought I was going to stop reading it. That aside, it got quite interesting. There is a lot of repetition. We get the definitions of some of the words the author uses, but they are sometimes a bit long winded. There is some humor. The author did a fine job setting the scene. We get mostly the host of the shows point of view.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Uproar Books and the author J.R.H. Lawless for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
December 5, 2019
Intelligent, satirical look at social media
I loved this book. Many satires I’ve read have lapsed into juvenile silliness, but this book maintains an even keel of intelligence mixed with humor. Although I did not find the book laugh-out-loud funny, there were plenty of humorous moments to go around. Even the footnotes were informative and funny.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
I loved this book. Many satires I’ve read have lapsed into juvenile silliness, but this book maintains an even keel of intelligence mixed with humor. Although I did not find the book laugh-out-loud funny, there were plenty of humorous moments to go around. Even the footnotes were informative and funny.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley for review purposes.
June 12, 2020
Always Greener is a fun read, mixing humour, social commentary, and elements of classic science fiction in the funnest (that's totally a word) possible way. My cats did not enjoy that the work often made me laugh out loud, as it disturbed their slumber. I look forward to reading other works by Mr. Lawless (which I feel is a fitting name for a lawyer, even if he's probably sick of seeing that joke).
August 22, 2019
Excellent story about a future ar reality game show and the goings on behind set. Loved the unique job titles and descriptions from a male porn star to a woman who cleans up suicides and the steady decline of stardom. Little bit political but the interesting parts make up for it. Can't wait for season 2.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC
February 9, 2020
Book received for free through NetGalley
This book was put down several times as I took a break from it. Some parts felt a bit slow moving but I think I mostly set is aside because the whole idea behind the book was ghastly and, unfortunately, so believable. I can see this happening in the future and at the same time I can’t believe this would happen at all although I know that isn’t the case.
The characters were introduced well and you really feel for the main one both pitying and not believing how he could continue.
This book was put down several times as I took a break from it. Some parts felt a bit slow moving but I think I mostly set is aside because the whole idea behind the book was ghastly and, unfortunately, so believable. I can see this happening in the future and at the same time I can’t believe this would happen at all although I know that isn’t the case.
The characters were introduced well and you really feel for the main one both pitying and not believing how he could continue.
March 16, 2020
This is one of the timeliest and realistic novels to come out this year. I am impressed that the author was able to bring so many themes of technology and mix together the impact of technology on the interconnected world of social media and entertainment. It definitely highlights the fascination we have with reality television and portrays how compassion and a sense of community is often left behind in exchange for the fascination of the macabre and underprivileged.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 27, 2020
Science fiction at its finest. The brains of Arthur C Clarke and Robert A Heinlien mixed with the wit or Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams!
November 7, 2020
Absurdly fun and dark, very dark.
October 16, 2020
The only reason I gave this 4 instead of 5 is that it's too close to home for comfort. I really would like to give it 4.5.
The footnotes are amazing!
Highly recommended.
The footnotes are amazing!
Highly recommended.
December 13, 2024
This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang but a simper.
The "Advance Praise" that was provided conveniently on page 1 of JRH Lawless's "Always Greener (The General Buzz Book 1)" read in part as follows: “Hilarious and horrifying… Both a sharp rebuke of where humanity is and a dire warning about where we may be headed.” (Foreword Reviews) “Cultured, witty, and very British… with an ultimately dark outlook on the amoral peddling of schadenfreude.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Lawless’s debut turns a satirical eye toward the voyeurism of reality television and the future of augmented reality.” (Publishers Weekly) Well, okay, that wasn't too bad. Let's see how these all held up...
Marketing has been hard at work over the past few months fabricating the next big thing.
Now having not only read these comments before I got started on the actual book (scurry ahead to page 5), I can only agree in part with these, well, opinions, as professionally generated as they seem to be (not AI but also not Joe Average Reader). "Always Greener" - which could have just as easily been titled "The Grass is Greener", the same as the big reality show we follow throughout - is indeed a poignant look at what's already happening throughout the world, one "united in obliviousness", even many years before the "current" date of 2072. One could argue that our world is not nearly this dystopian but I would then vehemently counterargue that we are already electing unqualified reality TV hosts and even various games' contestants to powerful positions. And very clearly the economic divide between the "haves" and the "have-nots" continues to grow ever more massive, particularly as these same elected numbskulls are only truly interested in solidifying their own financial holdings as well as those for the best friends (and maybe even their nation's own enemies). Finally, in terms of allowing corporations to run things with or without just coming out and saying so just circles these arguments back on themselves as it doesn't take a genius to see who the figures are that are financing these ridiculous changes in our societies.
The real question behind the human condition is this: Who has it worst? Is it you? Is it your neighbour?
And that is indeed where "Always Greener" is best at what it wants to achieve, namely, as a socio-political commentary that would do Jean-Jacques Rousseau proud (yes, after his name appears in the story, I googled him). And I say this even though it's made abundantly clear that "the point of the show is to see who has the worst lot in life"! Yet, I found it very accurately describes how we have all become in one way or another enamored - or even infuriated, it matters not as long as it's passionate emotion we're expressing - with the world of reality TV and all the little subsets of same that occupy our lives. Let's be honest: it's not enough anymore to see if our "stars" can actually dance or perform an operatic solo on stage. No, they have to accompany their activities with as much CONSTANT social media bombardment as possible so that we'll vote not (necessarily) for talent but most assuredly for popularity. And you could continue to make cases including for any kind of Great Bake Offs you have in mind or how various characters survive with each other in a closed living and/or dating environment (just don't forget that sex sells baby!!!) … or if you prefer your wild(er) celebrities out in the actual wild, you can just pack them off onto an island and decide whether to put them through their pacing with set competitions or strip them naked and point them towards the setting sun.
People watch these feeds because they need someone to pity.
Yes, all of this of course requires as well that you pit the different victims, oops, contestants against each other along the way. Who is most disliked? Who is not pulling their own weight? Who has finally revealed what the tabloids have warned us about for years? And oh goodness, but wouldn't it be great if we had the technology TODAY to see to it that not a single action would be missed by following along, yes, with the contestants themselves, literally through their own eyes? Again, this is where "Always Greener" shines, even when the very very worst happens to these people that claim to be living the very very worst lives of any of us. No, they're not the hungry, the (overly) poor, or the down-trodden. Goodness no, our adoring public would never be able to relate to that! No these are the folks you see at least out of the periphery of your vision doing the oddest, weirdest, grossest jobs we can imagine. The kind of jobs or services that eat away at their souls or even bodies - even though that makes for some damn fine viewing!
It’s bad that she’s suffering so much. But it’s also, I don’t know, a bit fun to watch. You know what I mean?
HOWEVER, where "Always Greener" - and the comments I mentioned earlier from other reviewers - absolutely fails in its execution is in terms of so-called humour (note spelling). I do not apologize for saying this, but this book is not all that funny … nor do I believe it should have been attempted to make it funny! Yes, providing witty (they weren't) little footnotes (they weren't) a la Douglas Adams or Sir Terry Pratchett may have been a lofty and/or even reverent formatting standard to aim for. But the dozens of etymological jokes that are scattered throughout the story - often being delivered at the worst moment imaginable - were just not amusing. Not even at the "polite laughter during a sermon" level. It was so bad in fact that I found myself beginning to ignore them even though they aren't placed in any way that makes that convenient (again, not footnotes but just insertions in the text, often appearing rather significantly distant from the "joke" in question). I just can't comprehend why Lawless found this in any way necessary to what was otherwise a good albeit somewhat inconsistent story about the future.
How much simpler all your problems became when you just gave up.
Still, with the exception of these unfortunate and truly irritating interuptions, I found the characters to be on the whole rather enjoyable, you know, "despite it all". Liam the ex-weather man certainly does his part of being the most thoroughly non-descript and non-threatening host possible, all while losing what seems to be a large portion of his humanity along the way. Still, it wasn't like he could turn down this "never-in-a-lifetime opportunity" now, could he? Even The Editor (note all caps) is deliciously detestable. And of course, the contestants themselves are a grab bag of different choices, generally lacking much in terms of likeability ("This is precisely the kind of thing we’re looking for. Despicable and pitiful at the same time."). But for the purposes they need to serve, they still pass inspection as it were. Oh did I also mention that we STILL don't have flying cars in 2072? Yeah, so things are really gonna suck in the future…
Was it good for the show? Or, you know, morally decent, he added as an afterthought?
