Genetopia (Hardcover)

~ Keith Brooke (Author)
Key Phrases: clan elders, willow way, mutt trade, Clan Treco, Leaving Hill, Henritt Elkyme (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. British author Brooke's engrossing far-future parable intertwines old, old human questions: Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going? Must I go? After centuries of biotechnology gone berserk, "True" humans inhabit a land of mortal fears where a chance microbe or the changing vats of their enemies can dehumanize them forever. "Mutts," grotesque "Lost" subhumans, outwardly devote themselves to their True masters, though like pre–Civil War slaves, the mutts secretly talk of finding "Harmony," freedom from their inborn servitude. Flint, a True human, leaves his clan to find his rebellious sister, Amber, sold by their abusive father into a horrifying slavery. Though he dreads change, Flint himself passes through successive fragments of a degenerate civilization, first adopting the Lordsway of the gentle religious Riverwalkers, then becoming a "Watchman" in an army bent on purging the Lost from the world. In this impressively conceived, poignantly drawn object lesson in the implacability of mutability, Brooke (Lord of Stone) posits one constant: that only change is eternal. (Feb.)
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Review

"...taking us into worlds we never imagined,looking at the futurescape through the eyes of people a lot like us." -- Kit Reed, author of Thinner Than Thou

"Genetopia is a meditation on identity...It's also one heck of an adventure story. Snatch it up!" -- Michael Swanwick, Hugo award-winning author of Bones of the Earth

"Masterfully written, this is a parable of difference that demands to be read, and read again." -- Stephen Baxter, author of Transcendent and Evolution

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 303 pages
• Publisher: Pyr (February 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591023335
• ISBN-13: 978-1591023333
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,346,483 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars To be or not to be human..., June 18, 2006

By	Gayle Surrette "omnivorous reader" (Brandywine, Maryland) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)

Genetopia is about a dangerous world and its inhabitants. It's not a dangerous world because it's filled with monsters but because it can make a monster of anyone who touches, drinks, breathes, or walks in the wrong place. Nano- and biotechnology got into the wild a long time before our story, and True humans are doing everything they can to remain the dominant species. In this world any deviation from the norm can mark you as non-human and cost you your liberty or your life.

It's a marvelously rich book about what it means to be human and where we'll go in the future. It's also about a boy's journey into manhood and all the lessons he learns. In many ways this reminded me of Huckleberry Finn. It's a book that makes you think and that makes it a book worth reading. For the complete review see the February issue of SFRevu.com.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars superb parable disguised as a thriller, February 16, 2006

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In the ancient settlement Trecosann, Flintreco Eltarn notices by her playful flirting with the Tallyman that his younger sister by four years Amberlinetreco is on the verge of maturing into a young woman. Still he rejoices that there remains enough of the child that he grew up with.

However, during a Treco clan gala, Flint cannot find Amber; he soon concludes that she is simply gone. No one seems concerned except Flint who knows she may have decided she had enough abuse from their cruel father and left on her own accord; however more likely Flint assumes the worst that slavers abducted her thinking she is a mutt for market. Feeling nothing toward any other member except perhaps hatred of his father, Flint decides over the objection of his kin, to search for the only family member he cares about, Amber; when he finds her as expects to do he will insure her safety even if he has to battle slavers and slave owners.

The above two paragraphs are the opening gambit in a futuristic tale in which biotechnology has gotten out of control. There are a few purebred humans who are subject to being tossed into the changing vats. There are also Mutts who are slaves whispering that one day they will be free; obvious parallels to the slavery of this country add depth. This is a thought provoking science fiction story that is more a coming of age tale that condemns any "ology" or ism that cause harm. The fascinating story line contains several interesting spins. For instance ironically the audience knows up front what happened to Amber while Flint can only conjecture while he learns who he is in a world off kilter, as Amber is just the mechanism to propel the hero to begin his quest. Fans of deep thrillers will appreciate this fine parable of a man frightened by what the future holds, but sets forth anyway.

Harriet Klausner

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to read in a different way than most great books, November 23, 2009

By	Feo T. "A published author . . . or I will be... (Probably shouldn't add this) - See all my reviews

This is a good book. The author is a master of finding and using exactly the right words to convey the desired emotions, and he can create characters who're interesting, varied, well-developed, and never break character for the sake of the plot. It also has ambitions of being a great book, but it does not rely on excessive symbolism, and it leaves the soapboxing and mystical hocus-pocus to a comparative minimum. What it does instead is why I can't call it a recommendable book: it creates a possible future civilization from the ground up, introduces us to that civilization's preconceptions and stereotypes, then shows, in brutal and precise detail, exactly what comes of putting those stereotypes into action. One sequence with a masochistic slave reminds me of nothing so much as the worst sort of Japanese pornography one may stumble across by mistake online, but every hint of sexual voyeurism has been ripped away, replaced with an indictment of a strength I have only previously seen in books about the Holocaust. In short, either read through to the hopeful part, or don't read it at all.