Rating: 
Summary: One of the best reads I've had in awhile...
Review: Because I can't stand to travel without reading material, I had to stop at the Orlando airport before the flight back to Portland and find a paperback "just in case" I ran out of books. I ran across Utopia by Lincoln Child. Great surprise, and one of the best reads I've had in quite some time.The story line revolves around a terror threat in a high-tech amusement park (yes, you can easily imagine Disney here). A small band of terrorists have rigged a number of "surprises" in the park in order to make a large monetary heist and to get some proprietary software involving the holographic attractions. An outside specialist there to work with the robotic network gets wrapped up in trying to stop the killings, one of which could be him or his daughter there with him. When it becomes clear that an employee of the park must be part of the team, no one is sure who to trust any more. Since I'm a Disney fan, I loved the setting of the theme park. The plot line of the terror threats is carried out well, and the pace is just about perfect. It's a longer paperback (434 pages), and it took me longer to read than many books of late. It could be because I was actually savoring the read and trying to make it last. If you get the chance to read this one, do so.
Rating: 
Summary: Fast paced
Review: I am a huge fan of the Preston/Child collaborations. Utopia is the first solo effort I have read. Others have detailed the plot line, so I'll just give you my thoughts. This book is fast paced, but it lacks the suspense books like Relic possess. I loved the theme park setting. And the concept for that park is breath-taking, but I felt it was under-utilized. The park is so clever that dozens of twists and turns leap to mind that could have added suspense to this novel. The plot is predictable and you know who the bad guy is almost immediately. My other complaint with the story is the lack of fleshing out John Doe. I kept wanting it to be Eric Nightingale come for revenge on the commercialization of his dream, but we never get a good look at who John Doe is. All this being said, I still recommend this book as a fast paced and fun read, but I much prefer the Lincoln/Child colaborations. If you haven't read any of them pick up Relic and Reliquary or Cabunet of Curiousities first.
Rating:
Summary: An egrossing read, certainly a master of the thriller
Review: I have just finished reading Utopia - and, as a fan of the Preston and Child duo, I feel that this beats certain favourites including Relic ! The story is well thought out, although I was worried it was going to be another "westworld" - but it certainly isn't anything like it. As a fan of theme park mechanics I am amazed how much research Lincoln Child put into this. I have to complain that the depthness of the main characters are not as good as when he teams with Doug - but its certainly not important as the story takes you along a rollercoaster thrill ride (excuse the pun) from page to page ! Just like all of the Preston/Child books - you get half way through, second guessing what is about to happen, and confused at the remaining hundred pages or so ! But suddenly, the story twists and you're immediately back in the plot, running through a fantasy world of intrigue and close disasters ! Lincoln Child is writing a second book - yet he still co-writes with Douglas Preston - at the rate they are starting to churn out these awesome stories, my only hope is that the quality remains and continues to keep me in suspense !
Rating:
Summary: Cheap Thrills
Review: I'm a big fan of the Preston/Child writing team - Relic, The Cabinet of Curiosities, Still Life with Crows, Mount Dragon, Riptide, etc. - all great examples of rapid-paced modern fiction with enough research and technical detail to make them believable. This was my first read of Child going solo, and while perhaps not up to the standards of the duo, "Utopia" will certainly not disappoint. Set in Utopia, a futuristic theme park under a massive dome in the Nevada dessert, our unlikely hero, Dr. Andrew Warne, is a robotics designer and former professor from Carnegie Mellon. Summoned to Utopia to help solve apparent bugs in the extraordinary advanced and complex systems network he has created, Warne soon finds himself caught up in a terrorist plot in which the park's 65,000 visitors are unknowing hostages. There is nothing special or endearing in the characters - no "special agent Pendergasts" in this Child installment - though "Utopia" has more than its fill of suspense and adrenalin, and the right balance of technology between credibility and tedium. But while reading "Utopia", it is impossible not to recall "Die Hard" - the impossibly urbane chief villain, the accidental hero, the sinister scheme a mere diversion to the ultimate objective, the peril in which the protagonist's loved ones are placed. While this is not necessarily a bad thing, the familiarity of the plot and predictability of the ending prevent Utopia from earning a four or five star rating. Notwithstanding, this is an entertaining thriller, and a fascinating glimpse into the complex behind-the-scenes operations of a major theme park. It is quite evident that Child likely spent considerable time in the Disney World underground as preparation for Utopia. Preston/Child fans will find this comfortable ground, while the uninitiated can expect in "Utopia" a journey right up there with some of Michael Crichton's better techno-thrillers.
Rating:
Summary: A lovely, lovely book. - Amy S.
Review: Overall, I though Utopia was a good book. It was full of action and once the adventure started, it never slowed down. If you have not read the book, it's about a man named Andrew Warne. He built a computer program for a theme park called Utopia at the request of Eric Nightingale. Now they want him to take it offline, because they think it's creating problems with the robots it controls. For example, the robots are doing things to the rides that they shouldn't be doing, like loosening bolts on the rides instead of tightening them. But what if it's not the Metanet's fault? What if it's an outside party? And prepare for complications, because Dr. Warne's only daughter, Georgia, is somewhere in the park. Warne has to decide whether to go find her, or help save the park.
This book is very memorable, because it's about a theme park. I've never read a book about a theme park. Kids love theme parks, as do I. This theme park is made up of all kinds of attractions from all different worlds, time periods, and ideas, for example Callisto and Camelot. I think that it would be very interesting to go to one of these worlds, because I didn't live in any of the time periods, and it would be awsome to see how life was like.
This book talked about theme park terrorism. I wasn't expecting that, but there it was anyway. Groups of people being led by John Doe were holding Utopia hostage in order to get the exact computer program that the Metanet runs on for their own uses. They would kill people, and destroy the park if anyone, basically Sarah, changed anything to do with their plan. They were ruthless.
I agree with the author's idea of nurturing love, and platonic love. I'm glad that Dr. Warne and Sarah Boatwright had broken up before the story began, or else it would have made an already complicated story more complicated. My favorite part of the story is that it all took place in less than twelve hours, which explains why it was fast paced. Sarah, Warne, and anyone else on their team had to fix this before the park closed, the armored security car came to take away the terrorists. Basically the whole book is a race against time.
This book is sort of like what's going on in our country now. We are fighting against terrorism, just like the Utopia park officials. We both want to keep terrorism out.
I really liked this book. It always kept me guessing, and there was a twist, as it turned, out there was an inside agent. I figured that there would be, but who it was totally surprised me. I don't think anyone could have guessed who it was. The whole book was like that. You never knew what was going to happen next, what kind of crazy stunt either side would pull to get their job done. That's what made it good. You never knew what was coming. You had to keep guessing and very often you were wrong. It was a very good book, in the whole.
Rating:
Summary: Lovely, positively lovely, fast paced and adventurous.
Review: Utopia
By Lincoln Child
Theme- love, terror Overall, I though Utopia was a good book. It was full of action and once the adventure started, it never slowed down. If you have not read the book, it's about a man named Andrew Warne. He built a computer program for a theme park called Utopia at the request of Eric Nightingale. Now they want him to take it offline, because they think it's creating problems with the robots it controls. For example, the robots are doing things to the rides that they shouldn't be doing, like loosening bolts on the rides instead of tightening them. But what if it's not the Metanet's fault? What if it's an outside party? And prepare for complications, because Dr. Warne's only daughter, Georgia, is somewhere in the park. Warne has to decide whether to go find her, or help save the park.
This book is very memorable, because it's about a theme park. I've never read a book about a theme park. Kids love theme parks, as do I. This theme park is made up of all kinds of attractions from all different worlds, time periods, and ideas, for example Callisto and Camelot. I think that it would be very interesting to go to one of these worlds, because I didn't live in any of the time periods, and it would be awsome to see how life was like.