True, there were also a lot of holes left in the plot - for example, having Liam's mates just gradually fade into the background until they're totally omitted without any kind of parting words was kind of odd. I also wasn't crazy about the ending - not in terms of our Grand Prize Winner but just the open-ended fade-away where we don't really know what to expect next. True, I believe there are 2 more books in the series (though they're not really linked together on goodreads). But after my struggles to finish here and my frustration with the overall structure, I'll be giving those a pass.
The "Advance Praise" that was provided conveniently on page 1 of JRH Lawless's "Always Greener (The General Buzz Book 1)" read in part as follows: “Hilarious and horrifying… Both a sharp rebuke of where humanity is and a dire warning about where we may be headed.” (Foreword Reviews) “Cultured, witty, and very British… with an ultimately dark outlook on the amoral peddling of schadenfreude.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Lawless’s debut turns a satirical eye toward the voyeurism of reality television and the future of augmented reality.” (Publishers Weekly) Well, okay, that wasn't too bad. Let's see how these all held up...
Marketing has been hard at work over the past few months fabricating the next big thing.
Now having not only read these comments before I got started on the actual book (scurry ahead to page 5), I can only agree in part with these, well, opinions, as professionally generated as they seem to be (not AI but also not Joe Average Reader). "Always Greener" - which could have just as easily been titled "The Grass is Greener", the same as the big reality show we follow throughout - is indeed a poignant look at what's already happening throughout the world, one "united in obliviousness", even many years before the "current" date of 2072. One could argue that our world is not nearly this dystopian but I would then vehemently counterargue that we are already electing unqualified reality TV hosts and even various games' contestants to powerful positions. And very clearly the economic divide between the "haves" and the "have-nots" continues to grow ever more massive, particularly as these same elected numbskulls are only truly interested in solidifying their own financial holdings as well as those for the best friends (and maybe even their nation's own enemies). Finally, in terms of allowing corporations to run things with or without just coming out and saying so just circles these arguments back on themselves as it doesn't take a genius to see who the figures are that are financing these ridiculous changes in our societies.
The real question behind the human condition is this: Who has it worst? Is it you? Is it your neighbour?
And that is indeed where "Always Greener" is best at what it wants to achieve, namely, as a socio-political commentary that would do Jean-Jacques Rousseau proud (yes, after his name appears in the story, I googled him). And I say this even though it's made abundantly clear that "the point of the show is to see who has the worst lot in life"! Yet, I found it very accurately describes how we have all become in one way or another enamored - or even infuriated, it matters not as long as it's passionate emotion we're expressing - with the world of reality TV and all the little subsets of same that occupy our lives. Let's be honest: it's not enough anymore to see if our "stars" can actually dance or perform an operatic solo on stage. No, they have to accompany their activities with as much CONSTANT social media bombardment as possible so that we'll vote not (necessarily) for talent but most assuredly for popularity. And you could continue to make cases including for any kind of Great Bake Offs you have in mind or how various characters survive with each other in a closed living and/or dating environment (just don't forget that sex sells baby!!!) … or if you prefer your wild(er) celebrities out in the actual wild, you can just pack them off onto an island and decide whether to put them through their pacing with set competitions or strip them naked and point them towards the setting sun.
People watch these feeds because they need someone to pity.
Yes, all of this of course requires as well that you pit the different victims, oops, contestants against each other along the way. Who is most disliked? Who is not pulling their own weight? Who has finally revealed what the tabloids have warned us about for years? And oh goodness, but wouldn't it be great if we had the technology TODAY to see to it that not a single action would be missed by following along, yes, with the contestants themselves, literally through their own eyes? Again, this is where "Always Greener" shines, even when the very very worst happens to these people that claim to be living the very very worst lives of any of us. No, they're not the hungry, the (overly) poor, or the down-trodden. Goodness no, our adoring public would never be able to relate to that! No these are the folks you see at least out of the periphery of your vision doing the oddest, weirdest, grossest jobs we can imagine. The kind of jobs or services that eat away at their souls or even bodies - even though that makes for some damn fine viewing!
