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A World Without Men
In a world where the incubation of men is banned, a brilliant, empathetic scientist rescues an illegal man from his sadistic owner, launching a power struggle between the status quo and the agents of change.
One hundred and fifty years after the incubation of men was banned, Eleanora Duncan stumbles on a shocking secret. A Colony of lower-caste women are incubating baby boys for sale. Owning a man is the ultimate secret status symbol for the rich and powerful but also against the law, a law the elites support for ordinary members of society while exempting themselves. The Colony now has fully grown men ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
When Eleanora discovers that a man she bonded with at the Colony is suffering abuse by her owner, she comes to his aid, and spirits him to a journalist friend's mountain home several states away. Her intent is to expose the hypocrisy of the elites. When their plan backfires, her journalist friend is arrested, and she and the man are pursued by the Federal Police, igniting a power struggle that could bring down the government, and launch a civil war.
Will men once again be permitted to live openly with women, or will they be relegated to the near oblivion and slavery that awaits them in the shadows?
One hundred and fifty years after the incubation of men was banned, Eleanora Duncan stumbles on a shocking secret. A Colony of lower-caste women are incubating baby boys for sale. Owning a man is the ultimate secret status symbol for the rich and powerful but also against the law, a law the elites support for ordinary members of society while exempting themselves. The Colony now has fully grown men ready to be auctioned off to the highest bidder.
When Eleanora discovers that a man she bonded with at the Colony is suffering abuse by her owner, she comes to his aid, and spirits him to a journalist friend's mountain home several states away. Her intent is to expose the hypocrisy of the elites. When their plan backfires, her journalist friend is arrested, and she and the man are pursued by the Federal Police, igniting a power struggle that could bring down the government, and launch a civil war.
Will men once again be permitted to live openly with women, or will they be relegated to the near oblivion and slavery that awaits them in the shadows?
326 pages, Paperback
Published November 11, 2022
834 people want to read
About the author
Randall Moore
28 books69 followersRandall Moore makes Boise, Idaho, his home after living most of his life in Southern California.
He’s a rabid reader and lover of history and peppers his tales, when appropriate, with historical references and strives to make the details as historically accurate and pertinent as possible.
While he has extensive experience writing, whether it’s poetry, personal journals, newspaper articles, or advertising copywriting, he’s always had a soft spot in his heart for fiction. To that end, he began to pour all his energy into writing fiction in 2013. To this date, he has written 32 novels in varying degrees of completion. He’s self-published 17 and published another with Atmosphere Press.
For more information please visit his website at randallmoorefiction.com.
He’s a rabid reader and lover of history and peppers his tales, when appropriate, with historical references and strives to make the details as historically accurate and pertinent as possible.
While he has extensive experience writing, whether it’s poetry, personal journals, newspaper articles, or advertising copywriting, he’s always had a soft spot in his heart for fiction. To that end, he began to pour all his energy into writing fiction in 2013. To this date, he has written 32 novels in varying degrees of completion. He’s self-published 17 and published another with Atmosphere Press.
For more information please visit his website at randallmoorefiction.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 2, 2023
Could a woman ever imagine a World Without Men? That’s what I asked myself, as I sat with a new copy of the book, ready to open up the cover, smelling its fresh pages, as many readers, like me, knowing and loving that smell often do. To me, a good book smells better than a newborn baby. Well, almost. And, honestly, I couldn’t conceive of what these pages would provide me with, story wise. . In all truth, I wouldn’t want to imagine the world without anyone in it. Sex, race, ethnicity, class, creed (unless, of course, we put Trump over the fence, maybe him, and most Rep. would even agree). But, the diversity, the differences, all the unique qualities and characteristics of each individual person. I would miss all that way too much!
So, when Randall Moore presented the book, A World Without Men, I was quite curious to read it and see what it would be like. Because, don’t get me wrong, I have my hater days, I had ten years that I went hating men, swearing off relationships, during that time, forever. But, no one can live alone forever and I couldn’t live out the rest of my life without a partner. And for me, I seek and find a male cause that is what I like (and I’m cool with whatever you like as I don’t try to take anyone’s “butter” away, as long as I get mine and even then).The one thing that, over and over, I began to think while reading this book was that there is a reason, I think, for “gender roles”. As the tale started to unfold, I had that thought for the first time in my life, surprising me, the reason why sticking to some of the traditional roles we have for the sexes in a culture were illuminated, as women were all alone in the world, in Moore’s book. Or so, in the beginning, I thought. As the book went on I found out that men were still there, only hidden from most women.
