Ahoy there me mateys! I received an eArc of this sci-fi novel through NetGalley in exchange for me honest musings . . .
Title: the ten percent thief
Author: Lavanya Lakshminarayan
Publisher: Rebellion / Solaris
Publication Date: Available Now!!! (hardcover/e-book)
ISBN: 978-1786188533
Source: NetGalley
The ideas of a meritocracy are always interesting for me. I want to know how they got started, how they work, and how merit is evaluated. This meritocracy takes place in India. Social media seemed to be the key indicator of status of the majority of the 20 or so characters followed in the book. While that seemed realistic given today's reality, I wanted more insight into what the jobs were that did not involve being social media personas. I never truly understood the practicalities of how this meritocracy functioned.
The other personal preference is that the insight into the lives of the characters all were vignettes. I wish there was at least one character who could have been a through-line in the plot. The major problem was that while I liked how all the characters were portrayed, I didn't get enough insight into their lives, thoughts, or what happens to them.
The timelines were also a bit hard to follow because of the writing style. I wasn't always sure how much time was passing. This was particularly evident in the rebellion subplot. I don't really know what the rebellion was hoping to accomplish and the ending was weak on that point. Overall, while the concepts are always worth reading about, the execution didn't really work for me. I would try another book by the author though. Arrr!
Goodreads has this to say about the novel:
We are the future of the human race.
Welcome to Apex City, formerly Bangalore. Here, technology is the key to survival, productivity is power, and even the self must be engineered, for the only noble goal in life: success.
Everything is decided by the mathematically perfect Bell Curve. With the right image, values and opinions, you can ascend to the glittering heights of the Ten Percent – the Virtual elite – and have the world at your feet. The less-fortunate struggle among the workaday Seventy Percent, or fall to the precarious Twenty Percent; and below that lies deportation to the ranks of the Analogs, with no access to electricity, running water or even humanity.
The system has no flaws, and cannot be questioned. Until a single daring theft sets events in motion that will change the city forever...
To visit the author's Goodreads page go to:
Lavanya Lakshminarayan - Author
To buy the novel please visit:
the ten percent thief - Book
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