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The City Inside
This near-future epic by the internationally celebrated Samit Basu pulls no punches as it comes for your anxieties about society, government, the environment, and our world at large—yet never loses sight of the hopeful potential of the future.
“They'd known the end times were coming but hadn’t known they’d be multiple choice.”
Joey is a Reality Controller in near future Delhi. Her job is to supervise the multimedia multi-reality livestreams of Indi, one of South Asia’s fastest rising online celebrities—who also happens to be her college ex. Joey’s job gives her considerable culture-power, but she’s too caught up in day-to-day crisis-handling to see this, or to figure out what she wants from her life.
Rudra is a recluse estranged from his wealthy and powerful family, fled to an impoverished immigrant neighborhood where he loses himself in video games and his neighbors’ lives. When his father’s death pulls him back into his family’s orbit, an impulsive job offer from Joey becomes his only escape from the life he never wanted.
But no good deed goes unpunished. As Joey and Rudra become enmeshed in multiple conspiracies, their lives start to spin out of control, complicated by dysfunctional relationships, corporate loyalty, and the never-ending pressures of surveillance capitalism. When a bigger picture begins to unfold around them, they must each decide how to do the right thing in a shadowy world where simply maintaining the status quo feels like an accomplishment. Ultimately, resistance will not—cannot—take the same shape for these two very different people.
“They'd known the end times were coming but hadn’t known they’d be multiple choice.”
Joey is a Reality Controller in near future Delhi. Her job is to supervise the multimedia multi-reality livestreams of Indi, one of South Asia’s fastest rising online celebrities—who also happens to be her college ex. Joey’s job gives her considerable culture-power, but she’s too caught up in day-to-day crisis-handling to see this, or to figure out what she wants from her life.
Rudra is a recluse estranged from his wealthy and powerful family, fled to an impoverished immigrant neighborhood where he loses himself in video games and his neighbors’ lives. When his father’s death pulls him back into his family’s orbit, an impulsive job offer from Joey becomes his only escape from the life he never wanted.
But no good deed goes unpunished. As Joey and Rudra become enmeshed in multiple conspiracies, their lives start to spin out of control, complicated by dysfunctional relationships, corporate loyalty, and the never-ending pressures of surveillance capitalism. When a bigger picture begins to unfold around them, they must each decide how to do the right thing in a shadowy world where simply maintaining the status quo feels like an accomplishment. Ultimately, resistance will not—cannot—take the same shape for these two very different people.
256 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 28, 2020
187 people are currently reading
13170 people want to read
About the author
Samit Basu
79 books532 followersSamit Basu is an Indian novelist best known for his fantasy and science fiction work
Samit's most recent novel, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, was published by Tordotcom in the US and Canada in Oct 2023.
His previous novel, the anti-dystopian near-future The City Inside (Tordotcom, '22) was on the Washington Post and Book Riot best SFF of 2022 lists and earlier shortlisted for the 2020 JCB Prize (India) as Chosen Spirits.
Samit's first novel, The Simoqin Prophecies, published by Penguin India in 2003, when Samit was 23, was the first book in the bestselling Gameworld Trilogy and marked the beginning of Indian English fantasy writing. The other books in the trilogy are The Manticore’s Secret and The Unwaba Revelations.
Samit’s US/UK debut, the superhero novel Turbulence was published in the UK in 2012 and in the US in 2013 to rave reviews. It won Wired‘s Goldenbot Award as one of the books of 2012 and was superheronovels.com’s Book of the Year for 2013.
Samit has also written children's books, published short stories for adults and younger readers in Indian and international anthologies, and has been a columnist and essayist in several leading Indian and international publications.
Samit also works as a screenwriter and director. His debut film, House Arrest, was released as part of Netflix’s International Originals in 2019, and was one of Netflix’s top 5 most viewed Indian films that year. He wrote the film and co-directed it with Shashanka Ghosh.
Samit’s work in comics ranges from historical romance to zombie comedy, and includes diverse collaborators, from Girl With All The Gifts/X-Men writer MR Carey to Terry Gilliam and Duran Duran.
Samit was born in Calcutta, educated in Calcutta and London, and currently works between Delhi and Kolkata. He runs a newsletter, Duck of Dystopia (samit.substack.com) and can be found on social media at @samitbasu, and at samitbasu.com
Samit's most recent novel, The Jinn-Bot of Shantiport, was published by Tordotcom in the US and Canada in Oct 2023.
His previous novel, the anti-dystopian near-future The City Inside (Tordotcom, '22) was on the Washington Post and Book Riot best SFF of 2022 lists and earlier shortlisted for the 2020 JCB Prize (India) as Chosen Spirits.
Samit's first novel, The Simoqin Prophecies, published by Penguin India in 2003, when Samit was 23, was the first book in the bestselling Gameworld Trilogy and marked the beginning of Indian English fantasy writing. The other books in the trilogy are The Manticore’s Secret and The Unwaba Revelations.
Samit’s US/UK debut, the superhero novel Turbulence was published in the UK in 2012 and in the US in 2013 to rave reviews. It won Wired‘s Goldenbot Award as one of the books of 2012 and was superheronovels.com’s Book of the Year for 2013.
Samit has also written children's books, published short stories for adults and younger readers in Indian and international anthologies, and has been a columnist and essayist in several leading Indian and international publications.
Samit also works as a screenwriter and director. His debut film, House Arrest, was released as part of Netflix’s International Originals in 2019, and was one of Netflix’s top 5 most viewed Indian films that year. He wrote the film and co-directed it with Shashanka Ghosh.
Samit’s work in comics ranges from historical romance to zombie comedy, and includes diverse collaborators, from Girl With All The Gifts/X-Men writer MR Carey to Terry Gilliam and Duran Duran.
Samit was born in Calcutta, educated in Calcutta and London, and currently works between Delhi and Kolkata. He runs a newsletter, Duck of Dystopia (samit.substack.com) and can be found on social media at @samitbasu, and at samitbasu.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 369 reviews
August 4, 2022
The impact of Tordotcom on promoting transnational SF cannot be underestimated. When I received an arc of ‘The City Inside’, I had no idea who Samit Basu was or what the book was about. Going into it blind was a good thing, as I emerged a couple of days later completely bowled over by Basu’s dense world-building and evocative characters.
I like to think of this type of near-future SF as ‘bleeding edge’ fiction. On the surface of it, ‘The City Inside’ seems to be a rather outlandish and lurid dystopia extrapolated from current trends such as neofascism: “the repeated pandemic-wave collapses … the blasphemy laws in several states … the mass de-citizenings, the vote list erasures, the reeducation camps, the internet shutdowns, the news censors, the curfews … even the scary stories of data-driven home invasions …”
But there is nothing here that could not conceivably happen in our current world, or that is not already poking its nasty head out somewhere. At the same time there is an element of timelessness, in the sense of being frozen in a never-ending nightmare, about this book that sucks the reader into its dark maw.
Remarkably, given how quickly global events have progressed recently, this was originally published by Simon & Schuster India as ‘Chosen Spirits’ in 2020. That version had an ending that a lot of people found to be quite abrupt, but which I quite liked. The American version, however, adds a final chapter called ‘Deleted Scenes’, which rather sneakily makes that abrupt ending even more tenuous and ambiguous.
In his 27 July review for Locus, Gary K. Wolfe remarks that ‘The City Inside’ “is yet the latest example of what seems to be a remarkable period in Indian and South Asian SFF.” This did remind me somewhat of ‘River of Gods’ (2004), but Ian McDonald’s procedural-cum-singularity opus is more concerned about an idealised version of India (maybe in a similar way that William Gibson is attracted to China because of its exotic grit and texture.)
A particular achievement of Basu’s writing here is that he never resorts to warts-and-all polemic, but instead puts his characters through the wringer of an increasingly distorted world ravaged by both climate change and the death throes of neoliberal capitalism. Throw in the diabolical evil of social media as the ‘new’ reality, and you have a recipe for an extraordinarily evocative read.
This is a bit of a slow burn, and the reader is allowed ample time to become immersed in Basu’s world before the story gains legs. This may be frustrating to readers used to more conventional plot-driven narratives, but hang in there. That ending is really worth it.
I like to think of this type of near-future SF as ‘bleeding edge’ fiction. On the surface of it, ‘The City Inside’ seems to be a rather outlandish and lurid dystopia extrapolated from current trends such as neofascism: “the repeated pandemic-wave collapses … the blasphemy laws in several states … the mass de-citizenings, the vote list erasures, the reeducation camps, the internet shutdowns, the news censors, the curfews … even the scary stories of data-driven home invasions …”
But there is nothing here that could not conceivably happen in our current world, or that is not already poking its nasty head out somewhere. At the same time there is an element of timelessness, in the sense of being frozen in a never-ending nightmare, about this book that sucks the reader into its dark maw.
Remarkably, given how quickly global events have progressed recently, this was originally published by Simon & Schuster India as ‘Chosen Spirits’ in 2020. That version had an ending that a lot of people found to be quite abrupt, but which I quite liked. The American version, however, adds a final chapter called ‘Deleted Scenes’, which rather sneakily makes that abrupt ending even more tenuous and ambiguous.