It’s bad that she’s suffering so much. But it’s also, I don’t know, a bit fun to watch. You know what I mean?
HOWEVER, where "Always Greener" - and the comments I mentioned earlier from other reviewers - absolutely fails in its execution is in terms of so-called humour (note spelling). I do not apologize for saying this, but this book is not all that funny … nor do I believe it should have been attempted to make it funny! Yes, providing witty (they weren't) little footnotes (they weren't) a la Douglas Adams or Sir Terry Pratchett may have been a lofty and/or even reverent formatting standard to aim for. But the dozens of etymological jokes that are scattered throughout the story - often being delivered at the worst moment imaginable - were just not amusing. Not even at the "polite laughter during a sermon" level. It was so bad in fact that I found myself beginning to ignore them even though they aren't placed in any way that makes that convenient (again, not footnotes but just insertions in the text, often appearing rather significantly distant from the "joke" in question). I just can't comprehend why Lawless found this in any way necessary to what was otherwise a good albeit somewhat inconsistent story about the future.
How much simpler all your problems became when you just gave up.
Still, with the exception of these unfortunate and truly irritating interuptions, I found the characters to be on the whole rather enjoyable, you know, "despite it all". Liam the ex-weather man certainly does his part of being the most thoroughly non-descript and non-threatening host possible, all while losing what seems to be a large portion of his humanity along the way. Still, it wasn't like he could turn down this "never-in-a-lifetime opportunity" now, could he? Even The Editor (note all caps) is deliciously detestable. And of course, the contestants themselves are a grab bag of different choices, generally lacking much in terms of likeability ("This is precisely the kind of thing we’re looking for. Despicable and pitiful at the same time."). But for the purposes they need to serve, they still pass inspection as it were. Oh did I also mention that we STILL don't have flying cars in 2072? Yeah, so things are really gonna suck in the future…
Was it good for the show? Or, you know, morally decent, he added as an afterthought?
True, there were also a lot of holes left in the plot - for example, having Liam's mates just gradually fade into the background until they're totally omitted without any kind of parting words was kind of odd. I also wasn't crazy about the ending - not in terms of our Grand Prize Winner but just the open-ended fade-away where we don't really know what to expect next. True, I believe there are 2 more books in the series (though they're not really linked together on goodreads). But after my struggles to finish here and my frustration with the overall structure, I'll be giving those a pass.
September 23, 2019
You can be a contestant on the new show, Always Greener, if your life is one of the worst possible lives on earth. If you become one of these lovely contestants you are fitted with new Augmented Reality lenses, and then all the views around the world will be able to watch your feed and see the world through your eyes. A number of lucky contestants are chosen and they become instantly famous. But what does being “on” 24/7 do to a person and how do those around the world react to seeing the world through your eyes?
Always Greener is not the usual type of boom I pick up, but I was very interested in the world view created by J.R.H Lawless, based in the future where everyone has access to the web and this AR feed via the lenses that are surgically implanted on a persons eye balls. For some, this feed doesn’t shut off, even when they close their eyes, so they are constantly connected. I appreciated the way Lawless provided definitions and commentary on specific words he uses in the book, creating some extra comic relief. I also appreciate the way he showed this future world and how the companies in the future manipulate people via their advertising, which is constant on the AR feed. Is this the wave of the future? Let’s hope not, as things are bad enough with everyone holding their phones constantly, reading, watching, and in my case right now, writing, and the way this already disconnects us from those around us. Imagine a constant flow of information and options without having to do a thing. What would happen if corruption enters into this? How does it effect the common man? Read Always Greener to see how Lawless answers some of these questions in strange and entertaining ways. Quite the creative novel!
