📚 Review of... The Mindless

From Roundfire books

5 stars

As a sci-fi/dystopian fan, I liked this one a lot. Not only did the author create a satisfying story that grabbed me from the beginning to the last page, but he also made it short enough to be enjoyed as a novella, with a dense narrative and multiple thought-provoking events.

I found myself thinking that humankind has always aimed for some sort of immortality, and with technological advances, we are surrendering ourselves and our planet for what now seems small things, but in a future not very distant, these concessions that were supposed to be for our benefit become our prison.

The author raises so many issues in such a creative and well-presented way. We can see he is knowledgeable of previous works that touch the same themes of hive mind, prime directives, or androids substituting humans for work we don't want to do or to save time. But he takes it a step further.

We have a utopian New Angelica, a paradise dome that is everything the rest of the planet (destroyed) can not be anymore, but inside the New Angelica, which is already being corrupted by humans and their demands, there is a very small percentage living in Dios, controlling all. Think of Dios like the control tower of an airport, restrictive and very advanced in technology, guiding it all.

The plot changes around the 60%. What we thought Jake was doing is no longer the same story. We learn more about Dios, about Jake's late wife, about technology, and what reality is. The plot twists towards the end are complex making this novel one of those to reread and get extra info, connecting the dots, but also is enjoyable and understable as a one time read for those who like puzzle-like plots.

I recommend this book to fans of: (the following examples are my personal experience, there may be more to mention but these are the ones I experienced) Asimov, George Orwell, Westerworld, Blade Runner, movie Ex Machina, any anime that deals with androids, utopians/dystopians with machines serving humans, even games like Detroit Become Human, or Cyberpunk2077, it even will please readers of Dune in some elements and philosophy. If the reader is diving into sci-fi for the first time, this is a great techno/dystopian introduction to the genre. Also great for discussing in a book club (how far would you go playing God to have one more moment with a beloved who had passed away?)

Easy to read, flows well. The grief scenes are powerful.

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