In his 27 July review for Locus, Gary K. Wolfe remarks that ‘The City Inside’ “is yet the latest example of what seems to be a remarkable period in Indian and South Asian SFF.” This did remind me somewhat of ‘River of Gods’ (2004), but Ian McDonald’s procedural-cum-singularity opus is more concerned about an idealised version of India (maybe in a similar way that William Gibson is attracted to China because of its exotic grit and texture.)
A particular achievement of Basu’s writing here is that he never resorts to warts-and-all polemic, but instead puts his characters through the wringer of an increasingly distorted world ravaged by both climate change and the death throes of neoliberal capitalism. Throw in the diabolical evil of social media as the ‘new’ reality, and you have a recipe for an extraordinarily evocative read.
This is a bit of a slow burn, and the reader is allowed ample time to become immersed in Basu’s world before the story gains legs. This may be frustrating to readers used to more conventional plot-driven narratives, but hang in there. That ending is really worth it.
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May 11, 2020"They'd known the end times were coming but hadn't known they'd be multiple choice." Ooof. That stings.
This is an extraordinary, immersive read about a horribly plausible near future of grotesque wealth disparity, climate change, abusive yet useless government, invasive technology, and people carefully ignoring it all by plugging themselves into electronic entertainment. To say it hits home is an understatement.
The atmosphere of Delhi--chaotic, overheated, overcrowded, under brutal surveillance--is powerful and the characters really engaging as they try to pick their way through the tangles of life to, eventually, grope towards action. Joey and Rudra are both relatively passive characters, buffeted by events, which absolutely works given the setting. (There isn't anything you can do. Dream on.) It's not a plot driven adventure novel with a heroic resolution, or things neatly tied up at the end and some may find that frustrating, but that's literally the point. Joey the 'Reality Manager' is an observer, a side character in the flow of her own life.
Brilliantly written, structurally inventive, completely immersive. I read this in a day, which is all the more extraordinary because this is the first new (not reread) full length novel I've managed in three weeks.
This is an extraordinary, immersive read about a horribly plausible near future of grotesque wealth disparity, climate change, abusive yet useless government, invasive technology, and people carefully ignoring it all by plugging themselves into electronic entertainment. To say it hits home is an understatement.
The atmosphere of Delhi--chaotic, overheated, overcrowded, under brutal surveillance--is powerful and the characters really engaging as they try to pick their way through the tangles of life to, eventually, grope towards action. Joey and Rudra are both relatively passive characters, buffeted by events, which absolutely works given the setting. (There isn't anything you can do. Dream on.) It's not a plot driven adventure novel with a heroic resolution, or things neatly tied up at the end and some may find that frustrating, but that's literally the point. Joey the 'Reality Manager' is an observer, a side character in the flow of her own life.
Brilliantly written, structurally inventive, completely immersive. I read this in a day, which is all the more extraordinary because this is the first new (not reread) full length novel I've managed in three weeks.
June 5, 2022
Thank you to Tordotcom for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I’m so sad that this is a 2.75 rounded up to a 3.
This book is heavy on ideas but didn’t create a story that fleshed out those ideas. Set in future New Delhi, the story follows Joey and Rudra. Joey has a job controlling “flows” which is their social media and Rudra is .. well, he’s not on good terms with his family and doesn’t want to work for the family business. I was interested in the beginning but I never got attached to the characters and the minimal plot wasn’t working for me.
I wanted this to explore the ideas of social media and how much we share online. Lack of privacy and how the internet is forever. Corporations and their dating mining. Digital body autonomy/ ownership. This book brings up human trafficking, genetic mutations and more but we barely discuss them? I was so disappointed.
There’s so many random things that happen, some addressed and some not. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoilers. But overall the ideas were not executed into a plot that intrigued me and the characters weren’t written well enough that I cared about what happened to them. And wow the ending, abrupt and too open ended.
I’m so sad that this is a 2.75 rounded up to a 3.
This book is heavy on ideas but didn’t create a story that fleshed out those ideas. Set in future New Delhi, the story follows Joey and Rudra. Joey has a job controlling “flows” which is their social media and Rudra is .. well, he’s not on good terms with his family and doesn’t want to work for the family business. I was interested in the beginning but I never got attached to the characters and the minimal plot wasn’t working for me.
I wanted this to explore the ideas of social media and how much we share online. Lack of privacy and how the internet is forever. Corporations and their dating mining. Digital body autonomy/ ownership. This book brings up human trafficking, genetic mutations and more but we barely discuss them? I was so disappointed.
There’s so many random things that happen, some addressed and some not. It’s hard to talk about this book without spoilers. But overall the ideas were not executed into a plot that intrigued me and the characters weren’t written well enough that I cared about what happened to them. And wow the ending, abrupt and too open ended.
June 4, 2022
In this near-future, dystopian world, Delhi is a country ruled by surveillance capitalism and an obsession with Flows- multi-reality livestreams where celebrities are crafted and shaped by people called Reality Controllers. Joey, a reality controller, supervises Indi, one of South Asia’s fastest rising online celebrities and her former boyfriend.
Rudra used to belong to a wealthy and influential family but became estranged from his family and lives a secluded life where he mostly plays video games. After his father’s death, he is almost pulled back into the family business until Joey intervenes and offers him a job. Both Joey and Rudra find themselves sucked deeper into a world much darker than they had imagined and confronted with their own past decisions and how they want their lives to be shaped in the future.
This was such a fascinating book full of complex themes and ideas! I found myself reading slowly and carefully to digest everything, and I have to confess that quite a few things simply went over my head. The wold-building is so rich and detailed, which was my favorite part. If you like to think deeply about philosophical themes and political ideas, this book will give you all that and much more.
But like rich foods, sometimes less is more. At times I felt it would have been more impactful to focus on a smaller number of ideas in more depth. There is depth for sure in this novel, but I wanted to savor the world and ideas before moving on to another complex topic.
The writing style while smartly written and beautifully described didn’t make it easy to connect to the characters on an emotional level. Characters spent a lot of time discussing philosophy and societal issues, but I wished I could have learned more about their inner thoughts and feelings.
I am very excited to read something else by Samit Basu in the future. I’d highly recommend this book if you like your science fiction filled with rich and beautiful descriptions, lots of complex themes and ideas, and stories that make you read slowly and cause you to think more deeply about society
*Thank you so much to Tordotcom for the arc in exchange for an honest review
Rudra used to belong to a wealthy and influential family but became estranged from his family and lives a secluded life where he mostly plays video games. After his father’s death, he is almost pulled back into the family business until Joey intervenes and offers him a job. Both Joey and Rudra find themselves sucked deeper into a world much darker than they had imagined and confronted with their own past decisions and how they want their lives to be shaped in the future.
This was such a fascinating book full of complex themes and ideas! I found myself reading slowly and carefully to digest everything, and I have to confess that quite a few things simply went over my head. The wold-building is so rich and detailed, which was my favorite part. If you like to think deeply about philosophical themes and political ideas, this book will give you all that and much more.
But like rich foods, sometimes less is more. At times I felt it would have been more impactful to focus on a smaller number of ideas in more depth. There is depth for sure in this novel, but I wanted to savor the world and ideas before moving on to another complex topic.
The writing style while smartly written and beautifully described didn’t make it easy to connect to the characters on an emotional level. Characters spent a lot of time discussing philosophy and societal issues, but I wished I could have learned more about their inner thoughts and feelings.
I am very excited to read something else by Samit Basu in the future. I’d highly recommend this book if you like your science fiction filled with rich and beautiful descriptions, lots of complex themes and ideas, and stories that make you read slowly and cause you to think more deeply about society
*Thank you so much to Tordotcom for the arc in exchange for an honest review
May 16, 2022
4.0 Stars
This is such an amazing modern take on the dystopian genre. In this novel, the author wove a near future story that felt terrifyingly possible.
The prose were excellent. The character work was just enough to keep me invested. But the reason to read this novel? The fantastic world building. I love the level of small details woven into the narrative to create such a richly imagined future. The role of social media in this society was imaginative yet also quite realistic.
When I think of Dystopian fiction, I tend to think of the big hitting classics. This novel is such a fresh contrast, pulling ultra modern ideas surrounding social influence into a classic narrative of censorship and control.
I would highly recommend this book to science fiction readers looking for a dystopian novel in the vein of Black Mirror.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
This is such an amazing modern take on the dystopian genre. In this novel, the author wove a near future story that felt terrifyingly possible.
The prose were excellent. The character work was just enough to keep me invested. But the reason to read this novel? The fantastic world building. I love the level of small details woven into the narrative to create such a richly imagined future. The role of social media in this society was imaginative yet also quite realistic.
When I think of Dystopian fiction, I tend to think of the big hitting classics. This novel is such a fresh contrast, pulling ultra modern ideas surrounding social influence into a classic narrative of censorship and control.
I would highly recommend this book to science fiction readers looking for a dystopian novel in the vein of Black Mirror.
Disclaimer I received a copy of this book from the publisher.
September 25, 2020
Let me just start off by saying this book was a fucking ride and I LOVED IT.
This was my first Samit Basu book and given that I had heard so many good things about him and his writing, I was excited. I was not disappointed.
The book follows a few characters - Joey and Rudra being the main ones. Joey is a ‘Reality Controller’ of a famous ‘Flow-er’ who is also her ex - she’s basically the producer for this influencer who is livestreaming his life - but it’s this concept on crack. For example, they have different feeds for people with different interests so Indi (the ex and famous Flow-er) could either be super into yoga for someone or super into books for another. WILD RIGHT? But also not too far from reality.