Always Greener is not the usual type of boom I pick up, but I was very interested in the world view created by J.R.H Lawless, based in the future where everyone has access to the web and this AR feed via the lenses that are surgically implanted on a persons eye balls. For some, this feed doesn’t shut off, even when they close their eyes, so they are constantly connected. I appreciated the way Lawless provided definitions and commentary on specific words he uses in the book, creating some extra comic relief. I also appreciate the way he showed this future world and how the companies in the future manipulate people via their advertising, which is constant on the AR feed. Is this the wave of the future? Let’s hope not, as things are bad enough with everyone holding their phones constantly, reading, watching, and in my case right now, writing, and the way this already disconnects us from those around us. Imagine a constant flow of information and options without having to do a thing. What would happen if corruption enters into this? How does it effect the common man? Read Always Greener to see how Lawless answers some of these questions in strange and entertaining ways. Quite the creative novel!
February 27, 2020
Always Greener is about a reality TV show in the near future, where everyone is permanently glued to their screens through visual implants or Ar glasses (if they haven't got the money). How bad is your life? Because if it's REALLY bad, you're more likely to become a contestant on The Grass is Greener, where you'll be watched 24/7 through your visual implants. There's no off switch, there's no privacy - the public want to see everything.
The first couple of chapters were a little hard-going, but I'm glad I persevered. It's a satire of the reality TV that we have today, and J. R. H. Lawless has taken it to it's furthest point, it's most outrageous end. To be fair, I'm sure it could probably be even more heartless, invasive and damaging, but the contestants are saved, to a certain extent, by a host with a conscience.
I did really enjoy this - but I can't say as it made me feel particularly positive about the future: people used as guinea pigs for drugs and procedures untested on anyone else, with fatal consequences; suicide so commonplace, that has become a steady job for a group of people who clean up after them - what a way to make a living; the total lack of empathy for people who are less fortunate, reduced merely to a prime-time, all-the-time streaming slot.
Not a future I would want, but a great book, nonetheless. Its a good read!
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book to read and review.
The first couple of chapters were a little hard-going, but I'm glad I persevered. It's a satire of the reality TV that we have today, and J. R. H. Lawless has taken it to it's furthest point, it's most outrageous end. To be fair, I'm sure it could probably be even more heartless, invasive and damaging, but the contestants are saved, to a certain extent, by a host with a conscience.
I did really enjoy this - but I can't say as it made me feel particularly positive about the future: people used as guinea pigs for drugs and procedures untested on anyone else, with fatal consequences; suicide so commonplace, that has become a steady job for a group of people who clean up after them - what a way to make a living; the total lack of empathy for people who are less fortunate, reduced merely to a prime-time, all-the-time streaming slot.
Not a future I would want, but a great book, nonetheless. Its a good read!
Many thanks to NetGalley for my copy of this book to read and review.
April 21, 2020
Social commentary meets gratuitous reality TV in JRH Lawless’s new book Always Greener.
Always Greener by JRH Lawless features a cynical sci-fi world that pushes the limits of reality TV consumption and social satire. The book makes meta commentary on the real world outside the book while also showing the extremes that consumerism could reach in a plausible future.
It would be wrong for this review to give away what happens to each of these contestants, but suffice to know there is a carefully tipped over balance of humor into shock. Liam discovers piece by piece that his new job is not as swanky as he first thought, as his ideas and concerns are cast aside by a frankly careless Editor who runs the show. Liam’s intentions are just, but he has to push against a Corporation which revels in the glory of sensationalism and human misery for the sake of viewership numbers.
You can see my full review over at Den of Geek.
Always Greener by JRH Lawless features a cynical sci-fi world that pushes the limits of reality TV consumption and social satire. The book makes meta commentary on the real world outside the book while also showing the extremes that consumerism could reach in a plausible future.
It would be wrong for this review to give away what happens to each of these contestants, but suffice to know there is a carefully tipped over balance of humor into shock. Liam discovers piece by piece that his new job is not as swanky as he first thought, as his ideas and concerns are cast aside by a frankly careless Editor who runs the show. Liam’s intentions are just, but he has to push against a Corporation which revels in the glory of sensationalism and human misery for the sake of viewership numbers.
