Thomcat
9/9/2026
First read in 2005, this book continues to be relevant. While the language of this future dystopia is not easy, the book is worth the work.
A lot of world building is dripped subtly through these pages, and it's not a world I want to live in. Rampant consumerism aside, the environment is also shot. The American president reminds me strongly of what we see today, and the glimpse of global politics is also dreadful.
This is also a subtle coming of age story for the main character, who is educated by events and Violet, the girl he meets on the moon. Smart, grounded girls leading boys to think is probably a category of future dystopian novels, and this book is exemplar of that.
Perhaps most relevant, the "no one" in this quote (Violet, talking about her dad) reminds me of today's LLM:
“He says the language is dying. He thinks words are being debased. So he tries to speak entirely in weird words and irony, so no one can simplify anything he says.”
Recommended!