I know this book will be labeled as a ‘dystopian novel’, but I got thoughts on that - dystopia for me is “The Handmaid’s Tale” with Gilead or even 1984 where they take a few elements of the ‘fucked up-ness’ of today and give you this dystopian world. But what Samit Basu did was that he just leveled up (by a few notches) the world we live in now. Through the book, there were moments where I just had to compulsively highlight sections because it felt so real to me - this supposed ‘dystopia’.
There’s a lot that happens in the book from sex scandals to dealing with douche takeovers to exploring this new world’s underbelly. Even though a lot was discussed, I felt that the subject matters were dealt with wonderfully. The characters were interesting and feminist (I loved Joey) and I was here for it all!
It’s a crazy ride (as I said in the beginning) and I loved it. I would love to discuss the ending with someone though? Because I almost feel like I am missing out on something? So please go read this book asap and let’s discuss this.
This was my first Samit Basu book and given that I had heard so many good things about him and his writing, I was excited. I was not disappointed.
The book follows a few characters - Joey and Rudra being the main ones. Joey is a ‘Reality Controller’ of a famous ‘Flow-er’ who is also her ex - she’s basically the producer for this influencer who is livestreaming his life - but it’s this concept on crack. For example, they have different feeds for people with different interests so Indi (the ex and famous Flow-er) could either be super into yoga for someone or super into books for another. WILD RIGHT? But also not too far from reality.
I know this book will be labeled as a ‘dystopian novel’, but I got thoughts on that - dystopia for me is “The Handmaid’s Tale” with Gilead or even 1984 where they take a few elements of the ‘fucked up-ness’ of today and give you this dystopian world. But what Samit Basu did was that he just leveled up (by a few notches) the world we live in now. Through the book, there were moments where I just had to compulsively highlight sections because it felt so real to me - this supposed ‘dystopia’.
There’s a lot that happens in the book from sex scandals to dealing with douche takeovers to exploring this new world’s underbelly. Even though a lot was discussed, I felt that the subject matters were dealt with wonderfully. The characters were interesting and feminist (I loved Joey) and I was here for it all!
It’s a crazy ride (as I said in the beginning) and I loved it. I would love to discuss the ending with someone though? Because I almost feel like I am missing out on something? So please go read this book asap and let’s discuss this.
January 29, 2022
(3.5) This was an unusual experience: a book I enjoyed even though I never – at any point – managed to get my head around what it was actually about. At first I thought the early chapters’ thicket of infodumps was standard procedure for a novel like this with a near-future setting: we need to understand how New India works in the late 2020s, as well as the complexities of the characters’ relationships (Joey, the protagonist, is a ‘Reality Controller’ for Indi, her influencer ex; another major character, Joey’s childhood friend Rudra, is from a wealthy family with its own complicated web of connections). By the time I was about halfway through, however, it had dawned on me that it was all going to be like this. And it really is; every chapter up to the last feels like it’s haring off in a completely different direction. For all that, I had a really good time with the story! Basu writes at a convincing level of detail without getting bogged down in technicalities, and I didn’t tire of learning how this world’s economy of fame worked. Reminded me a lot of Lauren Beukes’ Moxyland, because of the colourful setting full of imagined tech/VR/AI/streaming stars, and also because of the distinct lack of structure – but somehow I liked this a lot more.
TinyLetter | Linktree
TinyLetter | Linktree
October 27, 2020
So I finally finished reading Samit Basu’s Chosen Spirits and to be honest I’m a bit confused, I have a lot of questions and very few answers.
So the book is a near future dystopia set in Delhi, towards the end of 2020. It follows Joey who is a Reality Controller, Indi who is a Flowstar and Rudra, who just is. There’s a whole bunch of other characters who come and go throughout the story. This was my first Samit Basu book and I’d read so many rave reviews about this one too, and I really went in wanting to like it. But I don’t know if it’s just that I did not like the way the book is written or it can very well be that I did not understand things in it or missed subtle cues.
There were so many things that were unexplained in the book, it was tiresome really to sit and makes sense of them. The first half of the book was spent trying to figure out how Delhi got to where it was shown to be in the book and the second half was this massive information dump with just too many things happening at the same time. To be completely honest the entire book felt like a huge jigsaw puzzle I just couldn’t put together. Even though some dialogues fit what is happening in our country right now perfectly, apart from these I could not really relate to any of the characters. I think I liked some of the supporting characters more than the protagonists. There were a lot of loose ends and some parts felt completely out of place in the story.
This is not a book review. I feel like I’m not in a position to write a book review for this one, maybe if I read it again I will. But these are mostly only my opinions. I do wish that some things were explained more or explained in a different way. I know that a lot of people loved this book and I’ve read some really good reviews. Sf/fantasy genre is anyway a genre that I don’t really enjoy reading so I think it’s a classic case of “It’s not the book, it’s me”. :P
So the book is a near future dystopia set in Delhi, towards the end of 2020. It follows Joey who is a Reality Controller, Indi who is a Flowstar and Rudra, who just is. There’s a whole bunch of other characters who come and go throughout the story. This was my first Samit Basu book and I’d read so many rave reviews about this one too, and I really went in wanting to like it. But I don’t know if it’s just that I did not like the way the book is written or it can very well be that I did not understand things in it or missed subtle cues.
There were so many things that were unexplained in the book, it was tiresome really to sit and makes sense of them. The first half of the book was spent trying to figure out how Delhi got to where it was shown to be in the book and the second half was this massive information dump with just too many things happening at the same time. To be completely honest the entire book felt like a huge jigsaw puzzle I just couldn’t put together. Even though some dialogues fit what is happening in our country right now perfectly, apart from these I could not really relate to any of the characters. I think I liked some of the supporting characters more than the protagonists. There were a lot of loose ends and some parts felt completely out of place in the story.
This is not a book review. I feel like I’m not in a position to write a book review for this one, maybe if I read it again I will. But these are mostly only my opinions. I do wish that some things were explained more or explained in a different way. I know that a lot of people loved this book and I’ve read some really good reviews. Sf/fantasy genre is anyway a genre that I don’t really enjoy reading so I think it’s a classic case of “It’s not the book, it’s me”. :P
September 10, 2020
Bro!
I need a minute to process.
Maybe a few.
See the thing is, this whole dystopian future thing is feeling too damn close to reality in the most nauseating, terrifying way.
I need a minute to process.
Maybe a few.
See the thing is, this whole dystopian future thing is feeling too damn close to reality in the most nauseating, terrifying way.
November 10, 2023
This is a near-future dystopian SF novel by a mainstream Indian writer Samit Basu. I read it as a part of the monthly reading for November 2023 at Speculative Fiction in Translation group.
The story starts in the 2030s in Delhi, initially with Joey – a daughter of middle-class parents, who works as a Reality Controller – something akin to a movie director for Flows – popular continuous video streams of celebrities. This future has no less social differentiation by caste, wealth, ethnicity than the current India, but there is added surveillance by the state, vigilante groups and corporations. Joey works for her ex Indi and she has a talent for suggesting new ideas in such a way that her bosses take all accolades for them. One of the other people in the production team is Rudra, an estranged scion of a wealthy and shadowy family – he tries to know the least about them, but Rudra had always known his father made lots of money, it was obvious from the sums that flowed in and out of his bank account around every tax deadline There are a large number of other characters, like Indian Korean Jin-Young, who dresses like a k-pop star - the mid-’20s anti-Chinese agitations across India (so much dramatic background footage freely available) inspired him to become one of several Korean-diaspora people who dress up as K-pop or K-drama idols instead of the completely fashion-free engineering/infrastructure executives their parents raised them to be. Reenactments of Jin-Young’s escapes from at least three late-night lynchings over the last year: a season finale featuring the most recent one, where he’d thought his luck had run out, but the youths chasing him with hockey sticks had just wanted a selfie. Tara - she’s a trained singer-dancer-futurist, chosen as the next girlfriend in Indi soap opera-sh Flow and others.
The story has a great number of details and sometimes it overwhelms a reader, so one cannot see the plot beyond them. From what I know about current Indian politics, the details are not too exaggerated future versions of the today, from cutting off the Internet access in ‘hot’ areas to massacres and prosecution of minorities.
I cannot say that this is an enthralling read, but it is definitely a solid representative of the modern voice of Indian SF.
The story starts in the 2030s in Delhi, initially with Joey – a daughter of middle-class parents, who works as a Reality Controller – something akin to a movie director for Flows – popular continuous video streams of celebrities. This future has no less social differentiation by caste, wealth, ethnicity than the current India, but there is added surveillance by the state, vigilante groups and corporations. Joey works for her ex Indi and she has a talent for suggesting new ideas in such a way that her bosses take all accolades for them. One of the other people in the production team is Rudra, an estranged scion of a wealthy and shadowy family – he tries to know the least about them, but Rudra had always known his father made lots of money, it was obvious from the sums that flowed in and out of his bank account around every tax deadline There are a large number of other characters, like Indian Korean Jin-Young, who dresses like a k-pop star - the mid-’20s anti-Chinese agitations across India (so much dramatic background footage freely available) inspired him to become one of several Korean-diaspora people who dress up as K-pop or K-drama idols instead of the completely fashion-free engineering/infrastructure executives their parents raised them to be. Reenactments of Jin-Young’s escapes from at least three late-night lynchings over the last year: a season finale featuring the most recent one, where he’d thought his luck had run out, but the youths chasing him with hockey sticks had just wanted a selfie. Tara - she’s a trained singer-dancer-futurist, chosen as the next girlfriend in Indi soap opera-sh Flow and others.