You can see my full review over at Den of Geek.
May 22, 2020
I bought this book because the premise sounded really good. And the premise is the best part about this book. Other strong points are the setting for some of the contestants. A lot of hilarity and social commentary could get out of the guy rejecting people's right to medical treatment for a living, the last porn star, the angry suicide cleaner, and the human lab rat. But nope.
We spend a lot of time with Liam, who is as interesting as a stale potato. He has some friends and then no longer has them and he drinks and who cares? There was supposed to be a moral struggle inside of him, but that is quickly resolved.
There are also some definitions of some words being inserted in the text. Those were obnoxious.
In the end the book is needlessly gloomy and preachy, with little humor and wit to add to the story. There was a lot of potential and imagination there though, so maybe better things shall follow.
We spend a lot of time with Liam, who is as interesting as a stale potato. He has some friends and then no longer has them and he drinks and who cares? There was supposed to be a moral struggle inside of him, but that is quickly resolved.
There are also some definitions of some words being inserted in the text. Those were obnoxious.
In the end the book is needlessly gloomy and preachy, with little humor and wit to add to the story. There was a lot of potential and imagination there though, so maybe better things shall follow.
February 15, 2020
Read it to fifty percent and then skimmed through to the end. I just couldn't get into it. The footnotes were awful, although I appreciate they're far more intrusive in an ebook than they would be in a real book. The background is only hazily sketched in, and I'm not a fan of cringe humour as a rule. I thought this book and I would get on much better than we did, but I'm glad I got the chance to try it and find out. I think it'll do well with some readers.
February 27, 2020
The world's chronic complainers finally have an outlet. A reality show that let's them uncover , in all its starkness, the unutterable ugliness of their lives. J.R. H. Lawless offers this rare opportunity in the most intriguing way. Imaginative, bold and, at times, comically dark, he forces the readers to weigh their own lots, their own, we hope, not-too-pitiful lives. Lawless writes with a gliding confidence that is never afraid to jar our thinking. Read this book.
January 10, 2020
Darkly comic, this dystopian look at reality TV is highly entertaining and very disturbing at the same time.
Imagine being able to see through the eyes of the contestants, as they each live their daily lives. Trying to prove which has the worst life - from suicide cleaner to medical guinea pig and worse.
Some interesting etymological references and some horrifying looks at future government.
Imagine being able to see through the eyes of the contestants, as they each live their daily lives. Trying to prove which has the worst life - from suicide cleaner to medical guinea pig and worse.
Some interesting etymological references and some horrifying looks at future government.
February 25, 2020
Stumbled upon this young man as I entered Chapters book store! He was having a book signing and there was quite the crowd! Intrigued enough, I bought the book and am currently enjoying it! Glad I decided to buy it! Great read so far!
February 25, 2020
I'm a sucker for stories of the future so I'm loving this book. I'd totally put on a pair of Google glasses all day if it could make me rich! ;D
September 24, 2020
If you are a HGTTG reader, this could make "sense" (including the suggestion of a Trump dynasty - maybe not). The ending "requires" another book in a series.
February 15, 2020
In the 1950s, there was an American game show called Queen for a Day. In it, put-upon women would share their complaints and have them televised all over the United States. The host had a particular knack for making women cry. The studio audience would vote on which story was most pathetic. The winner would be placed on a throne with a crown and awarded prizes that might help her--a washing machine, a hearing aid, money for her child's medical care, new clothing, etc. It was criticized as pandering and unethical, but it was successful, with attempts to reprise it in later decades.
Fast forward to 2072. A small-time British weatherman named Liam Argyle, who looks and acts like nothing particularly special, is about to get his big break. One of the corporations that literally runs the world is coming out with a new reality show called "The Grass is Greener". Eight people with difficult and pathetic stories, ranging from a janitor whose specialty is the aftermath of suicide to Hollywood's last human porno actor to a refugee who makes a meager living as a scientific test subject, are to be fitted with state-of-the-art augmented reality lenses. These lenses will broadcast their lives 24/7 to billions of other peoples' AR equipment. The winner will get a lifetime of luxury on Paradise Mars, where rich people who've had enough of Earth live.