When readers begin the world has been without men for 150 years, finding this all out through Eleanora Duncan, the main character of the book. Eleanora has never met a man, only been with women, and the only time she was ever to see a man, in real life, (the realest for a world without men) are in porno materials that were snuck to her by the woman who mothered her, her foster mother, passed down, woman to woman, it seems, with most of them, in the book. In the world where all women reign there is no evident history of what men looked like, the good things they did in history, the only known things about them is that they were disruptive, unproductive and basically, useless before and after sperm was created in a lab. And, because of the ability to manufacture sperm without men, women thought it best to take the men that were left in the world, put them in a sheltered place, away from the rest of the world (or only women) and let them live out their last days as the last men to ever live. At their end of days, women thought men were able to only produce pain for them, therefore what was the point of having them around anymore, as women could not solely take care of themselves? Thus, 150 years later, to Eleanora.
However, Eleanora discovers a few secrets. And, they all revolve around the fact that there are still some men in existence. But, when she learns why the men are still there, what happens to the men after they are raised by cults of poor women, then sold to the rich and successful, what do you think the women who still have men use them for? After all, during Eleanor’s first encounter with a man, he continually asked him to touch his private parts. And even though Peter is in his twenties, because of the way in which the women raise them, the way they are hidden from most society (anyone who is not an uber rich female with power does not even know about their existence), and what the men are raised to do with the woman (and who that woman chooses to share him with) who buys him, they are quite child like in their behavior. Except when it comes to sex. Really, that's all they are around to do.
And any woman caught with a man is in big trouble, if the masses were to learn of their existence. So, after Peter is sold to another woman and calls Eleanor for help, when she finds herself mixed up with a male that is no longer supposed to exist, what will be the consequences if anyone is to find out? The worst however is what can Eleanora do for Peter? It seems like there is no way for a person who is not supposed to exist, to be able to have any kind of real life. But, Eleanora and a friend try, they really do. But, as all humans want, Peter wants more than merely existing.
Because Eleanora shares Peter, her secret, with a woman she recently met. She is a reporter named Marlene. Why anyone would share a secret like that with a reporter, is beyond me. But, in a world with men, like we have, we are able to share secrets with journalists and reporters without getting killed. So, like anyone, Marlene thinks that she can present the presence of Peter with the world, shock everyone and let them know that men are still alive. However in a world ruled by women, where only the rich and powerful have men whom they can do whatever they like with and whatever they want to, why Marlene thought to share this secret is beyond me. Because when she tried to air the interview she does with Eleanora and Peter she finds herself behind bars, with no recourse, stripped of any and all rights she thought she once possessed.
For these women do not know better, they believe they have certain rights, which are only a shadow, a facade of what really it is they retain. With the way they see men treated by these powerful and rich women, Marlene and Eleanroa both should have known better. And, unfortunately, Peter wants to have some semblance of a life which can only happen when the truth is known. However, Marlene's desire to share that truth, I do not think, is motivated by the hope of Peter’s redemption, that he may receive some type of livelihood in the world, but just by the fact she is a reporter and it is a good, breaking, story. And when Matlene tries to share the truth with women of the world the three find themselves in more trouble and are about to discover if the world of women will ever live with the discovery that men are not extinct? Because, when it comes right down to it, a world with only women could never not include men and never really did. Women, in fact, at least some of them, the ones with enough money and power, wanted to have them around. But only if they had total control. And they had this control with their secret and the fact that most women did not know of their existence, which negated men to a sort of shadow slavery status.
A World Without Men is not, in fact, a true world without men. It is a world that can happen, I think, when the roles of women and men are completely reversed. Or more likely what happened in the beginning of Moore’s book, if men negated they had any role, in fact, in the world. Because it seems this book is more a book about what happens when the roles of men and women completely change, women taking over all the roles in the world and the men, at least some of them, letting that happen, doing nothing about it. While some of those men choose to fight against this, they were then defined as abusive and dangerous, giving more credence to the fact that women should just do away with them altogether. A World Without Men is a book in which women take over all the top positions in the world, where men sit back and let them take this control and then find that this was not such a good idea. Readers like me can learn that splitting power between groups that have differences is a good thing, as it seems to keep some kind of balance, however shaky that balance can be.Who would want to live in a world where, if you happen to be a man, you're not supposed to exist and, if you do, you are hidden away, anything can be done to you and anything probably will be done to you?
They say that power corrupts. And, no matter how positive and honest the motivations that are intended when something begins, when a person learns they have absolute control, why should they not be able to have and do whatever they want? Why be constrained by rules, morals and doing the right thing when you have enough power to say, “You can’t do anything about it?” You will find in life, when a person has no one looking at them, when they have a choice between doing the right thing and doing the right thing for themself, well, what happens is usually always a disappointment.