The story has a great number of details and sometimes it overwhelms a reader, so one cannot see the plot beyond them. From what I know about current Indian politics, the details are not too exaggerated future versions of the today, from cutting off the Internet access in ‘hot’ areas to massacres and prosecution of minorities.
I cannot say that this is an enthralling read, but it is definitely a solid representative of the modern voice of Indian SF.
May 10, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom for providing me an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
CW: sexual assault (on and off page), gaslighting, racism, mentioned human trafficing and genocide.
“They'd known the end times were coming but hadn’t known they’d be multiple choice.”
This one was really interesting, definitely a book I'd recommend to many people (no promise they'll enjoy it though).
The City Inside is a slice-fo-life slow burn anti-distopian story set in near future Delhi ("anti-distopian" meaning that the world presented by Samit Basu isn't that far-fedged as to be called distopian).
Regarding the precise time The City Inside takes place, I've heard conflicting opinions, going from late 2020s to 2070s. To me personally, there were too many pop-culture references to be set more than 20 years from now.
But the exact year isn't that important. What is important, is that it's near-future and things are bad.
From climate catastophies over unbreatheable air to your home spying on you for the government. There are daily crises reports and gruesome pictures on the news - but alas, just turn on content filters to protect your parents from being over-whelmed.
In this beautifully detailed setting, we follow two average citizens just trying to get through life in one piece.
While I loved Joey, Rudra I didn't find that interesting. Maybe because Joey actually speaks up for herself throughout the whole story instead letting other use her as a punching-bag as Rudra does for the most part.
But all the characters were original and eye-catching, and I definitely had opinions about them all (not all of them good).
The one problem I had with this book was the plot - which might be surprising to people who know my reading taste. But while I never need much plot and actually prefer slow-moving stories, The City Inside simply lacked sense of direction. I didn't mind so much the middle part where things were a little stagnant but got frustrated near the end. Because this is when things get more interesting, but then the final execution of what's built-up during the last three chapers fell flat for me. It just was too vague and lacked in detail - escpecially compared to the detailed world-building.
In the end, I wasn't satisfied. Perhaps a few more pages would have helped to further explain what was going on there and it's not like this book was so long that 20 pages more would have been too much.
But despite an ending that left me wanting, I can't get this world out of my head. I want to further explore this terrifying yet fascinating Delhi, and I want to read more of Samit Basu's cutting but charming opinions on how the world might look 10 to 20 years from now.
It's a world that you can't look away from and that often makes you laugh only because you would otherwise cry.
CW: sexual assault (on and off page), gaslighting, racism, mentioned human trafficing and genocide.
“They'd known the end times were coming but hadn’t known they’d be multiple choice.”
This one was really interesting, definitely a book I'd recommend to many people (no promise they'll enjoy it though).
The City Inside is a slice-fo-life slow burn anti-distopian story set in near future Delhi ("anti-distopian" meaning that the world presented by Samit Basu isn't that far-fedged as to be called distopian).
Regarding the precise time The City Inside takes place, I've heard conflicting opinions, going from late 2020s to 2070s. To me personally, there were too many pop-culture references to be set more than 20 years from now.
But the exact year isn't that important. What is important, is that it's near-future and things are bad.
From climate catastophies over unbreatheable air to your home spying on you for the government. There are daily crises reports and gruesome pictures on the news - but alas, just turn on content filters to protect your parents from being over-whelmed.
In this beautifully detailed setting, we follow two average citizens just trying to get through life in one piece.
While I loved Joey, Rudra I didn't find that interesting. Maybe because Joey actually speaks up for herself throughout the whole story instead letting other use her as a punching-bag as Rudra does for the most part.
But all the characters were original and eye-catching, and I definitely had opinions about them all (not all of them good).
The one problem I had with this book was the plot - which might be surprising to people who know my reading taste. But while I never need much plot and actually prefer slow-moving stories, The City Inside simply lacked sense of direction. I didn't mind so much the middle part where things were a little stagnant but got frustrated near the end. Because this is when things get more interesting, but then the final execution of what's built-up during the last three chapers fell flat for me. It just was too vague and lacked in detail - escpecially compared to the detailed world-building.
In the end, I wasn't satisfied. Perhaps a few more pages would have helped to further explain what was going on there and it's not like this book was so long that 20 pages more would have been too much.
But despite an ending that left me wanting, I can't get this world out of my head. I want to further explore this terrifying yet fascinating Delhi, and I want to read more of Samit Basu's cutting but charming opinions on how the world might look 10 to 20 years from now.
It's a world that you can't look away from and that often makes you laugh only because you would otherwise cry.
September 24, 2020
Samit Basu draws a grotesque picture, one with unequal wealth distribution, climate change, an exploitative government and advanced technology that more of a bane than a boon.
This dystopian world looks plausible, hitting home and hitting hard as you turn the pages that will reduce your faith in people, systematically.
Joey, a reality controller works for her ex-boyfriend. Her job is to control his flow, pitch & implement new ideas for the entertainment hounding public. Rudra, Joey's rescue puppy (a totally weird guy, tbh!) is passive, running away from his privilege that is centred around shady business. Buttressing this strange setup is the Delhi's atmosphere- stifling, brimming with people and surveillance.
'Chosen Spirits' is a character driven novel. Joey and Rudra watch helplessly as their life passes them by, with memories of better days, the bitter experience and trauma of the present and the hopelessness and difficulty of the future. While the story is a powerful re-imagination of capitalism, the multiple elements overcrowding the context. And even as the story progresses, there's very little work put to develop the characters and give them a definite objective.
This dystopian world looks plausible, hitting home and hitting hard as you turn the pages that will reduce your faith in people, systematically.
Joey, a reality controller works for her ex-boyfriend. Her job is to control his flow, pitch & implement new ideas for the entertainment hounding public. Rudra, Joey's rescue puppy (a totally weird guy, tbh!) is passive, running away from his privilege that is centred around shady business. Buttressing this strange setup is the Delhi's atmosphere- stifling, brimming with people and surveillance.
'Chosen Spirits' is a character driven novel. Joey and Rudra watch helplessly as their life passes them by, with memories of better days, the bitter experience and trauma of the present and the hopelessness and difficulty of the future. While the story is a powerful re-imagination of capitalism, the multiple elements overcrowding the context. And even as the story progresses, there's very little work put to develop the characters and give them a definite objective.
June 17, 2022
Thank you to Tordotcom for sending me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I'm conflicted on this book - I like the idea of it a lot, and I love a lot of the themes discussed here, but I think ultimately, the execution wasn't quite there for me. To start, I do find the synopsis for this book to be a bit misleading. It makes you think that there's some sort of overarching plot, but in reality, there really isn't much of a plot here. It's more about following the day-to-day of these characters and exploring themes through how they respond to these events that happen in their lives, rather than an actual overarching plotline.
I definitely think this is a book that's good for people (like myself) who enjoy themes more than anything else, but there aren't really any characters or plot points that I personally felt like I could really attach myself to. Where I think the book falls a bit flat on the theming, however, is that none of the themes are particularly fleshed out. This book asks a lot of questions, and discusses each theme very briefly, but never really answers any questions or offers a lot of in-depth analysis. That being said, I do think that the themes this book touches upon (data privacy, social media, surveillance capitalism, sexual harassment/assault, wealth inequality, xenophobia, and more) are ones that I really love discussing and reading about; I just wanted more from it.
Ultimately, I think that if the format of the book doesn't do it any favours. I've seen a few reviews saying they want the book to just be a longer novel, but I actually disagree with that. I don't think it has enough structure, or strong enough characters or plot to carry a longer novel. I think if it had been a short story collection and each topic could be contained within a short story, perhaps following different characters, it would've provided more structure that I felt this book needed. Alternatively, a series of novellas each covering a couple of topics and focusing on a different character would've also worked really well, I think.
In terms of the writing, I actually really enjoyed Basu's voice - it's witty and sarcastic, and I did really enjoy the tone of the narration overall. I didn't find it the easiest to read - the chapters are long and the paragraphs are long - but that's a very personal thing.
Overall, I think if you're interested in the themes and you don't mind some of the flaws, this is still worth a read. I think that this book raises a lot of questions that I personally find very interesting, and despite some of my issues with this book, I'll definitely be paying attention to future releases by Samit Basu.
I'm conflicted on this book - I like the idea of it a lot, and I love a lot of the themes discussed here, but I think ultimately, the execution wasn't quite there for me. To start, I do find the synopsis for this book to be a bit misleading. It makes you think that there's some sort of overarching plot, but in reality, there really isn't much of a plot here. It's more about following the day-to-day of these characters and exploring themes through how they respond to these events that happen in their lives, rather than an actual overarching plotline.
I definitely think this is a book that's good for people (like myself) who enjoy themes more than anything else, but there aren't really any characters or plot points that I personally felt like I could really attach myself to. Where I think the book falls a bit flat on the theming, however, is that none of the themes are particularly fleshed out. This book asks a lot of questions, and discusses each theme very briefly, but never really answers any questions or offers a lot of in-depth analysis. That being said, I do think that the themes this book touches upon (data privacy, social media, surveillance capitalism, sexual harassment/assault, wealth inequality, xenophobia, and more) are ones that I really love discussing and reading about; I just wanted more from it.
Ultimately, I think that if the format of the book doesn't do it any favours. I've seen a few reviews saying they want the book to just be a longer novel, but I actually disagree with that. I don't think it has enough structure, or strong enough characters or plot to carry a longer novel. I think if it had been a short story collection and each topic could be contained within a short story, perhaps following different characters, it would've provided more structure that I felt this book needed. Alternatively, a series of novellas each covering a couple of topics and focusing on a different character would've also worked really well, I think.
In terms of the writing, I actually really enjoyed Basu's voice - it's witty and sarcastic, and I did really enjoy the tone of the narration overall. I didn't find it the easiest to read - the chapters are long and the paragraphs are long - but that's a very personal thing.
Overall, I think if you're interested in the themes and you don't mind some of the flaws, this is still worth a read. I think that this book raises a lot of questions that I personally find very interesting, and despite some of my issues with this book, I'll definitely be paying attention to future releases by Samit Basu.
Read
May 18, 2023When I heard that The City Inside is a near-future sci-fi set in Delhi, I knew I wanted to read it. Over the course of two days—which was how fast I devoured it—I tried to grapple with the intricacies of Basu's world-building, and even upon finishing, I have to admit that perhaps some parts of the story went over my head. But I will talk about the parts I think I understood.
The City Inside is about the secret secret worlds of people in power, how these structural power imbalances create a city in itself. These are not cities by jurisdiction, but the invisible world that exists everywhere, cities with barriers that keep others out—class, caste, etc.
Reading the book was an immersive experience; we are thrown into the near-future of Delhi where the world is still recognizable but also drastically different. It's about "Flow," which I read more or less as "streaming," where Joey is the Reality Controller, which is like an Internet celebrity manager of sorts. In The City Inside, life is like reality TV for Flowstars, but reality is also like fiction, where everyone's feed is curated by Reality Controllers and other forces.
This is a story about power, and what, in the digital age, power means. Basu tried to tackle a lot of the themes of corruption and inequalities, but at times, those ambitions felt too big for a story of 240 pages. I also find the main characters having little to no personalities, though one of the characters did reflect about this precise issue.
Upon finishing, I felt that The City Inside is more of a transitional story. The novel builds up momentum for change throughout the pages, and it ends where the said change is happening or going to happen. While I might not have gotten Basu's vision for his story, the book left me with things to think about, on tech, on reality, on the future.
(Also, is anyone going to talk about how Joey is queer? [...] all she could think of is invading Troy to rescue Uma, dragging her off to their private island and devouring her logic-defying body until the sun explodes and "I am having improper thoughts," Jin-Young whispers solemnly. / "You and me both, brother," Joey says.)
The City Inside is about the secret secret worlds of people in power, how these structural power imbalances create a city in itself. These are not cities by jurisdiction, but the invisible world that exists everywhere, cities with barriers that keep others out—class, caste, etc.
Reading the book was an immersive experience; we are thrown into the near-future of Delhi where the world is still recognizable but also drastically different. It's about "Flow," which I read more or less as "streaming," where Joey is the Reality Controller, which is like an Internet celebrity manager of sorts. In The City Inside, life is like reality TV for Flowstars, but reality is also like fiction, where everyone's feed is curated by Reality Controllers and other forces.
This is a story about power, and what, in the digital age, power means. Basu tried to tackle a lot of the themes of corruption and inequalities, but at times, those ambitions felt too big for a story of 240 pages. I also find the main characters having little to no personalities, though one of the characters did reflect about this precise issue.
Upon finishing, I felt that The City Inside is more of a transitional story. The novel builds up momentum for change throughout the pages, and it ends where the said change is happening or going to happen. While I might not have gotten Basu's vision for his story, the book left me with things to think about, on tech, on reality, on the future.
(Also, is anyone going to talk about how Joey is queer? [...] all she could think of is invading Troy to rescue Uma, dragging her off to their private island and devouring her logic-defying body until the sun explodes and "I am having improper thoughts," Jin-Young whispers solemnly. / "You and me both, brother," Joey says.)
October 9, 2022
?
The question mark still best symbolises my reaction to this book, even a couple weeks after I’ve finished it.
I was excited for this mainly at the prospect of a sci-fi futuristic Indian novel. But the world-building was just too much and very badly explained. It felt like a constant info-dump and I was still extremely confused.
Scenes and perspectives also seemed to end abruptly and I had to read over them twice and thrice to understand what was going on.
I also felt as if the author was trying to do too many things - political commentary, dystopia, romance, and also sci-fi. Also, the random tirades about the State of Things were understandable but they got extremely repetitive and took away majorly from the plot.
Reading this was a tedious, tiring experience partly because it felt too real and raw and partly because it wasn’t structured well enough to pull the latter off.
I did chuckle at the fact that after all the rants about all the -isms in the world the protagonists were still upper class and upper caste.
The characters and their dynamics were a saving grace but I wish they were given more to do. The ending made me feel like this would be a series so let’s hope that the next one is better. I loved Joey and couldn’t really take Rudra seriously.
I saw that the authors other writing was in graphic novels and I could sense the need to have visuals underpinning the narrative in this novel as well…maybe it would’ve worked better in that format.
Overall, this did have a lot of potential but the execution left much to be desired.
The question mark still best symbolises my reaction to this book, even a couple weeks after I’ve finished it.
I was excited for this mainly at the prospect of a sci-fi futuristic Indian novel. But the world-building was just too much and very badly explained. It felt like a constant info-dump and I was still extremely confused.
Scenes and perspectives also seemed to end abruptly and I had to read over them twice and thrice to understand what was going on.
I also felt as if the author was trying to do too many things - political commentary, dystopia, romance, and also sci-fi. Also, the random tirades about the State of Things were understandable but they got extremely repetitive and took away majorly from the plot.
Reading this was a tedious, tiring experience partly because it felt too real and raw and partly because it wasn’t structured well enough to pull the latter off.
I did chuckle at the fact that after all the rants about all the -isms in the world the protagonists were still upper class and upper caste.
The characters and their dynamics were a saving grace but I wish they were given more to do. The ending made me feel like this would be a series so let’s hope that the next one is better. I loved Joey and couldn’t really take Rudra seriously.
I saw that the authors other writing was in graphic novels and I could sense the need to have visuals underpinning the narrative in this novel as well…maybe it would’ve worked better in that format.
Overall, this did have a lot of potential but the execution left much to be desired.
December 14, 2021
This is a strange little book. Very atmospheric, with a world that feels immersive and realistic, spot-on about many aspects of our lives today. I liked the Indian setting, which is still a rarity in SFF, and was intrigued by the role of the main character in the story—certainly an unconventional-feeling protagonist, kind of like an NPC in one of the main sidequests of a cyberpunk RPG.
Those are the good parts. The actual book? It’s such a weird way to tell a story. Half the type I was annoyed because it was too explainy, going into extreme details about one thing and then delving into some other thing the next. Most of the time I was completely lost! Who is this character now and why am I supposed to care about them? Why are we suddenly reading about x when I was so invested in y? It made the book challenging, but not in a fun and thought-provoking way, just in a frustrating way.
The other thing that annoyed me was how this barely used its SFF setting. Sure, we get some cool stuff about climate change, wealth disparity, … the usual suspects in hot SFF works. But besides the confusing narrative, we actually get a fairly mundane story most of the time—sex scandals, people betraying each other, and lots of people just being shitty humans to each other.
All-over-the-place. Would’ve been a DNF if this wasn’t an ARC. I would like to thank NetGalley regardless for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Those are the good parts. The actual book? It’s such a weird way to tell a story. Half the type I was annoyed because it was too explainy, going into extreme details about one thing and then delving into some other thing the next. Most of the time I was completely lost! Who is this character now and why am I supposed to care about them? Why are we suddenly reading about x when I was so invested in y? It made the book challenging, but not in a fun and thought-provoking way, just in a frustrating way.
The other thing that annoyed me was how this barely used its SFF setting. Sure, we get some cool stuff about climate change, wealth disparity, … the usual suspects in hot SFF works. But besides the confusing narrative, we actually get a fairly mundane story most of the time—sex scandals, people betraying each other, and lots of people just being shitty humans to each other.
All-over-the-place. Would’ve been a DNF if this wasn’t an ARC. I would like to thank NetGalley regardless for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Want to read
January 3, 2022me 🤝 Tor books
dystopian india and "anxieties about society, government, the environment, and our world at large—yet never loses sight of the hopeful potential of the future" mixed with college ex drama
*Thank you to the publisher -Macmillan-Tor/Forge- for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
dystopian india and "anxieties about society, government, the environment, and our world at large—yet never loses sight of the hopeful potential of the future" mixed with college ex drama
*Thank you to the publisher -Macmillan-Tor/Forge- for sending me an ARC to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*
June 10, 2024
One of the blurbs on the cover of this book described it as a ‘Black Mirror’ episode, and honestly, yeah, pretty spot on. Near future techno-dystopia, with just enough elements from daily life as we know it to make it feel uncomfortably realistic. Urgh.
My online presence is insignificant. Goodreads, Instagram (so by association, FB) but that’s basically it. I’m just not really interested in more, frankly, and I realize that probably ages me, and that’s fine. So reading a book about people who have taken the idea of influencer to the extreme but logical end of that concept – so people who live almost their entire life fully online, supported by a professional production team… well, that feels both like a thing that will happen any minute now, but it also freaks me out a bit.
Joey is a producer for one such influencer, Indi, basically running his livestream, making sure that he does what’s required to keep his fanbase engaged. This goes from the simple stuff, like product placement and event attendance, to supervising auditions for Indi’s new girlfriend (because her likability might impact his, duh). Rudra is Indi’s cousin, who was mostly estranged from his family, but is brought back into the fold when his uncle dies and begs Indi for a job on his team. The complex family dynamics in place are already making things fraught, but things get significantly more complicated when a conflict with investors come up, and information from both Joey and Indi’s past is dug up and used to threaten them.
This book is short, and fast-paced, and has a lot to say about our addiction to vapid social media and surveillance capitalism. In North America, we worry about it, but in countries like India, the consequences of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could be much more severe than the run-of-the-mill cancellations we see here on an almost daily basis. Samit Basu is a brilliant writer, who managed to get me engaged with his characters immediately and gave me such a rich sense of the settings that I could imagine all the noises and colors and lights and smells of Delhi. But to say that enjoyed a story that focuses on paranoia would not be quite accurate. It’s an incredibly effective story, detailed and precise, and it was a great read, but it draws a bleak and concerning picture of the future. I will be looking for more books by Basu, and keeping an eye out for future publication because this is a talent not to be missed if you are interested in sci-fi. Very recommended.
My online presence is insignificant. Goodreads, Instagram (so by association, FB) but that’s basically it. I’m just not really interested in more, frankly, and I realize that probably ages me, and that’s fine. So reading a book about people who have taken the idea of influencer to the extreme but logical end of that concept – so people who live almost their entire life fully online, supported by a professional production team… well, that feels both like a thing that will happen any minute now, but it also freaks me out a bit.
Joey is a producer for one such influencer, Indi, basically running his livestream, making sure that he does what’s required to keep his fanbase engaged. This goes from the simple stuff, like product placement and event attendance, to supervising auditions for Indi’s new girlfriend (because her likability might impact his, duh). Rudra is Indi’s cousin, who was mostly estranged from his family, but is brought back into the fold when his uncle dies and begs Indi for a job on his team. The complex family dynamics in place are already making things fraught, but things get significantly more complicated when a conflict with investors come up, and information from both Joey and Indi’s past is dug up and used to threaten them.
This book is short, and fast-paced, and has a lot to say about our addiction to vapid social media and surveillance capitalism. In North America, we worry about it, but in countries like India, the consequences of saying the wrong thing to the wrong person could be much more severe than the run-of-the-mill cancellations we see here on an almost daily basis. Samit Basu is a brilliant writer, who managed to get me engaged with his characters immediately and gave me such a rich sense of the settings that I could imagine all the noises and colors and lights and smells of Delhi. But to say that enjoyed a story that focuses on paranoia would not be quite accurate. It’s an incredibly effective story, detailed and precise, and it was a great read, but it draws a bleak and concerning picture of the future. I will be looking for more books by Basu, and keeping an eye out for future publication because this is a talent not to be missed if you are interested in sci-fi. Very recommended.
January 17, 2022
Thank you for NatGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the ARC with an exchange of honest review.
This is my very first book from Samit Basu and I picked this book because it set in sometimes in the future, have dystopian genre and setting in India. I never read a book with India setting before so this is new for me and I excited to read this.
But, despite my excitement I can't connect with the plot or story. For around 30% I'm still not sure what kind of plot or conflict will be present before me. And even at the beginning I can't imagine what kind of world in this book because it pure chaotic and very hard for me to describe it. Really need a long time to get the conflict because we got so many description about the characters, job, the world and the author give us very little hint about the conspiracy that said in the blurb.
I think the conspiracy or the conflict is good and it really can be happen in this real life. But, when the story goes better, and I already can get a hang on the story suddenly the book is almost finished. I even don't see the solution or a way for the characters to clear it and here I thought that the main character will settle the conflict. So after I finished this book, I don't really get what is really happening in the book.
This is my very first book from Samit Basu and I picked this book because it set in sometimes in the future, have dystopian genre and setting in India. I never read a book with India setting before so this is new for me and I excited to read this.
But, despite my excitement I can't connect with the plot or story. For around 30% I'm still not sure what kind of plot or conflict will be present before me. And even at the beginning I can't imagine what kind of world in this book because it pure chaotic and very hard for me to describe it. Really need a long time to get the conflict because we got so many description about the characters, job, the world and the author give us very little hint about the conspiracy that said in the blurb.
I think the conspiracy or the conflict is good and it really can be happen in this real life. But, when the story goes better, and I already can get a hang on the story suddenly the book is almost finished. I even don't see the solution or a way for the characters to clear it and here I thought that the main character will settle the conflict. So after I finished this book, I don't really get what is really happening in the book.
June 15, 2022
I’m going to warn you from the outset: This book isn’t the most accessible book to read if you aren’t familiar with social media, its evolution over time, or if you aren’t in some way aware of the ongoing ethnic cleansing and rampant Nationalism currently happening in India (it’s actually been going on for a little while now, but the government there has been trying their darnedest to keep it as hushed up as possible). India is an incredibly complex country that many of us have never been to and may never get to visit, and so a lot of this novel may be confusing to anyone who’s never studied India’s culture, politics, or geography. Seeing as this book is speculative fiction centered around a future India, social media, and a surveillance society, the whole story leans heavily on technical jargon that can be very hard to parse out and understand if you “don’t do” social media and/or have no concept of how social media dynamics and analytics work.
Luckily for me, I do. I not only understand social media dynamics and analytics, but I’ve also kept up with the situation in India. I’m so glad I did, because it made the experience of reading this fantastic, astounding book an immensely enjoyable and fascinating read. From individual influencer lives curated and cultivated by “Reality Controllers” and funded by investors to smarttatts applied that are required by law to monitor everything from your health to your mood on a 24/7 basis, this book is filled with incredibly technologically-advanced yet completely possible scenarios for urban populations that simultaneously intrigued and repulsed me. The world-building in this book is completely insane in the best possible way.
In much the same way, the characters are fascinating too, in the way that some characters aren’t characters, but caricatures painted in whatever shades this ephemeral world requires them to be. There are different shades of reality for every person in this book, depending on where they are, who they’re with, what they’re doing… it goes on and on and on. And it’s just another reminder that technology and our increasing ability as humans to live longer means added and subtracted layers of knowledge as you move through generations.
Basu not only has a gift for world-building and characterizations, but also has a gift for vivid imagery and stirring prose. The book, as a whole, is just beautifully written and everything one could ask for from speculative fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan/Tor-Forge, and Tordotcom for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Luckily for me, I do. I not only understand social media dynamics and analytics, but I’ve also kept up with the situation in India. I’m so glad I did, because it made the experience of reading this fantastic, astounding book an immensely enjoyable and fascinating read. From individual influencer lives curated and cultivated by “Reality Controllers” and funded by investors to smarttatts applied that are required by law to monitor everything from your health to your mood on a 24/7 basis, this book is filled with incredibly technologically-advanced yet completely possible scenarios for urban populations that simultaneously intrigued and repulsed me. The world-building in this book is completely insane in the best possible way.
In much the same way, the characters are fascinating too, in the way that some characters aren’t characters, but caricatures painted in whatever shades this ephemeral world requires them to be. There are different shades of reality for every person in this book, depending on where they are, who they’re with, what they’re doing… it goes on and on and on. And it’s just another reminder that technology and our increasing ability as humans to live longer means added and subtracted layers of knowledge as you move through generations.
Basu not only has a gift for world-building and characterizations, but also has a gift for vivid imagery and stirring prose. The book, as a whole, is just beautifully written and everything one could ask for from speculative fiction.
Thanks to NetGalley, MacMillan/Tor-Forge, and Tordotcom for granting me access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.
August 26, 2022
Actual Rating: 4.5/5
I really like the project of this work and it feels like a more modern version of classic dystopian sci-fi that is focusing on the inner thoughts of characters in a dystopian/authoritarian world with lots of surveillance. The focus of the story for me was watching these privilege, but miserable, characters find the motivation and will to resist the system. I think that's the part of the project that worked best for me, once we got to the resisting and the very end of the book (and I mean very end, it is not the focus) I am less sure how I feel about the story and where it goes. But watching our two main protagonist live their lives as they were in the influencer industry was fascinating, especially with how near future sci-fi this is. This is also a work that has a very specific flavor to the writing style that is probably not going to work for everyone. The word choices and syntax were playful to me and really helped me get in the scene or the character's head space but I have heard from several people that this actually made it less immersive so just know there is a strong voice to the writing that will probably either help or hinder your experience.
I don't know who to recommend this too. It might be too sci-fi for literary readers and too literary for sci-fi readers but if you like character studies and interesting near future thought experiments give this one a try!