JRH Lawless makes the interesting choice to focus on Liam Argyle. Argyle initially believes he's gotten his own ticket to paradise. As the Grass is Greener's popularity grows, Argyle begins to have doubts. Focusing on Argyle provides a perspective from someone who is simultaneously doing well from others' misery, but a small cog in a big, remorseless machine. Lawless also uses footnotes with the etymology of words as a recurring device. I found this choice less helpful to the story, even a bit twee and annoying. Too many British science fiction writers are trying to be the second coming of Douglas Adams.
Etymology aside, Always Greener is a rollicking satire with many sad and all too human moments. Lawless asks the reader to consider a lot. The human desire to watch others' misery in order to feel better about oneself transcends technology, but technology definitely enables it. While people in Always Greener have the putative right to vote, politicians are essentially figureheads. Choices are offered that don't look or feel very much like choices at all. Of course, it is easy to connect several things in Always Greener to the trajectory of today's current events.
If you, like me, have a squick when it comes to body horror and unethical and downright disgusting medical procedures, you will want to brace yourself for several chapters of Always Greener. Among other things, people are subjected to traumatic and forced "cures" for minor illnesses. These are not the point of the novel, per se, and they serve the narrative. However, I wish I'd been warned, and so I'm offering that courtesy to you.
Always Greener stands alone. However, at the end, Lawless reveals that there will be a sequel. I am interested in it, though I hope the etymology device is dropped. (I am deducting a star for that.) I hope it also provides a laugh, a cry, and a think.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Fast forward to 2072. A small-time British weatherman named Liam Argyle, who looks and acts like nothing particularly special, is about to get his big break. One of the corporations that literally runs the world is coming out with a new reality show called "The Grass is Greener". Eight people with difficult and pathetic stories, ranging from a janitor whose specialty is the aftermath of suicide to Hollywood's last human porno actor to a refugee who makes a meager living as a scientific test subject, are to be fitted with state-of-the-art augmented reality lenses. These lenses will broadcast their lives 24/7 to billions of other peoples' AR equipment. The winner will get a lifetime of luxury on Paradise Mars, where rich people who've had enough of Earth live.
JRH Lawless makes the interesting choice to focus on Liam Argyle. Argyle initially believes he's gotten his own ticket to paradise. As the Grass is Greener's popularity grows, Argyle begins to have doubts. Focusing on Argyle provides a perspective from someone who is simultaneously doing well from others' misery, but a small cog in a big, remorseless machine. Lawless also uses footnotes with the etymology of words as a recurring device. I found this choice less helpful to the story, even a bit twee and annoying. Too many British science fiction writers are trying to be the second coming of Douglas Adams.
Etymology aside, Always Greener is a rollicking satire with many sad and all too human moments. Lawless asks the reader to consider a lot. The human desire to watch others' misery in order to feel better about oneself transcends technology, but technology definitely enables it. While people in Always Greener have the putative right to vote, politicians are essentially figureheads. Choices are offered that don't look or feel very much like choices at all. Of course, it is easy to connect several things in Always Greener to the trajectory of today's current events.
If you, like me, have a squick when it comes to body horror and unethical and downright disgusting medical procedures, you will want to brace yourself for several chapters of Always Greener. Among other things, people are subjected to traumatic and forced "cures" for minor illnesses. These are not the point of the novel, per se, and they serve the narrative. However, I wish I'd been warned, and so I'm offering that courtesy to you.
Always Greener stands alone. However, at the end, Lawless reveals that there will be a sequel. I am interested in it, though I hope the etymology device is dropped. (I am deducting a star for that.) I hope it also provides a laugh, a cry, and a think.
Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.
August 25, 2021
This is a very clever, amusing but disturbing book that takes the obsession with reality TV, adds 50 odd years and some impressive but possible technological advances and creates a monstrosity of a TV show that is all the more disturbing because of its plausibility. This is very much a dark jab at modern society that is far from flattering and while amusing it is also chilling as you take in the reality of what is underneath the veneer and filters. And the ending, while kind of obvious, was a perfect knock-out blow. If you like the satire and dark humour of Black Mirror, you'll like this.
