Rating: 
Summary: For a thrill ride!
Review: Just finished reading Utopia written by Lincoln Child, 1/2 of the co-writing team (the other one being Douglas Preston) that brought us the excellent horror novel Relic (one of my favorite chillers).I like a good chilling and thrilling page turner, and these guys know how to write em. Utopia is the name of a mega theme-park built in the desert outside of Las Vegas. The place is so high-tech that a cabal of super stealthy thieves plot to steal the computer codes that run its infrastructure (as well as rob its vault). Child (and Preston) know how to vividly create a whole world and populate it with interesting characters and Utopia is no exception. The action starts right from page one and you won't be able to put it down. I actually put the book in my pocket and took it with me so that I could read a page or two while waiting on line in stores! Next I plan to start Dan Brown's Angels & Demons, the book that preceded The Da Vinci Code. After that, The Codex written by Preston.
Rating: 
Summary: A fun read
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: Three Painful Weeks to Read
Review: I usually tear through a good book in a day--it took me three weeks to get through Utopia. It was a great story idea and I wanted to like it--didn't want to give up on it because I have always thoroughly enjoyed the books of Child and Preston. I begin to suspect that it may have been Preston's writing I was enjoying. Every once in a while, I would see a glimmer of something exciting starting up in the story and I would think, "Ah, ha, now it gets good." A page or two later, I would find my mind once more wandering through dry narrative. The novel lacked flow and I found the characters to be flat and uninteresting. I just skimmed the last few pages--just didn't care anymore.
Rating:
Summary: Great plot + great characters = great novel!
Review: As a big fan of the works of Lincoln Child and Doug Preston, I certainly was looking forward to reading Child's first solo attempt, "Utopia". I was not disappointed! It was a solid, entertaining novel from the first to the last page. Child shows off his great imagination by taking the reader to a 21st Century theme park filled with "smart" robots, holographic images, and good, old-fashioned fun. The plot revolves around the designer of the said robots, Andrew Warne, who is called to the theme park (Utopia) to figure out why some of the park's robots are acting strangely. The romantic interest of the story comes into play because the executive director of the park is his former lover, Sarah Boatwright. Warne's arrival coincides with the start of a mastermind plot to steal millions from the park by disrupting the rides and terrorizing the guests. Heading up this scheme is a great character known (rather unimaginably) as John Doe. For the bulk of the novel, John Doe has Sarah, Warne and the park officials on their heels trying to keep him from creating a mass panic. My favorite character in the book, Angus Poole, is introduced at this point as a mysterious "federal agent-wannabe" who arrives at the nick of time to save the park. (Or does he?) Filled with a couple of great plot twists, you'll soon find yourself flying through the book as you reach the satisfying ending. Rarely, do I wish that a book would go on and on, but I certainly did with this one. It was a pleasure to read and will be a big hit with the fans of Preston and Child. It should also appeal to those who enjoy the works of Michael Crichton because of it's technical nature. This is a book crying out for a screenplay, so I would not be surprised to see it as a major summer blockbuster in a year or two. But, before that happens, do yourself a favor and grab a copy of "Utopia" and enjoy a great story. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
Rating:
Summary: It's "Die Hard" in a theme park!
Review: 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!
Rating:
Summary: Child can do it on his own
Review: There always seems to be a good Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston novel to read every couple of months, and generally when books are pumped out like that they seem to become a little repetitive. But fortunately thats never happened with these authors. They've continually brought solid technologically advanced page turners that never seem to quit. Thats why it was interesting to see these two split up for a bit and see what they can do on their own. Utopia is a theme park beyond all theme parks and puts Disneyworld to a crying shame. The characters are forced to deal with a group of alleged terrorists who are after some advanced holographic technology exclusive to the park. But there is a twist later on. I don't know anything about holograms or robots but apparently Lincoln Child does and he knows a lot. Unless of course he's making all those big words up and he really doesn't know what he's talking about. But I'm pretty sure he does and the research he must have put into the novel must have took some serious time. Thats one thing that I've come to appreciate about the work he's done before, and it's refreshing to know that Lincoln Child can pull it off by himself. The only problem I had with the story is the timeline of the whole thing. The chapters are actually time intervals, and the whole story happens in one day. For the most part it was pulled off well, but sometimes it felt the action would have taken longer than the time the chapter actually lasted. But this was a minor flaw and it doesn't effect the over all flow of the book. I look forward to more joint ventures between Lincoln Child & Douglas Preston and more solo efforts, I can never get enough of Special Agent Pendergast.
Rating:
Summary: A fun well-written adventure
Review: I bought this book simply by the description but I thouroughly enjoyed it! This is an inventive world that the author places you in w/ engaging characters. Some might argue it is a bit predictable but I did not feel led along. I enjoyed getting to the end. The format in using time for each chapter was a nice touch.