I really like the project of this work and it feels like a more modern version of classic dystopian sci-fi that is focusing on the inner thoughts of characters in a dystopian/authoritarian world with lots of surveillance. The focus of the story for me was watching these privilege, but miserable, characters find the motivation and will to resist the system. I think that's the part of the project that worked best for me, once we got to the resisting and the very end of the book (and I mean very end, it is not the focus) I am less sure how I feel about the story and where it goes. But watching our two main protagonist live their lives as they were in the influencer industry was fascinating, especially with how near future sci-fi this is. This is also a work that has a very specific flavor to the writing style that is probably not going to work for everyone. The word choices and syntax were playful to me and really helped me get in the scene or the character's head space but I have heard from several people that this actually made it less immersive so just know there is a strong voice to the writing that will probably either help or hinder your experience.
I don't know who to recommend this too. It might be too sci-fi for literary readers and too literary for sci-fi readers but if you like character studies and interesting near future thought experiments give this one a try!
November 9, 2023
Originally published as Chosen Spirits, later as The City Inside.
Setting: Delhi, 1-2 decades in the future. A fervored future that reminded me of Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk; the dynamic India in Ian MacDonald’s River of Gods /Cyberabad Days; the turbo-charged information worlds in David Marusek’s Counting Heads and Getting to Know You.**
I see from other GR reviews that some people complain about the plot taking too long to get started. True, there’s a lot of description and exposition in the first half of the book. But it’s not a long book, and, the world was so fascinating (yet horrifyingly familiar) that I enjoyed reading about it.
What’s it about? Extreme income disparity, pervasive class system, democracy breaking down, global warming, pollution, pesky humans being evil again, fast-moving changes in automation, and CHANGE: how are constant connectivity + social media streams changing us.? Late-stage capitalism: the bad kind of multi-level marketing, people who put fake sponsorships into their streams so it will look like they are “Influencers.” The infiltration/surveillance themes of EdTV and The Truman Show, Series 7, The Running Man, Mr. Robot.
I liked Joey, I liked the story. This book takes trends and technology from our present, cooks them in crowded India, and turns the dial way up.
See: Surveillance Capitalism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveil...
**(Whatever happened to David Marusek? I still think about Eleanor and Ellen, the apartment towers and flying cars, that kid who had halted his aging process, the couple in "The Wedding Album".)
Main characters:
Joey - a Reality Controller, one of the best producers around. Her online showbiz innovations are doing great things for:
Indi - Joey’s ex-boyfriend and current employer, now a rising Flowstar in the Influencer/Icon world
Rudra - son of a wealthy powerful family, family friends of Joey’s parents. Since college he lives apart and stays away from their drama.
Setting: Delhi, 1-2 decades in the future. A fervored future that reminded me of Neal Stephenson's cyberpunk; the dynamic India in Ian MacDonald’s River of Gods /Cyberabad Days; the turbo-charged information worlds in David Marusek’s Counting Heads and Getting to Know You.**
I see from other GR reviews that some people complain about the plot taking too long to get started. True, there’s a lot of description and exposition in the first half of the book. But it’s not a long book, and, the world was so fascinating (yet horrifyingly familiar) that I enjoyed reading about it.
What’s it about? Extreme income disparity, pervasive class system, democracy breaking down, global warming, pollution, pesky humans being evil again, fast-moving changes in automation, and CHANGE: how are constant connectivity + social media streams changing us.? Late-stage capitalism: the bad kind of multi-level marketing, people who put fake sponsorships into their streams so it will look like they are “Influencers.” The infiltration/surveillance themes of EdTV and The Truman Show, Series 7, The Running Man, Mr. Robot.
I liked Joey, I liked the story. This book takes trends and technology from our present, cooks them in crowded India, and turns the dial way up.
See: Surveillance Capitalism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surveil...
**(Whatever happened to David Marusek? I still think about Eleanor and Ellen, the apartment towers and flying cars, that kid who had halted his aging process, the couple in "The Wedding Album".)
Main characters:
Joey - a Reality Controller, one of the best producers around. Her online showbiz innovations are doing great things for:
Indi - Joey’s ex-boyfriend and current employer, now a rising Flowstar in the Influencer/Icon world
Rudra - son of a wealthy powerful family, family friends of Joey’s parents. Since college he lives apart and stays away from their drama.
August 24, 2022
Probably more of a 3.5 though.
I couldn’t read it early despite having the arc because I was in a bad slump. But now that I managed to get the audiobook, I had to give it a try. It’s quite well narrated by Reena Dutt and I didn’t wanna put it down much. However, despite the lovely voice, I can’t say I was completely into the story. I totally believed the world (or a near future Delhi) the author created, which felt both similar to the current political climate in the country and as a natural progression to the future if the authoritarian tendencies of our politicians aren’t curbed soon. This world where reality is what we see on social media platforms, and everything is controlled by politicians and corporations and oligarchs, dissent is curbed immediately - there’s just so much information here and I was lost in the world, but I also couldn’t keep up with it.
On the other hand, I didn’t feel the same with the characters. Atleast it felt like Rudra had some kind of a character arc, but Joey who has the biggest presence was more static. I think I understood the reasoning - because most people are going to keep their heads down and work within any existing system, not participate in revolutions - which is what Joey does for the most part, but she also has a good understanding of what she is capable of. The other side characters really weren’t ppl I cared about much, or even kinda hated - but that was also the expected reaction I suppose, so the author succeeded.
I guess I’m not disappointed because I knew going in that this book is not about characters participating in a revolution and bringing about drastic changes in their world - it’s about the characters realizing that they want to change the system and hope to be part of a resistance. So it stops where most dystopian novels start. However, despite knowing this, this story just felt more like a recounting of all the cool and bad facts of this futuristic world, with not much focus on character development. I would still definitely look forward to the author’s work, even more so if he decides to write a sequel for this one.
I couldn’t read it early despite having the arc because I was in a bad slump. But now that I managed to get the audiobook, I had to give it a try. It’s quite well narrated by Reena Dutt and I didn’t wanna put it down much. However, despite the lovely voice, I can’t say I was completely into the story. I totally believed the world (or a near future Delhi) the author created, which felt both similar to the current political climate in the country and as a natural progression to the future if the authoritarian tendencies of our politicians aren’t curbed soon. This world where reality is what we see on social media platforms, and everything is controlled by politicians and corporations and oligarchs, dissent is curbed immediately - there’s just so much information here and I was lost in the world, but I also couldn’t keep up with it.
On the other hand, I didn’t feel the same with the characters. Atleast it felt like Rudra had some kind of a character arc, but Joey who has the biggest presence was more static. I think I understood the reasoning - because most people are going to keep their heads down and work within any existing system, not participate in revolutions - which is what Joey does for the most part, but she also has a good understanding of what she is capable of. The other side characters really weren’t ppl I cared about much, or even kinda hated - but that was also the expected reaction I suppose, so the author succeeded.
I guess I’m not disappointed because I knew going in that this book is not about characters participating in a revolution and bringing about drastic changes in their world - it’s about the characters realizing that they want to change the system and hope to be part of a resistance. So it stops where most dystopian novels start. However, despite knowing this, this story just felt more like a recounting of all the cool and bad facts of this futuristic world, with not much focus on character development. I would still definitely look forward to the author’s work, even more so if he decides to write a sequel for this one.
September 16, 2020
This is such a beautiful dystopian book set in the near future, in India with a lot of elements that are relatable to the everyday Indian!
Dystopia is pornographic, Olamina. You see it and shiver but it's also kind of fun because it's happening somewhere else, to someone else, you know? It requires distance. Some of us are actually sitting in the fucking middle of it and we may never learn to care in time. This isn't dystopia. This is reality.
The world building is great, the plot is well paced and the happenings are too real. I would have loved to give the book 5 stars, but the end is a bit open ended which means......SEQUEL!
They say they've seen all this before-the fear of speaking out, the fear of people around you, the fear that you'd wake up one morning to find you'd lost everything- no bank account, no citizenship, no job, no rights. It's fear they live with, just like the fear, in their twenties, of a terrorist bomb in every market, every empty car, back when terrorists and the government were on different sides. Letting this fear get to you, letting it dictate your actions, isolate you, leech away your life... those were the things they have learnt to overcome.
If you are an Indian and love dystopian novels in general, this is the book for you!
A great initiative by Samit Basu as there are not many dystopian novels set in India.
In conclusion
When is the sequel coming out?
Dystopia is pornographic, Olamina. You see it and shiver but it's also kind of fun because it's happening somewhere else, to someone else, you know? It requires distance. Some of us are actually sitting in the fucking middle of it and we may never learn to care in time. This isn't dystopia. This is reality.
The world building is great, the plot is well paced and the happenings are too real. I would have loved to give the book 5 stars, but the end is a bit open ended which means......SEQUEL!
They say they've seen all this before-the fear of speaking out, the fear of people around you, the fear that you'd wake up one morning to find you'd lost everything- no bank account, no citizenship, no job, no rights. It's fear they live with, just like the fear, in their twenties, of a terrorist bomb in every market, every empty car, back when terrorists and the government were on different sides. Letting this fear get to you, letting it dictate your actions, isolate you, leech away your life... those were the things they have learnt to overcome.
If you are an Indian and love dystopian novels in general, this is the book for you!
A great initiative by Samit Basu as there are not many dystopian novels set in India.
