Utopia: A Thriller (Hardcover)

by Lincoln Child (Author) "FROM ITS JUMPING-OFF place at Charleston Boulevard, above the Last Vegas Strip, Rancho Drive makes a casual bend to the left and heads straight for..." (more)
Key Phrases: recovery bay, delivery chamber, safety dogs, John Doe, Sarah Boatwright, Hard Place (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
It takes a lot of chutzpah to give your novel the same title as one of the most famous novels in the history of English-language literature, even if the original novel didn't spawn a literary field or two (utopian and dystopian fiction) or become an everyday term for the perfect place to live on Earth. Yet there's a postmodern appropriateness to applying the title Utopia to a novel set in a theme park that uses cutting-edge technology to create Earth's most desirable fantasy place to visit. Like Westworld and Jurassic Park, Lincoln Child's Utopia is a near-future theme-park thriller, and like Michael Crichton, Child delivers an abundance of white-knuckle thrills, chills, and shocks.

Despite its remote location in the Nevada desert, the Utopia theme park receives 65,000 visitors daily. They never dream their lives may be in any real danger. However, some of the self-programming robots are becoming erratic, so park administrators quietly bring the robots' brilliant creator from the East Coast to fix the problem before it gets any worse. Dr. Andrew Warne brings his daughter, for he doesn't believe there is anything wrong with his creations. But on the day of their arrival, a mysterious band of ruthless criminals infiltrates not only the park, but its computerized systems. The unknown terrorists appear to control everything, from the simplest robot to the most dangerous ride. And if their demands aren't met, thousands of innocent park-goers will be killed. --Cynthia Ward

From Publishers Weekly
A fantastic near-future amusement park is the setting for this techno-thriller by Child (coauthor with Douglas Preston of the Preston/Child bestsellers) in his first solo outing. Utopia, a Nevada amusement park extraordinaire, features several elaborate holographic theme worlds (like Camelot and Gaslight, which meticulously recreates Victorian England), all run by an ultrasophisticated computer system and serviced by robots. When a series of fluke accidents culminates in the near death of a boy on a Gaslight roller coaster, the Utopia brain trust calls in the original computer engineer, Dr. Andrew Warne. Warne arrives with his bristly 14-year-old daughter, Georgia, and sets to work solving the Gaslight problem, though he can't believe that the system is willfully malfunctioning, as the evidence seems to indicate. To complicate matters, Utopia's manager, Sarah Boatwright, is Warne's ex-girlfriend, and an obvious mutual attraction exists between Warne and Utopia systems controller Teresa Bonifacio. Just as Warne gets to work, violent attacks erupt all over the park, masterminded by an impassive psychopath known as John Doe and carried out by his cadre of henchmen, including a computer genius and a crack marksman. For three hours, Doe holds the park hostage, and Warne, Boatwright and Bonifacio race against the clock to foil his plans. Child creates a convincingly self-contained world, populated by amusing creations like a cyber-dog called Wingnut and clever descriptions of futuristic amusement park rides. Sluggish prose and an overload of technical detail slow the pace, but Child proves he is capable of fireworks (literally) at the rousing conclusion.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1St Edition edition (December 24, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385506686
• ISBN-13: 978-0385506687
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (95 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #456,480 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent solo debut, January 2, 2003

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

After seven great novels (and one in the can) with Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child decided to stretch his legs as a solo writer with "Utopia". As a long time fan of the two, I couldn't have been more impressed with the result. Like his collaborative efforts, "Utopia" offers a genuinely original story wrapped up in all kinds of neat technology. What makes "Utopia" shine, though, is the excellent back-story and the superb characters.

"Utopia" is set in an amusement park of the same name, but this isn't just any amusement park. It is an enormous glass dome in the middle of the Nevada desert. Inside, one can find astonishingly realistic recreations of Victorian England, a turn of the Century American seaside boardwalk, Camelot and a futuristic spaceport (and, Atlantis: Coming Soon!). Of course each area includes the most fantastic rides one can imagine, as well as restaurants, live shows, reasonably priced forty dollar t-shirts and...casinos. Moreover, Utopia is the owner of hundreds of patents relating to holograms , robotics and computing.

As one might imagine, all of this money and technology makes for a tempting target, and right on cue, John Doe appears to insert chaos into this little piece of paradise. At the same time, Andrew Warne, the creator of the park's robots, arrives to troubleshoot some strange problems that have been occurring (with daughter in tow). As mayhem breaks loose in the park, Warne struggles to decipher Doe's plan, and stop him before it's too late.

The story is unlike anything I have ever encountered before; a rare unique effort in a world of rehashed ideas. But it was the characters that impressed me the most. In addition to capturing their current concerns and fears beautifully, Child is constantly dropping little hints about their pasts: where they came from, what they do, who they love, etc. At the same time, he never let's himself get distracted; he doesn't diverge from the story, but rather inserts little asides to flesh out the characters without delving into reams of details. He is particularly successful with John Doe in this regard, and the result is a compelling, but mysterious character.

"Utopia" is a fast paced thriller with a lot of heart. Wrapped in a high-tech wonderland, there are characters with believable, rich lives. The pacing, structure and use of language are all likewise excellent. I have to admit, having been a long time fan of Child's joint work, I was concerned about his decision to go solo. I needn't have been, as "Utopia" is an excellent novel by any measure. Now I just have to wait eagerly for Preston's solo effort later this year!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's "Die Hard" in a theme park!, January 1, 2003

By	Dawn L. Kolakoski (Albany, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Fans of popular writing duo Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child will not be disappointed with Mr. Child's first solo attempt. The futuristic theme park "Utopia" is attacked by terrorists who have infiltrated the intricate robotic, holographic, and computerized infrastructure of the park. Roller coaster riders' worst fears come true in the exciting opening chapter that draws the reader into this imaginary world. Mr. Child's inticate imagination comes alive in his detailed descriptions of Utopia's four worlds--Gaslight, Camelot, Callisto, and Boardwalk. You'll find yourself wanting to book a flight to Las Vegas to drive out into the desert and visit "Utopia" as it all seems so real. In a break-neck pace, Child takes us through a day of terror as the heroes of the story, Dr. Andrew Warne, engineer of the park's robotics, Angus Poole, an ex-military specialist visiting the park with his family, and "Wingnut", a robotic dog all race to save the park from destruction. If you enjoy "edge-of-your-seat" thrillers and sleepless nights, this book is for you. Readers who enjoyed this book should also try these other Preston/Child best sellers: The Cabinet of the Curiosities, Riptide, The Ice Limit, Thunderhead, The Relic, and Mount Dragon. Utopia certainly stands tall amongst its companions. I've already pre-ordered my copy of Preston/Child's "Still Life With Crows" (scheduled for release July 2003) simply based on the strengh of Utopia and these other novels. Enjoy!

17 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, February 3, 2003

By	Eileen Rieback (Coral Springs, FL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

If you are in the mood for a fast, fun piece of escapist fiction, then "Utopia" is the book for you. Start with a futuristic theme park on a scale with Westworld or Jurassic park, where historic realism mingles with next generation robotics and holography. Add a string of mysterious problems with park robots and rides. Then throw in a techno-savvy band of terrorists that threaten the lives of the park's 65,000 attendees. The result is an edge-of-your-seat thriller that has future movie written all over it.

Lincoln Child has produced an admirable solo effort in depicting the four fantastic worlds of Utopia and their systematic sabotage. He deftly mixes fast-paced action, a peek behind the scenes of a large theme park, a colorful cast of characters, and some comic relief through a lovable robot pet named Wingnut. Unlike many thrillers in the recent past, this one has a satisfying ending that left me smiling.