2184

by Martin Parish

In a future where science has accelerated human evolution, humankind diverges into two separate a genetically enhanced "super race" and ordinary humans or Mongrels. Decades of discrimination lead to a brutal war that ends with the super race in full control; the Mongrels, defeated and subservient, secretly yearn for revenge. Both sides are aware, however, that a renewed struggle can ultimately have only one extinction.

Mark Henshaw is a Mongrel living in London. Arrested for an infraction, he's deported to a labor camp, where a dying inmate entrusts him with details of a plot to topple the regime. Now Mark has a keep his life and rejoin the girl he loves – or carry out a plot that could ignite a hellish new war. And with rumors spreading that the government is planning genocide against the Mongrel population, he's running out of time to make up his mind...

Genres: Science Fiction, Dystopia, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 10, 2010

Reviews

[Anissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of those stories where you follow the protagonist from one thing to another & when you reach the end of your journey, you wonder if you've been caught in an allegory all along. I never much connected to Mark Henshaw & that's rather sad as he narrates this tale. I didn't feel much for him or his plight & ultimately, I just wanted to get on to Marengo (because that was the point of a this whole trip, or so I thought). I honestly didn't understand why in the world in which he lived, he was so sure his girlfriend would be living in the same place after the almost five months he was gone. I mean, he was picked up on a weak charge & spirited away to work a garbage dump. With that kind of randomness in life, there's no real stability & sure thing, people adapt as they go along. Anyway, there's so much meandering on the way back to London (maybe 40%+ of the story) that it felt as though there wasn't much story the author had to tell about that & instead used a lot of window dressing. I wanted to care when Mark sought to reunite with Becky but all I felt was that I'd rather watch Kamal reunited with his cat. And when it goes the way it does, I was cynically gleeful & didn't feel badly for Mark's misfortune. I did see the Maggie set up from a mile away though. Still, I liked that part in the end & found it satisfying.

I was very interested in the Mods but as the story is told in the first person POV, there's virtually nothing deep that we're given. The information we get is all broad strokes & told in tones that I found so colorless, they didn't inspire the claustrophobic doom & utter sympathy, I was sure I was supposed to feel for the Mongrels. The best descriptions of the Mods & how they came to power reminded me so much of Gattaca, that I had to re-read them & i enjoyed that. Kamal was interesting a character to follow, Becky was never wholly real for me & I still wonder why Abel was late getting home in the beginning. As Shelley's main purpose never took hold (& was ostensibly the driver of the story here) & the final rationalization was that her twenty years of research & work to strike a blow at the Mods was nothing more than the folly of an insane person who should have accepted humanity's fate, I find her the character I was most interested in & sympathetic to.

I found the last chapter to be the very best of the whole story & given that, wish the author had been able to convey such a tight story throughout. Overall, the whole was okay but I have to admit that in the end, I'm rather indifferent. It wasn't the greatest or the worst. Just sort of quietly & solidly in the middle. Possibly, that was the lesson.

[Jeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very dystopian future

It is not coincidence that is 2184, maybe a tribute to 1984. I didn’t like it, not because it’s bad. It’s actually a very good book but it’s so sad, so disheartening that you won’t like it.

No major catastrophes. In fact the main character is an antihero. Selfish and stupid, and you will share his misadventures. Without giving any spoilers, you won’t see any altruism. A poetic ending.

[Michelle Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the year 2184, humans come in two varieties: the genetically modified version (the Mods), and the ordinary, run of the mill variety (the Mongrels). The Mods, who are smarter and stronger than the Mongrels, have taken over as the dominant species on the planet and treat their genetic inferiors like work animals, keeping them under a harsh regime that dictates everything they do.

The novel 2184 starts off strong. When the main character Mark Henshaw, a Mongrel, is arrested for breaking curfew, he's sent to a forced labor camp where he must fight to survive. While he’s there, he’s given information that could potentially bring down the Mods's empire. After a daring escape (which is very gripping to read), Mark and a new friend, Kahmal, travel back to London to try to put the outrageous plan into action.

And that’s where the story dies.

One of the best things about this book is that it operates on more than one level. Not only does it tell the story of Mark’s capture and escape, but it delves deeply into the nature of gods and men. It explores what it means to be human as well as super-human, and it reaches some very interesting conclusions.

The problem is that all of this theory and philosophy hijacks the story. Pages and pages of lengthy conversations weigh down the action. So much so, that after the prison escape, it seems that the author is just wasting time until the final sequence (which, by the way, is very good.)

The book would have been better served if some of the conversation and needless details (such as the ten pages spent on explaining how the protagonist loaded a barge) were pared down in order to keep the story moving.

Although 2184 has a unique premise, readers will likely skip over quite a bit in order to get to the good parts.

[J.M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the author's style and wanted to like this book more than I did, but I felt the ending was a letdown. Mark dwells so much on the two things that, in the end, he doesn't get. WTF? How is that a satisfactory ending?

[Teresa Vogt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detained for no real crime sent to a horrid work camp, does he come out a better man or full of rage to fight back?