In conclusion
When is the sequel coming out?
April 6, 2022
DNF at 17%
I just couldn't get into this. The cover is beautiful and I was excited to read scifi from an Indian perspective. I don't get to read a lot of Indian scifi and was looking forward to that.
Unfortunately, I just didn't vibe with this writing style. It is very detailed and impersonal and stream of consciousness. There is a lot of world building, which I normally love, but in this case it was a level of detail and info-dumping that was too much for me. I felt like I kept waiting for the story to start. What was I supposed to care about? What was the thread I was supposed to follow? I think this will work better for readers with a more detail-oriented personality. That just isn't me.
I just couldn't get into this. The cover is beautiful and I was excited to read scifi from an Indian perspective. I don't get to read a lot of Indian scifi and was looking forward to that.
Unfortunately, I just didn't vibe with this writing style. It is very detailed and impersonal and stream of consciousness. There is a lot of world building, which I normally love, but in this case it was a level of detail and info-dumping that was too much for me. I felt like I kept waiting for the story to start. What was I supposed to care about? What was the thread I was supposed to follow? I think this will work better for readers with a more detail-oriented personality. That just isn't me.
did-not-finish
May 11, 2024DNF @ 24%
It's like if Olivie Blake wrote a cyberpunk novel. All vibes, no plot.
It's like if Olivie Blake wrote a cyberpunk novel. All vibes, no plot.
May 30, 2022
I would like to preface this review with the fact that in my opinion, one of the book's issues is its blurb, which if it had described the main turning point would have been enough for me to understand that this wasn't the one for me, and I wouldn't have requested an advance copy. I will address it at the end of this review, so you can make up your own mind as to whether or not you might also care about it.
In this book, we follow mainly Joey and Rudra as they live in Delhi after the Years Not To Be Discussed, where democracy died and now social media stars have become Flowstars. Big corporations own countries, even bigger ones own the world. There are many things going on in such a packed novel, and if you like stories full of big ideas and themes, this one might be a good one to pick up.
Among these themes, the most interesting bits for me were the exploration of digital versus real self, and ownership of the digital space in this near-future, post-apocalyptic Delhi. I also wished there would have been more regarding gene mutation and the human trafficking sub-plot that was going on, but to me it felt underdeveloped. This book could have been much longer, delving deeper into all the sub-plots, or it could have been made into a duology or trilogy. There are many interesting ideas that I would really like to read more about another time.
Much of the overall story also felt forced, from the descriptions to the dialogues, and especially the feminist bouts throughout the novel. If this was supposed to be the point, I felt it missed it entirely, and it left a bad taste in my mouth as every single character was trying to prove how much of a feminist they were, sometimes going on well-rehearsed tangents to prove so. This, paired with the dry writing style, made me feel like this book could have been further refined. However, if you like a writing style that tells you everything you need to know and spares no time for fluff, then you could like this story.
Now, my main qualm with this book: the sexual assault public allegations that is purely a plot device meant for the main characters to react and do something new with their lives. I didn't like the way this part of the book was handled at all, and once the plot had been nudged into more action, the allegations were pushed under the rug and everybody else moved on like nothing had happened, blaming it on "every rising star faces allegations like that at some point, people will forget about it." It just rubbed me the wrong way, when there could have been many other situations that could have pushed the plot forward and had the same results. I wish this turning point was mentioned in the blurb, because had I known, I would have skipped this novel altogether.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
In this book, we follow mainly Joey and Rudra as they live in Delhi after the Years Not To Be Discussed, where democracy died and now social media stars have become Flowstars. Big corporations own countries, even bigger ones own the world. There are many things going on in such a packed novel, and if you like stories full of big ideas and themes, this one might be a good one to pick up.
Among these themes, the most interesting bits for me were the exploration of digital versus real self, and ownership of the digital space in this near-future, post-apocalyptic Delhi. I also wished there would have been more regarding gene mutation and the human trafficking sub-plot that was going on, but to me it felt underdeveloped. This book could have been much longer, delving deeper into all the sub-plots, or it could have been made into a duology or trilogy. There are many interesting ideas that I would really like to read more about another time.
Much of the overall story also felt forced, from the descriptions to the dialogues, and especially the feminist bouts throughout the novel. If this was supposed to be the point, I felt it missed it entirely, and it left a bad taste in my mouth as every single character was trying to prove how much of a feminist they were, sometimes going on well-rehearsed tangents to prove so. This, paired with the dry writing style, made me feel like this book could have been further refined. However, if you like a writing style that tells you everything you need to know and spares no time for fluff, then you could like this story.
Now, my main qualm with this book: the sexual assault public allegations that is purely a plot device meant for the main characters to react and do something new with their lives. I didn't like the way this part of the book was handled at all, and once the plot had been nudged into more action, the allegations were pushed under the rug and everybody else moved on like nothing had happened, blaming it on "every rising star faces allegations like that at some point, people will forget about it." It just rubbed me the wrong way, when there could have been many other situations that could have pushed the plot forward and had the same results. I wish this turning point was mentioned in the blurb, because had I known, I would have skipped this novel altogether.
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
September 25, 2020
This book was hard to read. After the first chapter, I just had to put it down and take a break. It was way too real. When I picked it up again, I finished it in a day.
This was my first book by Samit Basu and I am happy to report that he totally deserves all the praise he gets!
Set in the 2030s in Delhi, this book is about Joey, a super talented and popular Reality Controller and works for Indi, her ex-boyfriend and an influencer on Flow. Flows are basically livestreams where people are constantly sharing (flaunting) their lives. Joey's job is to manage Indi's Flows such that they cater to every type of viewer. When Joey goes to the funeral of her father's old friend, she hires his youngest son Rudra as their Reality Editor. A spur of the moment action taken to save Rudra from his shady family and shadier associates, soon pulls Joey into a whirlpool of troubles. Joey has to deal with takeovers, sex scandals, betrayals and the city's underbelly.
I loved the writing! The plot was interesting and kept me hooked. The technologies were terrifying and exciting at the same time. And the world was absolutely petrifying. I can totally see why this book made the longlist for the JCB prize.
This was my first book by Samit Basu and I am happy to report that he totally deserves all the praise he gets!
Set in the 2030s in Delhi, this book is about Joey, a super talented and popular Reality Controller and works for Indi, her ex-boyfriend and an influencer on Flow. Flows are basically livestreams where people are constantly sharing (flaunting) their lives. Joey's job is to manage Indi's Flows such that they cater to every type of viewer. When Joey goes to the funeral of her father's old friend, she hires his youngest son Rudra as their Reality Editor. A spur of the moment action taken to save Rudra from his shady family and shadier associates, soon pulls Joey into a whirlpool of troubles. Joey has to deal with takeovers, sex scandals, betrayals and the city's underbelly.
I loved the writing! The plot was interesting and kept me hooked. The technologies were terrifying and exciting at the same time. And the world was absolutely petrifying. I can totally see why this book made the longlist for the JCB prize.
June 3, 2022
The City Inside is a modern dystopian future thriller - one that seems very near to our current lives.
In this near future story, Samit Basu begins a story in India, near Delhi. His heroine, Joey is a Reality Controller -someone who literally controls what certain subscribers see of a star (reality or otherwise). It's a very interesting take on the next line of reality programming and live feeds. Joey controls multiple livestreams and contracts out for others to assist. Her "star" is a recent ex, from college and the job is so hectic, Joey doesn't have time to think about her next steps.
Joey contracts Rudra who is an estranged wealthy kid living away from his family by choice. Once he accepts the job, he finds himself and Joey tangled in conspiracies related to the government, capitalism and corporation. Basu does a great job of creating an atmosphere of paranoia and lack of control. Can Joey and Rudra stay afloat in this chaotic world? If you like techno-futures, dystopian worlds and international authors, The City Inside is for you! #Macmillan #TorForge #Netgalley #TheCityInside
In this near future story, Samit Basu begins a story in India, near Delhi. His heroine, Joey is a Reality Controller -someone who literally controls what certain subscribers see of a star (reality or otherwise). It's a very interesting take on the next line of reality programming and live feeds. Joey controls multiple livestreams and contracts out for others to assist. Her "star" is a recent ex, from college and the job is so hectic, Joey doesn't have time to think about her next steps.
Joey contracts Rudra who is an estranged wealthy kid living away from his family by choice. Once he accepts the job, he finds himself and Joey tangled in conspiracies related to the government, capitalism and corporation. Basu does a great job of creating an atmosphere of paranoia and lack of control. Can Joey and Rudra stay afloat in this chaotic world? If you like techno-futures, dystopian worlds and international authors, The City Inside is for you! #Macmillan #TorForge #Netgalley #TheCityInside
September 25, 2022
You can watch my review of this book here: https://youtu.be/HKUlT70Viq8
Loved this book! The near-future world that Basu creates is terrifying but incredibly close to the possible reality that we will find ourselves in soon. A world-building and ideas book that leaves nothing to the imagination other than the semblance of a well-defined story. Regardless, this book was really good and I highly recommend it.
Loved this book! The near-future world that Basu creates is terrifying but incredibly close to the possible reality that we will find ourselves in soon. A world-building and ideas book that leaves nothing to the imagination other than the semblance of a well-defined story. Regardless, this book was really good and I highly recommend it.
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