And in A World Without Men we find that the women who hold upper positions in the government (outside the presidency, which is called the office of the Premier) don’t mind hiding the fact that men are still alive, while most are still having sex with them behind the backs of the now suspecting public. And, the fact that men are still around, that many now want to bring them back into the general population (they probably want a piece, too), does not sit well with all. There begins to be talk in the government, between certain groups of women, that anything must be done to prevent men from being part of their world, they must do anything they can to stop this from happening. No matter what they have to do, how against the rules it is, how immoral that may be, let’s do it. After all, we have been hiding this secret all this time. For women who want to hide the existence of men all the while having sex with them, treating them as if they were less than human, not even a part of the world's humanity anymore, which is really only women, what can you expect? And, what do you think the end result in a world like this will be? As I have said much too much (like always) already, you're going to have to read the book, as I did. But, A World Without Men is definitely a creative, imaginative read that is worth taking the trouble to find out.
*Further, as a note, I am tickled pink that a man wrote this book. But, I don’t think another woman would go as far as to think a world in which women rule alone would be such a bad world. But, as I don’t know other women, like I do myself, always having more men as friends, being in relationships with men, I don’t know really, what I would expect from a large group of women. Something better than this, though. Hey, women could rule the world and with the wrong ones in power, I’m sure this could be a viable outcome, all things going, in the book as they did. But, I get a sneaking suspicion the author, Randall Moore, has been hurt by women in the past and has some stories he could tell others, about women, that wouldn't paint the fairer sex in the very best of light. And, though this book is not an outward bash on the female sex, per se, it does not, however, present the best results, all things considered.
After reading the book, I find myself a little angry at women and hope we could do better. But, as most people disappoint me with their outcomes, who knows? Overall though, still worth the read, if only, for the fun perspective the book gives and the warnings provided in it (at least, for me). He did dedicate the book to his wife and it seems to be a loving dedication so I believe the creative liberties taken are just a warning that no world can be good without diverse people that includes all sexes, races, cultures and people. Let’s keep 'em all!
Happy Reading!
So, when Randall Moore presented the book, A World Without Men, I was quite curious to read it and see what it would be like. Because, don’t get me wrong, I have my hater days, I had ten years that I went hating men, swearing off relationships, during that time, forever. But, no one can live alone forever and I couldn’t live out the rest of my life without a partner. And for me, I seek and find a male cause that is what I like (and I’m cool with whatever you like as I don’t try to take anyone’s “butter” away, as long as I get mine and even then).The one thing that, over and over, I began to think while reading this book was that there is a reason, I think, for “gender roles”. As the tale started to unfold, I had that thought for the first time in my life, surprising me, the reason why sticking to some of the traditional roles we have for the sexes in a culture were illuminated, as women were all alone in the world, in Moore’s book. Or so, in the beginning, I thought. As the book went on I found out that men were still there, only hidden from most women.
When readers begin the world has been without men for 150 years, finding this all out through Eleanora Duncan, the main character of the book. Eleanora has never met a man, only been with women, and the only time she was ever to see a man, in real life, (the realest for a world without men) are in porno materials that were snuck to her by the woman who mothered her, her foster mother, passed down, woman to woman, it seems, with most of them, in the book. In the world where all women reign there is no evident history of what men looked like, the good things they did in history, the only known things about them is that they were disruptive, unproductive and basically, useless before and after sperm was created in a lab. And, because of the ability to manufacture sperm without men, women thought it best to take the men that were left in the world, put them in a sheltered place, away from the rest of the world (or only women) and let them live out their last days as the last men to ever live. At their end of days, women thought men were able to only produce pain for them, therefore what was the point of having them around anymore, as women could not solely take care of themselves? Thus, 150 years later, to Eleanora.
However, Eleanora discovers a few secrets. And, they all revolve around the fact that there are still some men in existence. But, when she learns why the men are still there, what happens to the men after they are raised by cults of poor women, then sold to the rich and successful, what do you think the women who still have men use them for? After all, during Eleanor’s first encounter with a man, he continually asked him to touch his private parts. And even though Peter is in his twenties, because of the way in which the women raise them, the way they are hidden from most society (anyone who is not an uber rich female with power does not even know about their existence), and what the men are raised to do with the woman (and who that woman chooses to share him with) who buys him, they are quite child like in their behavior. Except when it comes to sex. Really, that's all they are around to do.
And any woman caught with a man is in big trouble, if the masses were to learn of their existence. So, after Peter is sold to another woman and calls Eleanor for help, when she finds herself mixed up with a male that is no longer supposed to exist, what will be the consequences if anyone is to find out? The worst however is what can Eleanora do for Peter? It seems like there is no way for a person who is not supposed to exist, to be able to have any kind of real life. But, Eleanora and a friend try, they really do. But, as all humans want, Peter wants more than merely existing.
Because Eleanora shares Peter, her secret, with a woman she recently met. She is a reporter named Marlene. Why anyone would share a secret like that with a reporter, is beyond me. But, in a world with men, like we have, we are able to share secrets with journalists and reporters without getting killed. So, like anyone, Marlene thinks that she can present the presence of Peter with the world, shock everyone and let them know that men are still alive. However in a world ruled by women, where only the rich and powerful have men whom they can do whatever they like with and whatever they want to, why Marlene thought to share this secret is beyond me. Because when she tried to air the interview she does with Eleanora and Peter she finds herself behind bars, with no recourse, stripped of any and all rights she thought she once possessed.
For these women do not know better, they believe they have certain rights, which are only a shadow, a facade of what really it is they retain. With the way they see men treated by these powerful and rich women, Marlene and Eleanroa both should have known better. And, unfortunately, Peter wants to have some semblance of a life which can only happen when the truth is known. However, Marlene's desire to share that truth, I do not think, is motivated by the hope of Peter’s redemption, that he may receive some type of livelihood in the world, but just by the fact she is a reporter and it is a good, breaking, story. And when Matlene tries to share the truth with women of the world the three find themselves in more trouble and are about to discover if the world of women will ever live with the discovery that men are not extinct? Because, when it comes right down to it, a world with only women could never not include men and never really did. Women, in fact, at least some of them, the ones with enough money and power, wanted to have them around. But only if they had total control. And they had this control with their secret and the fact that most women did not know of their existence, which negated men to a sort of shadow slavery status.
A World Without Men is not, in fact, a true world without men. It is a world that can happen, I think, when the roles of women and men are completely reversed. Or more likely what happened in the beginning of Moore’s book, if men negated they had any role, in fact, in the world. Because it seems this book is more a book about what happens when the roles of men and women completely change, women taking over all the roles in the world and the men, at least some of them, letting that happen, doing nothing about it. While some of those men choose to fight against this, they were then defined as abusive and dangerous, giving more credence to the fact that women should just do away with them altogether. A World Without Men is a book in which women take over all the top positions in the world, where men sit back and let them take this control and then find that this was not such a good idea. Readers like me can learn that splitting power between groups that have differences is a good thing, as it seems to keep some kind of balance, however shaky that balance can be.Who would want to live in a world where, if you happen to be a man, you're not supposed to exist and, if you do, you are hidden away, anything can be done to you and anything probably will be done to you?
They say that power corrupts. And, no matter how positive and honest the motivations that are intended when something begins, when a person learns they have absolute control, why should they not be able to have and do whatever they want? Why be constrained by rules, morals and doing the right thing when you have enough power to say, “You can’t do anything about it?” You will find in life, when a person has no one looking at them, when they have a choice between doing the right thing and doing the right thing for themself, well, what happens is usually always a disappointment.
And in A World Without Men we find that the women who hold upper positions in the government (outside the presidency, which is called the office of the Premier) don’t mind hiding the fact that men are still alive, while most are still having sex with them behind the backs of the now suspecting public. And, the fact that men are still around, that many now want to bring them back into the general population (they probably want a piece, too), does not sit well with all. There begins to be talk in the government, between certain groups of women, that anything must be done to prevent men from being part of their world, they must do anything they can to stop this from happening. No matter what they have to do, how against the rules it is, how immoral that may be, let’s do it. After all, we have been hiding this secret all this time. For women who want to hide the existence of men all the while having sex with them, treating them as if they were less than human, not even a part of the world's humanity anymore, which is really only women, what can you expect? And, what do you think the end result in a world like this will be? As I have said much too much (like always) already, you're going to have to read the book, as I did. But, A World Without Men is definitely a creative, imaginative read that is worth taking the trouble to find out.
*Further, as a note, I am tickled pink that a man wrote this book. But, I don’t think another woman would go as far as to think a world in which women rule alone would be such a bad world. But, as I don’t know other women, like I do myself, always having more men as friends, being in relationships with men, I don’t know really, what I would expect from a large group of women. Something better than this, though. Hey, women could rule the world and with the wrong ones in power, I’m sure this could be a viable outcome, all things going, in the book as they did. But, I get a sneaking suspicion the author, Randall Moore, has been hurt by women in the past and has some stories he could tell others, about women, that wouldn't paint the fairer sex in the very best of light. And, though this book is not an outward bash on the female sex, per se, it does not, however, present the best results, all things considered.