This book talked about theme park terrorism. I wasn't expecting that, but there it was anyway. Groups of people being led by John Doe were holding Utopia hostage in order to get the exact computer program that the Metanet runs on for their own uses. They would kill people, and destroy the park if anyone, basically Sarah, changed anything to do with their plan. They were ruthless.
I agree with the author's idea of nurturing love, and platonic love. I'm glad that Dr. Warne and Sarah Boatwright had broken up before the story began, or else it would have made an already complicated story more complicated. My favorite part of the story is that it all took place in less than twelve hours, which explains why it was fast paced. Sarah, Warne, and anyone else on their team had to fix this before the park closed, the armored security car came to take away the terrorists. Basically the whole book is a race against time.
This book is sort of like what's going on in our country now. We are fighting against terrorism, just like the Utopia park officials. We both want to keep terrorism out.
I really liked this book. It always kept me guessing, and there was a twist, as it turned, out there was an inside agent. I figured that there would be, but who it was totally surprised me. I don't think anyone could have guessed who it was. The whole book was like that. You never knew what was going to happen next, what kind of crazy stunt either side would pull to get their job done. That's what made it good. You never knew what was coming. You had to keep guessing and very often you were wrong. It was a very good book, in the whole.
Rating:
Summary: Definitely a Utopian read!
Review: Utopia's not just a theme park--it's a world. Or, rather, four seperate worlds, located in the remote Nevada desert. High tech--Utopia runs on robotics, all controlled by the Metanet, developed by Dr. Andrew Warne. Incidently, Warne's ex-lover, Sarah Boatwright, is running the park. Utopia's a safe, fun place. Everything is "real"--it's as if you've stepped out of the normal world, and into a side demension. It's so nice, the security force doesn't even carry weapons. Today, however, is different. Because today, someone new has entered the park. He calls himself John Doe: a suave, intelligent, sophisticated, ruthless man looking to earn himself a retirement fund from his day job--terrorism. With Doe is a small team of professional terrorists and hackers. Their goal: to take control of Utopia. Doe is perfectly willing to negotiate transactions with Boatwright in secret, without the guests of Utopia knowing. But if she dares to cross him...well, if that should happen, then Doe will turn this Heaven into Hell on Earth. "Utopia" is a thrillride of thrillrides, a pulse-pounding race as Warne, Boatwright, a robotics technician, and a professional bodyguard who happens to get caught up in the action, pursue the menacing Doe through the park. You will be on the edge of your seat the entire time, I kid you not. Lincoln Child--coauthor of some great novels with Douglas Preston--successfully makes his solo debut with this novel. If you're a fan of the Preston/Child novels (and you don't have to be to enjoy this book), then you know exactly the excitement you're going to get. Lincoln Child's "Utopia" is a suspense novel to be reckoned with. The park comes alive around you, and the characters develop their own heartbeats. It's a novel of suspense, emotion, humor, thrills, and science, as a "perfect" world is turned upside down by one man's horrific greed. This novel's gonna do to theme parks what "Jaws" did to the ocean. Definitely a must-read for thrill seekers!
Rating:
Summary: Hoping for the Movie
Review: Fantastic Book. Grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. I live in Las Vegas and wish there really was such a place! This would make a great summer blockbuster movie. Steven Spielberg are you listening?
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK FAST READ
Review: An amusement park thriller anyone could love. Great characters and a must read, I couldnt put this one down. It grabs you from the first page and keeps you going till the very end. It kept me wondering whats going to happen next. A "Die-hard" type book anyone whos into action will love.
Rating: 
Summary: Lincoln Child, what were you thinkning?
Review: I read all of Lincoln Child's books including the ones he wrote with Doug Preston and by far this one is the absolute worst. Just because he can write, publisher shouldn't allow him to write a crap. I understand that he had a good storyline with a few interesting characters but taking a page out of Die Hard isn't what I expect from a top notch writer like Lincoln. Don't write a Hollywood movie script, write a book. Don't sell out like John Grisham.
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