Plastic Nightmare: #1

by Aditya Deshmukh

It's a beautiful world. Utopia is here. You control not only the lights in your room, but also the shade of sky. Illness and poverty are things of the past. Drugs of all sorts are available, so you're in charge of how you feel. But even in mankind's greatest dream, something must go wrong. No version of society can be perfect for us, for we are creatures of light and shadows, and shadows don't stay hidden for long. Razia cannot believe her brother died in an accident; in Utopia, there are no accidents. She has spent five years in search of someone who may not be alive. But she doesn't give up, because for the first time in a very long time, something even stranger than her brother's disappearance has happened. An ominous figure called The Scarlet Killer has left a string of hauntingly beautiful artworks made of corpses in the heart of New World. Plastic Nightmares, who, at first, remain stationary, but soon start to walk. No amount of cameras, AI processing, and any kind of dreamlike Utopian technology can trace the Scarlet Killer. Not heeding to what her husband or her therapist say about her psychology, Razia makes the Scarlet Killer her new obsession. There aren't enough clues, but she knows someday it will lead her to her brother. Or her death. Whatever the outcome, it will break the loop that consumed her childhood and her future.

56 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2020

Reviews

[roadtopages · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story starts with different elements to grip you from the start. The imagination in which the world of built in, New World has multiple dimensions which are lacked otherwise. It contains murder within a sci fi realm. It is so fascinating because I’ve never come across genres mixing like this. This book gave me a Big Brother vibe but with robots. I mean, how cool is that?! The story is fast paced and follows the plot swiftly. What does interest me most is the gothic horror that surrounds the murders. They seem so sinister in a world that was created to be perfect. The variety of characters give more depth to the story, that I feel the old world was completely destroyed and had now created something completely new, mixing people from every part of the world. It shows the diverse nature. I also completely agree, machines cannot take over humanity, however perfect you create them.

I only wish it was longer so I could know more about their backgrounds and their world. It certainly is very difficult to make a new world and I’d love to see more of it.

[J. Agombar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Firstly it should be known I’m not big on sci-fi. I can take it or leave it, but the concept of Plastic Nightmare sounded interesting and I gave it a go. It’s a novella size story of a struggling couple who work together for the authorities in a futuristic Utopia. As dead bodies are found displayed in elaborate ways, Razia, the MC feels they are linked to the disappearance of her brother many years ago. A spider-web story ensues where she and her husband’s trusting relationship is rocked as they try, somewhat separately, to solve the case of the Scarlett Killer.

The sci-fi elements are well portrayed in the form of technology, rings that scan objects, AI that analyses minds to detect lies and windows that project atmospheres. The set up is not entirely unique draws from many ideas that crossover future crime like Blade Runner or Minority Report.
It’s not action packed, but in this case it’s actually a good thing as the character development is strong and draws scope for a larger story to be told. This is evident in the confirmation of a sequel coming soon. The ending was a little hasty for me, it involves a twist that wasn’t entirely hidden, but serves as a platform for an extension of this elaborate tale.

I enjoyed reading it and feel it’s full potential hasn’t been reached yet. Aditya Deshmukh clearly has a vast imaginative streak which I hope continues in his multi genre works as well as this series.