After reading the book, I find myself a little angry at women and hope we could do better. But, as most people disappoint me with their outcomes, who knows? Overall though, still worth the read, if only, for the fun perspective the book gives and the warnings provided in it (at least, for me). He did dedicate the book to his wife and it seems to be a loving dedication so I believe the creative liberties taken are just a warning that no world can be good without diverse people that includes all sexes, races, cultures and people. Let’s keep 'em all!
Happy Reading!
October 26, 2022
The author takes one of those glib statements we throw around – things like “women should rule the world” or “the world would be a better place without xyz” – runs with it and presents us with an alternative future in which men have been banned for one hundred and fifty years. The women in the story have indeed created what looks, at least superficially, like a fairly ideal place to live, but we soon see them chafing at laws and rules which arbitrarily put individuals in positions where they are little more than cogs serving society. When it becomes known that men aren’t extinct after all, we also see power struggles and underhandedness. Some think reassessing the status quo is timely; others react in ways all too familiar in our dysfunctional, modern world: there’s violence, backstabbing and extreme corruption. It turns out that not all women are such gentle and fair leaders, after all. A World Without Men is part sci-fi and part societal commentary and is definitely a conversation starter about how far we as a species can/should allow any particular pendulum to swing and how far discourse will get an evolved society.
May 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 1, 2022
This was a well resolved dystopia in one book, but it was a book about a world of women written by a man, and I think something was lost in the middle, let me break down what I mean, I am a sucker for dystopias where one of the genders rule, but many things were amiss in this one, usually in this kind of dystopias, or people go really far away from the idea of god or they embrace it, I don’t really thing a society that thinks that is far and just to commit infanticide until the age of 5 is a society that dwells near a god, but the president in her orders and talking with people say things like god speed, go with god and things of the like… hypocrisy, without realizing that is hypocrisy… besides, there is no mention of god or religion in here, the women do what gives them pleasure, there’s a part in here eleanora just walks around without a top, because she decided that she would do that, and no one bats an eye, even the table server cheers on her, and that is weird, that brings me to another point, there’s a weird approach to sex in this book. Women in this book are just men in disguise, I didn’t feel as women were well represented, and I do know that feminazis do exist, but I think that doesn’t define us all…
The book starts with Eleanora discovering that men are not that extinct as she thought they were, well and that is only the tip of the iceberg, peter the man in this story, is as soft as a kitty and heroic as Hercules and perfect as a dragqueen as soon as he loses his beard, but around the middle of the book Eleanora and Peter stop being the main characters and kind of disappear and a coup of stat takes places and the book starts to become a thriller and things start to happen non stop until the ending…
I did like the premise of the book, and I gave it a chance, I just think it didn’t deliver all that had promised in the synopsis, is still a good entertaining book, but I wish it had stayed with the main characters instead of getting all over the place with the coup.
Thank you NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
The book starts with Eleanora discovering that men are not that extinct as she thought they were, well and that is only the tip of the iceberg, peter the man in this story, is as soft as a kitty and heroic as Hercules and perfect as a dragqueen as soon as he loses his beard, but around the middle of the book Eleanora and Peter stop being the main characters and kind of disappear and a coup of stat takes places and the book starts to become a thriller and things start to happen non stop until the ending…
I did like the premise of the book, and I gave it a chance, I just think it didn’t deliver all that had promised in the synopsis, is still a good entertaining book, but I wish it had stayed with the main characters instead of getting all over the place with the coup.
Thank you NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for the free ARC and this is my honest opinion.
November 27, 2022
This is such a great read! it is a world run by women and like most influential people they want what others don’t have and in this world it’s men. When you make the rules son also think they can break them and then a world without men not only are your rights to give birth taken away but the ability to choose how you want to live your life is also taken in this book it is a great example of how well the population does without men. They still have infighting at the top level on down. The have political rivalries and when you’re the only man brought up to the surface and years there’s going to be a little cross dressing I loved Peter and love the story. I did like every important name being a females though that was such a boon to my spirit and I highly recommend this book it was such a good book and although it’s a concept that has been done before I have never read one so original and so absolutely interesting. This is a total five star read it is definitely one I will be reading again in the future. I’ve received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
November 22, 2024
This book had so much potential. Sadly, the characters were given absolutely zero personality. It was difficult to differentiate between the women because they all sounded like robots and all seemed to be happy with casual relationships. I would be very interested if someone else wanted to try this idea again and actually give some depth to the characters or scenery because this was not it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews