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Utopia Project: Everyone Must Die
An apocalyptic event. A simple gift box from a military father. A stunning connection between and possibly the last hope for humanity.
After America’s controversial presidential election in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, several decades of escalating civil crises have ensued. The governments of many countries have conspired to develop the ultimate solution for controlling the lives of their citizens. The new society, forged in the secret Utopia Project, provides for all of your needs without cost, promotes recreational group sex, raises offspring without parents and offers a life without stress.
When the project’s true purpose is revealed, a nightmare weapon turns the rest of the world into a mass grave of melted corpses. Inexplicably, not everyone died as planned. On the east coast of America, Sara Hyland and boyfriend Kid Carlson somehow survive. Hunted by the merciless forces of the Utopia Project, a single thread of hope is discovered in a gift box, given to Sara by her military father the night of the destruction. But is it too late to save humanity from extinction?
After America’s controversial presidential election in 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, several decades of escalating civil crises have ensued. The governments of many countries have conspired to develop the ultimate solution for controlling the lives of their citizens. The new society, forged in the secret Utopia Project, provides for all of your needs without cost, promotes recreational group sex, raises offspring without parents and offers a life without stress.
When the project’s true purpose is revealed, a nightmare weapon turns the rest of the world into a mass grave of melted corpses. Inexplicably, not everyone died as planned. On the east coast of America, Sara Hyland and boyfriend Kid Carlson somehow survive. Hunted by the merciless forces of the Utopia Project, a single thread of hope is discovered in a gift box, given to Sara by her military father the night of the destruction. But is it too late to save humanity from extinction?
342 pages, Paperback
Published April 27, 2021
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 30, 2021
Unlike some other dystopian future sci-fi books, this has a very simple premise – and that is by far its biggest strength. With the premise that, for the benefits to a privileged few thousand, correctly conditioned, the entire planet’s human population is instantaneously wiped out – the objective for this obviously explained by the title “The Utopia Project” – it is the ultimate worst-case dream/nightmare scenario. Of course, as always with the genre, the forecast “Utopia” is in reality the exact opposite. However, a malfunction in the genocide leaves a small band of survivors (who just happen to be young adults). For most of the book, it is rather suspense thriller than outright sci-fi, as the deranged megalomaniac in charge hunts them down – as he would any survivors. It is only perhaps in the final quarter that it starts to resemble more familiarly the standard Walking Dead-esque post-apocalypse formula, as clues are pieced together and the protagonists learn that the potential for finding other survivors grows.
I’m not one to spoil a book, but be warned that Dering has clearly written this with a sequel in mind. It’s not bad, and a pretty entertaining read. Well-written, though perhaps a little of the punctuation left something to be desired. All in all, it kept me in suspense. And, unusually for the futuristic YA genre, I actually found most of the characters pretty likeable. I won’t say it stands out in any way amongst its type, but you could definitely read much worse; as I’ve already stated, the strength of this title is its simplicity – and let’s be truly honest, who hasn’t fantasized about a world in which the entire human population has perished and they are among the only survivors? This book peels back some of the layers of that fantasy, and considers the reasons why it may not be quite as much fun as we thought (none less so than the 7 billion bodies lying around, for example).
An interesting and thankfully subtle take on the sci-fi YA genre, and not a bad one at all to kill time with.
I’m not one to spoil a book, but be warned that Dering has clearly written this with a sequel in mind. It’s not bad, and a pretty entertaining read. Well-written, though perhaps a little of the punctuation left something to be desired. All in all, it kept me in suspense. And, unusually for the futuristic YA genre, I actually found most of the characters pretty likeable. I won’t say it stands out in any way amongst its type, but you could definitely read much worse; as I’ve already stated, the strength of this title is its simplicity – and let’s be truly honest, who hasn’t fantasized about a world in which the entire human population has perished and they are among the only survivors? This book peels back some of the layers of that fantasy, and considers the reasons why it may not be quite as much fun as we thought (none less so than the 7 billion bodies lying around, for example).
An interesting and thankfully subtle take on the sci-fi YA genre, and not a bad one at all to kill time with.
March 28, 2023
It was a nice, easy read. The plot was solid, and the characters were good. I felt hopeless for the survivors and felt vested in their journey. I had to get the second book to follow what happens..
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May 29, 2021'...an addictive read...Dering reaches the same sort of frisson achieved by Dean R. Koontz in depicting common people caught up in monstrous, beyond-belief circumstances...Planetwide casualties and careful pacing open this attention-grabbing SF trilogy.'-
Kirkus Reviews
'Billy Dering is excellent in interweaving intrigue and flashbacks… Characterization is diverse but richly constructed within the story dynamic... Also, the story is characterized by suspense and a mighty imagination… Another main strength the novel has is its imagery and intrigue. Both are consistent and ever-present… Therefore, I recommend it to lovers of sci-fi stories with suspense, intrigue, and heart-thumping action. It is not a book for the fainthearted readers.'- OnlineBookClub.org, 4/4-STAR book review
'Loved it! A really great start to a series where most of the population of the world is wiped out...I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers or dystopian novels that are realistic."'- Reedsy Discovery, 4/5-STAR book review
'Well-written... All in all, it kept me in suspense. And, unusually for the futuristic YA genre, I actually found most of the characters pretty likeable.'- Matt McAvoy Book Blog, 4/5-STAR book review
'I really enjoyed reading this story. It was one I could not put down. The tension and desire to know how it ends kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole thing.'- Frostbite Publishing review
'The premise of UTOPIA PROJECT- Everyone Must Die is an interesting one, the characters are engaging, and the action moves forward fairly briskly…'- IndieReader review
'Billy Dering is excellent in interweaving intrigue and flashbacks… Characterization is diverse but richly constructed within the story dynamic... Also, the story is characterized by suspense and a mighty imagination… Another main strength the novel has is its imagery and intrigue. Both are consistent and ever-present… Therefore, I recommend it to lovers of sci-fi stories with suspense, intrigue, and heart-thumping action. It is not a book for the fainthearted readers.'- OnlineBookClub.org, 4/4-STAR book review
'Loved it! A really great start to a series where most of the population of the world is wiped out...I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers or dystopian novels that are realistic."'- Reedsy Discovery, 4/5-STAR book review
'Well-written... All in all, it kept me in suspense. And, unusually for the futuristic YA genre, I actually found most of the characters pretty likeable.'- Matt McAvoy Book Blog, 4/5-STAR book review
'I really enjoyed reading this story. It was one I could not put down. The tension and desire to know how it ends kept me on the edge of my seat through the whole thing.'- Frostbite Publishing review
'The premise of UTOPIA PROJECT- Everyone Must Die is an interesting one, the characters are engaging, and the action moves forward fairly briskly…'- IndieReader review
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews