Utopia

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 18 hrs

Publisher's summary

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 best-selling 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 teenage 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 chapters of this extraordinary book. Like Jurassic Park, Utopia sweeps listeners 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 proves he is capable of fireworks (literally) at the rousing conclusion." (Publishers Weekly)
"The blend of technological jargon and suspense results in a real thrill-a-minute read." (Booklist)

liked it, didn't love it

Scratched the Michael Crichton Sci fi techno action itch in the vein of Jurassic Park, will probably check out some other books by the author in the future

Suspenseful

The story engages the reader from the first chapter to the end. Well narrated as well.

True Lincoln child

Loved it held my interest from. Beginning to end. Scott brick always does any book justice.

Frightening!

What did you like best about this story?

This story was deliciously frightening. Accidents at amusement parks, places usually filled with laughter and joy, are terrifying. We have such blind faith every ride is safe.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Scott Brick is my favorite narrator. I seek out audio books narrated by him. His voice is compelling, never flat or monotonous. Tone, timber and accents stay consistent throughout all the stories he narrates.

Critical Acclaimer

For a sneak-peek at modern technology, combined with Terrorism, and how dreadful it can be for an innocent amusement park, Lincoln Child has scored another Rollercoaster Hit.

The story doesn't fit any specific genre of story telling, other than mystery thriller, but there are enough twist and turns throughout the story to keep the reader (listener) waiting for the bottom to fall out from under the ride.

I rated it a 3 only becasue I think Child and Preston (Douglas) are much better when writing together and those tales are 4+++.

Make sure you have time to listen to the story before you start, you won't want to stop once it begins.

Very exciting explozive no punches withheld.

Merciless villains abound in this thriller period regular people caught up in the Dangerous Game

Utopia

Lincoln Child is an amazing writer. I read all his books. I like his other books also with Agent Pendergast.

Utopia (unabridged)

The roller coaster on the cover of this book says it all. I got this unabridged audio from the original publisher and thought it was worth every $ I spent. I've shared it with a few friends and it's always slow coming back because they just have to let their husband or wife listen to it also. I've been a fan of the Preston & Child books for years and I think Lincoln Child might even be better as a solo writer. I won't waste space with a synopsis of the book as Audible has done that already on the abridged listing.
You get involved with the main characters quickly, and the robotic and computer systems running this theme park are intriguing even for my non technical friends. This is much more of a thriller than a mystery or a horror story. I figured out the "who done it?" part early on, but I don't think the author was trying for another Agatha Christie novel, the roller coaster ride is what this book's about. I've read a couple reviews saying the ending was stretched out. I must admit it did seem that way but I thought it was because I couldn't wait to know how it turned out. This book will never be on Oprah's list. It doesn't try to be the next great American novel, but it's a great way to spend a long commute.
As always Scott Brick is a top-notch narrator who doesn't disappoint. Get the unabridged edition, you're going to want to spend awhile at this Park. When you get this book be ready to sit back strap in and just have fun.

GREAT STORY!

Wow, just wow.. What a great story. Very well written and very suspenseful. Utopia has all the great hallmarks that make a good story, all the story-line milestones. Wonderfully developed characters, with rich and deliberate parts to play. Funny at times, sad at times, brilliant at times.

I recommend this book, x10. =P

Good, but not great

An entertaining listen, but having just heard Death Match (another book by Lincon Child), I was ready for the twists and the obvious plot prep early in the book.

It was badly edited though, a number of passages were repeated - I counted about 6 - which caused me to loose concentration for a while.

Overall, a good book but nothing that will change your world.