This review is from: 2184 (Kindle Edition)

Mark trying to get home before dark, doesn't make it. In fact he is imprisoned and placed in a work camp. You see Mark is just a Human, not a Mod, Modified Human he doesn't have the extra DNA that makes Moods the basic rulers of Mankind. His escape and fight to get to a virus that could destroy the Mods is filled with danger. Humans are a dying breed after all, disposable. Mark is trying to get back to his girl, they have been together almost two years and now 4 months of work camp, escape and evade he is close to being home. The virus he's told about that will wipe out the Mods? Will he unleash it? Get back at them? Will Becky be welcoming him home a hero? Does his life have meaning? Those answers and more await you in the pages of this thought provoking book, and they may surprise you, they did me. Martin Parish makes you look inward and much as outward in this futuristic tale of perseverance, and makes you think twice what would you do?

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like 1984, except a couple of hundred years in the future from now, once again we have a majority of suppressed humans living under the rule of a totalitarian, elite society, except in this book, the superior rulers are genetically enhanced humans who have evolved into a new species that only keep us "mongrels" around for work. A strong start but the writing is pretty amateurish and often redundant. Why do I keep reading books like this?

I have now finished the book and changed my rating to a 3. It ended up getting quite compelling, and the story went in an unexpected direction that I thought was very creative and interesting. I also felt extremely connected to the main character by the end. Finally, it was a great ending. I won't spoil it by talking too much about it, but the author, again, did not take any obvious routes to tie things up, and the realism of how it ended was not only heart-breaking but satisfying and hopeful.

[Danielle Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

While looking for a book on my Kindle that seemed unique and intriguing, I found this one. I got exactly what I was looking for. There are some books that I read when I have the time. This was one of those books where I made the time to read it. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. In a future world where there are genetically enhanced humans who treat regular humans as inferior, the main character is given an opportunity to fight back against the advanced race. He is just an ordinary human who was unjustly sent to a labor camp for committing a minor crime, but now he feels he must do something in order to protect other humans. Although I was disappointed by how everything turned out, I appreciate that it was truly unexpected and more realistic than most stories (even though it is sci-fi). Overall, I highly enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

[Jennifer Garoutte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book very flat, colorless, & unemotional. I couldn't connect with the characters. Most of the peripheral characters where as memorable as the person you passed by at the grocery store. You can't remember any details about them because there are no details given. The main character talks about being in love or angry, but there really isn't a sense of it. I couldn't feel anything for any of the characters because it was written in the first person and the main character seems unemotional and detached. The plot was interesting enough that I read it through to see what he would do, but in the end, I found his decision and the reasons for it as uninteresting and unconvincing as the character himself.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot has already been said in the reviews about the plot. But as you'd expect from the title it's a dystopian tale very much in the vein of 1984. However, in this case the fall of human (mongrel) society is rooted in technology and very much of its own making. Don't expect a high paced action romp because it's more a tale about survival, hard choices and coping with adversity. As with 1984 the resolution is less than cheerful, but thought provoking. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

[Brenda Fryland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely enjoyed this book. Interesting premise, loved all the internal thought. It was action packed in places, but didn't keep up the pace -- and I didn't mind that at all! I'd love to see the author add depth to the characters and step up the language. I really appreciate word choice and descriptive passages. I'd read another book by this author!

[Jill Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I thought it was interesting with a realistic ending. Not your typical hero storry...also not a happily ever after ending.
There was some redundantcy...but overall I really liked it.
Very interesting concept.

[Dustin Byer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read. It was the first Kindle "Single" I have read and really appreciated the pacing of the shorter format.

2184 was able to get to me to stop and think, which I always enjoy, but I felt it fell flat at the end.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I seem to have a love of future earth stories. This one is a bit disheartening, as it deals with the end of homo sapiens and the advent of homo excelens. A fun read, even if I wished for a different outcome.

[Al Blackwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a pretty good book. Some of the elements. We're a bit tedious but the story was engaging. If you like "what if the world went to hell in a hand basket and I could do something about it" stories you will find this interesting.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best, not the worst, I actually read the entire thing. An interesting what if world and the evolution of man. Not sure if things would roll out the same way, but shrug that is what fiction is all about. The possible outcomes of future outcomes.

[Johnna Cornett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dystopian, different, British

[Daron Yondem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Somehow I just found myself stuck in the story, I could not stop reading. I can't really say the book or the story was amazing from a science fiction perspective but it was suspenseful.

[Heather Hartling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was an enjoyable read. While it's not perfect, it's worth the $1.99.

[Matt Rutherford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad. Thoughtful. Dystopia of genetically enhanced ruling the old-style humans. I like what lay people imagine the capabilities of science/scientists include.

[Fiona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good overall...

Love that the ending was so.................




You will have to read it to see what I mean

[G.F. Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Dystopic read. I enjoyed this one very much!

G. F. Smith
www.gfsmithbooks.com

[Sarah Carlson · Rating 2 out of 5]

what a bad ending...

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not super impressed overall. An okay post-apocalyptic story.