I highly recommend this book. What a fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Remember Westworld? Visit UTOPIA (by Lincoln Child)
Review: If you are old enough, you may remember a movie named Westworld as well as the sequel. In the movie, a theme park had been created allowing park visitors to experience the past thanks to fully functioning state of the art robots. Robots so real that they passed for human. Everything worked wonderfully and the park was a success until the robots started malfunctioning, attacking and killing guests. If Lincoln Child had stopped there with his idea of the novel "UTOPIA" the book would have been nothing more than an average read. While he did use the idea and often seems to be making homage to the past, he also added a modern day problem in the shape of terrorists. Terrorists that manage to take over the park with none of the guests being wiser in an effort to extort millions of dollars and state of the art technology. Add in a love interest and a couple of other plot goodies and Lincoln Child shows once again while he is so very good in the thriller genre. Built in a rugged canyon in Nevada, Utopia is a state of the art theme park. Featuring four worlds with a fifth under construction, each depicts a different place and time as realistically as possible while providing thrilling rides for those so inclined. Using the latest in technology, including machine learning where robots learn from their environment and adapt, the park is incredibly successful. But the system is beginning to sporadically break down and when no one on staff can explain why robots and safety systems are malfunctioning, the original designer Dr. Andrew Warne is brought back in to fix the problems. But Dr. Warne arrives a week early and on the same day that a band of terrorists have infiltrated the park. They are the ones that control the park's highly advanced computer system and prove it by making what they want to malfunction do it when they want to. While nearly all of the 65,000 visitors have no idea anything is a miss, Dr. Warne and a few others know and begin a desperate race against time trying to save the park and lives. While not on the level with "The Ice Limit" or "Relic" both of which he co-wrote with Douglas Preston, this is an enjoyable novel. It does feature a large cast of characters and as time slips by minute by minute, annoyingly as most disaster style books do, the read drops into various points of view. Not only does it shift between various members of the group trying to stop the catastrophe in the making as well as the various terrorists, it also shifts into the pov of the victims to depict their fun changing into terror. At times it becomes a bit over the top and reminds one of a movie of the week, as their terror does nothing to advance the actual storyline. As a reader, we know bad things are going to happen and will happen and the pov shifts are the equivalent of being beaten over the head with a baseball bat to make the point. Such diversions involving for the most part, incredibly stereotypical characters, is gratuitous at best. One such diversion does even more damage by creating a storyline hole, as a situation around a family of one of the minor characters is never addressed despite being extensively implied. The character, having received a frantic call from one of his family member's rushes off in a panic. He reappears twenty pages later or so with no explanation as to what happened to his family and while occasionally someone vaguely implies something happened, their fate is unknown and unresolved. While everything for the main characters are resolved, like the minor characters, they too are stereotypical. But like most thrillers or adventure novels, which this one certainly is, what is lacking in character development is more than made up by intense action featuring sheer chase and adventure. As such, it more than meets expectations for what it is and that makes this one a worthwhile read.
Rating:
Summary: A fun and entertaining work
Review: Utopia is one of the most advanced and realistic theme parks in the world. It has four separate divisions each offering their own thrills as patrons are immersed into the future, A boardwalk resort, Camelot or Victorian England. However, problems are occurring. Computers appear to be malfunctioning. Dr. Andrew Warne, a computer engineer and creator of the computer system in the park is called in to solve the problem. Unfortunately, a Mr. John Doe appears and claims responsibility for the mishaps. He plans to kill the patrons unless they turn over to him the program used to run the parks-- a revolutionary program that could be used militarily with great destruction if placed into the wrong hands. Warne and his colleagues must try to stop him.
Lincoln Child is a master of the technothriller. He renders much detail into his descriptions of these parks. Quite fascinating is the descriptions of the machinations of the running of a theme park. There is much superfluous plot inserted into the already compelling story line. It served to bulk up the novel unnecessarily. There are enough twists and turns in the plot to give any of the roller coasters a true competition. Overall, it is a fun book-- quite entertaining and recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A fun place to visit.
Review: I have only read one other book by Lincoln Child, and that was his collaboration with Douglas Preston, "Relic," which I thought was okay. I remember seeing the cover for this book last year and thought "I have to read that." Then I forgot about it. Then I saw it again recently in a used book store and picked it up. You can read about the plot elsewhere if you want to, so I won't go into it. I enjoyed the book overall. It was a fun, popcorn sort of read. I think my pleasure was diminished by figuring out a couple of things long before the characters in the book did. Even with that knowledge, though, I went along for the ride for the rest of the book, and I suggest that you do the same. Enjoy!
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