Utopia

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Fasten your seat belts–the white-knuckle thrills at Utopia, the world’s most fantastic theme park, escalate to nightmare proportions in this intricately imagined techno-thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lincoln Child.

Rising out of the stony canyons of Nevada, Utopia is a world on the cutting edge of technology. A theme park attracting 65,000 visitors each day, its dazzling array of robots and futuristic holograms make it a worldwide sensation. But ominous mishaps are beginning to disrupt the once flawless technology. A friendly robot goes haywire, causing panic, and a popular roller coaster malfunctions, nearly killing a teenaged rider. Dr. Andrew Warne, the brilliant computer engineer who designed much of the park’s robotics, is summoned from the East Coast to get things back on track.

On the day Warne arrives, however, Utopia is caught in the grip of something far more sinister. A group of ruthless criminals has infiltrated the park’s computerized infrastructure, giving them complete access to all of Utopia’s attractions and systems. Their communication begins with a simple and dire warning: If their demands are met, none of the 65,000 people in the park that day will ever know they were there; if not, chaos will descend, and every man, woman, and child will become a target. As one of the brains behind Utopia, Warne finds himself thrust into a role he never imagined–trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the minutes tick away, Warne’s struggle to outsmart his opponents grows ever more urgent, for his only daughter is among the unsuspecting crowds in the park.

Lincoln Child evokes the technological wonders of Utopia with such skill and precision it is hard to believe the park exists only in the pages of this extraordinary book. Like Jurassic Park, Utopia sweeps readers into a make-believe world of riveting suspense, technology, and adventure.

UTOPIA -- Where technology dazzles–and then turns deadly!©2002 Lincoln Child; (P)2002 Books on Tape, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Child’s latest is a beautifully crafted scare-fest….Here’s hoping for a sequel.”
-PEOPLE (1/13/03)

“A sensational piece of popular entertainment. If you are looking for intelligent fun, it doesn’t get much better than this.”
-The Washington Post 12/16/02)

"The blend of technological jargon and suspense results in a real thrill-a-minute read."
-Booklist

"The novel's namesake--a cutting-edge, futuristic theme park--is a tour-de-force of the imagination, one of the most extraordinary settings for a thriller I've ever read."
-Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling co-author of Relic and Rip Tide.

"In this ultra-entertaining new novel, Lincoln Child weaves fascinatingly plausible technologies and a frighteningly believable tale. It’s Brave New World meets Jurassic Park.”
-Dan Brown, bestselling author of Digital Fortress

Add this to your library right now!

Who would have thought you could combine science fiction with a theme park and make a thriller worth listening to? Answer: Lincoln Child. Growing up, I remember movies called Westworld and Futureworld in the seventies. These were cheesy second-rate movies and they did have a theme park in the plot line – so this combo has been used before. But, that is where the similarities end. Utopia is a theme park, true enough; but the plot is about human nature and not technology. The tech is the background. And the story will keep you enthralled. You’ll be listening and say, “What? I’m at work already. Maybe I should sit here just a little longer.”

Scott Brick narrates. A true professional performance – enough said.

This has all of the elements that you could want for young teens, teen, and mature adult listeners. It appeals along a very big listener spectrum. Though released in 2002, the tech is fresh even ten years later. I give this a big thumbs up.

Terrific

Easily the best book I have listened to this year. Story and performance were great.

A good read

So how do you write an entire story about an amusement park being taken over? I was a bit skeptical at first but really enjoyed listening to the story and never got bored with the plot. As with a lot of Lincoln Child books a bit too much detail at times but if you are a fan you can look past it and maybe even learn something. A good book and highly reccommended.

Great Thriller

Not sure how I missed this book but I’m glad I finally found it. It has a great plot and the narrator does a great job.
I recommend this to anyone who likes Sci-Fi thrillers.

Good book, narration and story until end

No conclusion that wraps up all the threads in the story, not even the main ones