Want to read
October 12, 2020Free @Kobo at the moment.
The sequel The Rude Eye of Rebellion can also be read for free in exchange for an honest review.
If you're interested, head over to NetGalley (till 20.11.2020): https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...
The sequel The Rude Eye of Rebellion can also be read for free in exchange for an honest review.
If you're interested, head over to NetGalley (till 20.11.2020): https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/boo...
February 24, 2020
It’s 2072 and most people have Augmented Reality lenses in their eyes allowing them to watch televised shows in their head. One network gets the brilliant idea of making a reality show where the winner is decided by a public vote. What is the criteria to be a contestant? Just have the worst life! The eight contestants selected clean up germs, make smart technology dumb, work as the last non-robotic porn actor, clean up after suicides, work in governmental collections, fix broken AR systems, are the last political science professor, and get paid to do clinical trials. The host is an alcoholic former weatherman and the narrator of this tale. The prize is a trip to Paradise Mars, where the Earth is called “Old Smoggy”. The thought is that it will make the viewers feel better after seeing these losers’ lives literally through their eyes with a new camera lens implant. After all, the grass is Always Greener on the other side.
I love the original plot of this book. However, the execution, especially in the first half of the book, is poor. The author’s almost continual use of footnotes about the etymology of words is literally the most annoying part of this book. I would recommend ignoring all of those but unfortunately, sometimes they are defining completely new words. I also felt that the world of 2072 wasn’t described well at all. Occasionally, something new would be explained but it was rare. I did enjoy the ending and though it was the best part of Always Greener. However, I don’t think I would have kept reading past the first 20% if I wasn’t obligated to read it for NetGalley. Therefore, I can’t recommend this book. 2 stars.
Thanks to Uproar Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love the original plot of this book. However, the execution, especially in the first half of the book, is poor. The author’s almost continual use of footnotes about the etymology of words is literally the most annoying part of this book. I would recommend ignoring all of those but unfortunately, sometimes they are defining completely new words. I also felt that the world of 2072 wasn’t described well at all. Occasionally, something new would be explained but it was rare. I did enjoy the ending and though it was the best part of Always Greener. However, I don’t think I would have kept reading past the first 20% if I wasn’t obligated to read it for NetGalley. Therefore, I can’t recommend this book. 2 stars.
Thanks to Uproar Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.
October 22, 2020
Weird but ...
A thought provoking book about the “real life entertainment tv” that we all know and either love or hate that has taken over peak viewing on our screens. I hope the author is wrong and by 2070 we will no longer feel the need for reality tv but somehow I know I’ll be disappointed.
A thought provoking book about the “real life entertainment tv” that we all know and either love or hate that has taken over peak viewing on our screens. I hope the author is wrong and by 2070 we will no longer feel the need for reality tv but somehow I know I’ll be disappointed.
December 26, 2021
A mildly enjoyable concept (a futuristic reality show in which common people with crap jobs compete for audience pity) that never really goes anywhere: the protagonist's descent doesn't make much sense, the social commentary is too on-the-nose to offer real insight, and the writing is clever but not particularly funny.
October 18, 2020
Loved it!
What a concept ,to follow low income people as a reality show with a futuristic twist. You see through their eyes literally. Unexpected decisions and events occur to surprise you at every turn. It's quirky, funny, sad and very entertaining
What a concept ,to follow low income people as a reality show with a futuristic twist. You see through their eyes literally. Unexpected decisions and events occur to surprise you at every turn. It's quirky, funny, sad and very entertaining
October 18, 2020
Nice fantasy.
The game show concept was brilliant. I will be revisiting this as a source to inspire my development of alternate realities
The game show concept was brilliant. I will be revisiting this as a source to inspire my development of alternate realities
June 10, 2021
The political satire and comedy of Ben Elton in a dystopian future by Charlie Brooker (Black Mirror) populated by characters from lost Monty Python sketches.
July 1, 2022
A fun, clever read. Hitchhiker's-type humor had me LOL-ing. Great social commentary as well.
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