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Magenta: A Novel
Two powerful tech trillionaires have come to a crossroads. One intends to go through with their plan to destroy the global network they created to control the human race; the other intends to betray her.
But she has hidden the power to turn it all off with one person who will decide the world's fate - unless their machine can find that person first. And that person doesn't know...
An Orwellian thriller of ideas on the verge of being cancelled, ripped from today's headlines as humanity hurtles toward a future where any dissent will be branded... MAGENTA.
But she has hidden the power to turn it all off with one person who will decide the world's fate - unless their machine can find that person first. And that person doesn't know...
An Orwellian thriller of ideas on the verge of being cancelled, ripped from today's headlines as humanity hurtles toward a future where any dissent will be branded... MAGENTA.
413 pages, Paperback
First published June 13, 2021
24 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Warren Fahy
15 books237 followersNew York Times best selling author of Fragment and the sequel, Pandemonium, and his just-released thriller of ideas in a high tech future, Magenta. Warren Fahy was previously a manager of a bookstore, wrote essays for royalty attending college, designed Internet movie databases for 5 companies, lead writer on Rock Star Games' Red Dead Revolver, helped coin the word "mullet" as a hairstyle for the Beastie Boys, and wrote comedy for robots in Hong Kong. His debut novel, Fragment, was nominated for an International Thriller Award and a BSFA, and is published in 18 languages. (The final book in the Fragment trilogy, SYMBIONT, is under way.)
FANGORIA on FRAGMENT: "I haven't had this much fun reading a science/adventure thriller since Jurassic Park. For the last half I was frozen in place -- I couldn't move, couldn't talk. I even teared up a couple of times in pure joy. It took hours for the adrenaline to wear off."
JAMES ROLLINS on PANDEMONIUM: "PANDEMONIUM is pure genius, an otherworldly wonder as creative as the best of Jules Verne. Here is riveting scientific speculation paired with bravado storytelling."
Author's website (www.warrenfahy.com)
FANGORIA on FRAGMENT: "I haven't had this much fun reading a science/adventure thriller since Jurassic Park. For the last half I was frozen in place -- I couldn't move, couldn't talk. I even teared up a couple of times in pure joy. It took hours for the adrenaline to wear off."
JAMES ROLLINS on PANDEMONIUM: "PANDEMONIUM is pure genius, an otherworldly wonder as creative as the best of Jules Verne. Here is riveting scientific speculation paired with bravado storytelling."
Author's website (www.warrenfahy.com)
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 7, 2021
“If there is no choice, … Free Will is obsolete.”
They used to call this place America.
What would it look like if action and thought were monitored and controlled through technology, force, and social pressure? Pretty much like Magenta.
In reading Magenta, it was easy to think of Orwell's 1984 and several of Ayn Rand's works including Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. There is powerful anti-individualism at work, and we're experiencing some of it now.
They used to call this place America.
What would it look like if action and thought were monitored and controlled through technology, force, and social pressure? Pretty much like Magenta.
In reading Magenta, it was easy to think of Orwell's 1984 and several of Ayn Rand's works including Anthem, The Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged. There is powerful anti-individualism at work, and we're experiencing some of it now.
September 11, 2022
I've read several of the author's books and have not been disappointed. This one moved at a good clip yet there were plenty of times when I stopped to reread a sentence or passage that I really enjoyed. This makes me a slower reader than most but I want to be fully immersed - that's why I set my yearly book goal low. There were some gems in this book - some made me laugh they were so clever. If you're looking for something fairly quick and full of entertainment but also want something that makes you think, then this is it.
January 1, 2026
Three-plus stars…
With a reasonable ending, I would have given this book four stars. The story is well told and interesting so I offer three-plus stars because the ending fell flat for me.
Having read and enjoyed Fragment 15 years ago and getting around to Pandemonium only recently, I felt comfortable heading into Warren Fahy's dystopian work here. Magenta is a look at a world, and more specifically an America, that is under the control of a medium, which started as social media but became media run amuck, that holds all accountable to a legal and moral - yes, those are pretty clearly antithetical yet alarmingly possible - code which rewards likeness. That is terrifying!
The book's first section lays the groundwork about the technology, the main characters, what the tech does, and how it became so powerful. Section two drills in on the characters who will be a part of what the technology will or will not become. The third and final section then leads to the tale's conclusion.
The book is well written, and the information being shared slowly leads to an eagerly anticipated end. Sections one and two provide a detailed structure upon which the story's conclusion can be cemented. The book is believable, scarily enough, considering what is happening in this country as I read this story. Tech billionaires certainly have a lot of control in the America we call home. Unfortunately, this dystopian tale disintegrated in the final ten pages.
In this genre, it's all right - hell, it's expected - to have an ending that isn't bright and shiny. And so here, in the final pages, my feelings about the book took a nose-dive. The end of a cautionary tale should exemplify the reason for caution, not offer a conclusion stating that 'everything works out.’ And considering that 97% of the story I read was concerning, why did the last 3% need to make everything somehow acceptable? Based on everything told throughout the book, can human nature turn so quickly after being so messed up for so long? The answer for me is a big ol' NO. Why did the cheesy ending come?! It's a dystopian tale!
I do enjoy Mr. Fahy's work, and I will continue reading all he publishes. I'll move on to The Kor, a short story, when I’m ready for the topic and genre.
With a reasonable ending, I would have given this book four stars. The story is well told and interesting so I offer three-plus stars because the ending fell flat for me.
Having read and enjoyed Fragment 15 years ago and getting around to Pandemonium only recently, I felt comfortable heading into Warren Fahy's dystopian work here. Magenta is a look at a world, and more specifically an America, that is under the control of a medium, which started as social media but became media run amuck, that holds all accountable to a legal and moral - yes, those are pretty clearly antithetical yet alarmingly possible - code which rewards likeness. That is terrifying!
The book's first section lays the groundwork about the technology, the main characters, what the tech does, and how it became so powerful. Section two drills in on the characters who will be a part of what the technology will or will not become. The third and final section then leads to the tale's conclusion.
The book is well written, and the information being shared slowly leads to an eagerly anticipated end. Sections one and two provide a detailed structure upon which the story's conclusion can be cemented. The book is believable, scarily enough, considering what is happening in this country as I read this story. Tech billionaires certainly have a lot of control in the America we call home. Unfortunately, this dystopian tale disintegrated in the final ten pages.
In this genre, it's all right - hell, it's expected - to have an ending that isn't bright and shiny. And so here, in the final pages, my feelings about the book took a nose-dive. The end of a cautionary tale should exemplify the reason for caution, not offer a conclusion stating that 'everything works out.’ And considering that 97% of the story I read was concerning, why did the last 3% need to make everything somehow acceptable? Based on everything told throughout the book, can human nature turn so quickly after being so messed up for so long? The answer for me is a big ol' NO. Why did the cheesy ending come?! It's a dystopian tale!
I do enjoy Mr. Fahy's work, and I will continue reading all he publishes. I'll move on to The Kor, a short story, when I’m ready for the topic and genre.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 25, 2025
A dark novel that paints what life would be like under strict social scores imposed by technology. Magenta is the color of your badge when you are not on the "right" path or hold the right views. It is actually pretty depressing what little power you have in these systems - other than your ability to think, hope, and believe.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews