The Paradise Factory

The Paradise Factory is a rock-solid, jet-fueled cyberpunk apocalyptic thriller. Set thirty years in the future, it envisions a world where artificial intelligence ("AI") and mechanical intelligence ("MI") have replaced most humans in employment. With people unnecessary, the cities are empty hulks controlled by gangs. The bridges and tunnels are trading posts. Most live without anything. The streets are filled with danger. And the Fourth District guarded by the Brooklyn Bridge is so dangerous, the NYPD have pulled back. But what's a cop to do when her partner is kidnapped? Crossing the bridge into the remains of Manhattan may be more than Officer Alice Yu bargained for. With the assistance of only her talking (and backtalking) armored suit and a fairly useless street urchin, Alice is going to take the battle wherever it leads. An exciting futuristic adventure!

Keen has crafted a horrific future that is entirely believable here. The story flowed smoothly and gave tons of context to help me understand why the world is so far gone and how humanity is dealing with the side affects. I really enjoyed the story and how the characters interacted with each other. This was a plot where I didn't know what was coming and that was perfect.

This is being marketed as cyberpunk, which I found very misleading, as there are no cyberpunk elements. It’s more a post-apocalyptic sci-fi dystopia. The apocalypse in this case is brought about by the invention of Mechanical Intelligence, a machine that has made human workforce obsolete. Hundreds of millions are without work and those lucky enough to be employed can lose their job on a whim, with no social security to fall back on. That the humanity is still alive and kicking is more because of stubbornness than for any discernible survival skills.

The story follows Alice Yu, a Brooklyn cop in her twenties—I think—whose partner is abducted right in front of her. Even though loyalty to one’s partner and initiative are discouraged by her bosses, Alice goes after him. Traces lead to Brooklyn Bridge, a lawless no-go-zone ruled by criminal empire. She knows she’ll lose her job if she goes there, but she goes anyway.

Another story-line follows Red, a young boy who needs to deliver a message over the Brooklyn Bridge, an errand that would pay well if the other kids weren’t trying to kill him for it. The paths of Alice and Red meet on the bridge and they team up.

The plot is straightforward: find the partner and save him. Obstacles come in form of bridge security trying to kill Alice for their boss, a crime lord who has a nefarious enterprise to conceal. The constant fights became boring pretty soon, but Alice is fighting PTSD from her time as a Marine in Mars, which gives some depth to her character. Because of what she considers a personal failure in Mars, she decides that saving Red is more important than finding her partner, a decision that Red disputes, forcing her to face her past.

After all the fighting, the main conflict is solved amazingly easily. If it hadn’t been for the chapter that followed, which showed the truth of what was on the other side of the bridge and gave both the world and the main characters some new depth, this would’ve been a solid three star book. The ending changed that.

I had some issues with the book. One of them was with the way the scenes were set. Namely that they weren’t. Every scene, especially in the beginning, started right with the action or even a beat after it. For example, the book starts a moment after Alice’s partner has been taken, when she is fighting her injuries. No context was offered to where she was, why she was there, and why her partner mattered so much to her. As it was, I had trouble understanding Alice's need to go after him other than the general ‘of course she does’. Were they friends or was there a debt to pay? Was he a lover, a mentor? In a world where such decision means a pretty certain death, it needs to be a good reason. Causes were given later in the book, but it came too late as I’d already formed my opinion.

Incidentally, I’m not a fan of a narrative where character motivations, like the cause of Alice’s PTSD, are rationed and revealed after they have already influenced character’s actions. It made the narrative style was very claustrophobic with too little to work on. I had to put the book down fairly often just to clear my head. That fortunately changed towards the end of the book when all the players were familiar and the plot began to move forward.

I had issue with the world-building as well. If the world is that rigged against humanity, with no chances of survival, how come there are so many humans left? Especially since there’s a constant winter. Why are there no riots? The only one seems to be planned by the bad guys for their benefit. The idea of MI didn’t work well either. How could a machine replace the entire workforce? All it seemed to be able to do is print human body parts. They are so expensive that countries bankrupted themselves to get one, so they can’t be in every factory for example. And if they are supremely intellect, how come one of them could be fooled by a human? All the other technology seemed to be in the service of humanity, like the intelligent jacket Alice was wearing, so why was the humanity in such a bad state. Also, most of the technology appeared to be micro-chip based, whereas MI seems to be based on a Babbagean difference engine—a cool idea that would’ve changed the entire world-building if everything was based on that; a twenty-first century steampunk world powered by nuclear reactors.

All the issues aside, I liked the book enough to keep reading through the claustrophobic chapters. I liked Alice from the start and Red grew on me. Bad guys could have been more evil, but considering the ending, there’s maybe some use for them in subsequent books. I’m not entirely sure I’ll continue with the series, but I’m glad I read this one.

This is pretty good scifi that is unpredictable and suspenseful. Interesting tech and AI and a fun plot make this a good tale, although it isn't always realistic (if that's what you're seeking). Recommended for scifi and cyberpunk fans.

Thanks very much for the review copy!!

It's 2055, the workers of the world have been replaced with number crunching, soulless MI (Mechanical Intelligence) who are not afraid to have someone fired at the drop of a hat. All social services have been discontinued and unemployment is at a whopping 99%. In the middle of all of this, Alice is trying to survive, as an officer in the NYPD, her job is no longer to protect and serve; it's riot control. When her partner is kidnapped and she has inadequate proof to call for backup, she must make the decision to pursue her partner, or her career. Jim Keen crafts a intriguing cyberpunk novel that has just enough of reality in it to make it seem like it could happen.

Personal Thoughts -

I was really intrigued with this novel. There is a lot of detail into the world building that really shows the care that Jim put into the world and the design of everything. As some who currently works in the government sector with law enforcement, I could quickly see how something like this could become a reality. I am intrigued so see more from this author in the future. I also really appreciate that the author provides small amounts of news & media clippings into the story to help with the world building.

Final thoughts -

Jim Keen creates a fast paced, futuristic romp through NYC. I found the characters very compelling to read and I think that the Author has a very strong ability to create and describe thrilling technological and sci-fi elements of the story. I love reading about unique pieces of machinery and gadgets. I would highly recommend this style of novel to anyone who finds that kind of read intriguing.

Thank you NetGalley for the review copy of the novel!

I really liked it, it is fast paced and the characters are well made. I would have liked some more background though.

The Paradise Factory by Jim Keen, describes a futuristic New York 2055 environment. The storyline embedded in a world of lawlessness, guilt, poverty and death provides a magnificent insight into a future world. Keen describes the different events in detail and I appreciated the manner she described the background and personal experiences of the main character, Alice Yu. The description of the character makes the reader understand Yu's frustrations and the trauma that formulated her current worldview.

The storyline remains easy to read and stays interesting during all time of reading the book. Yu coming from a law enforcement environment carrying a magnitude of baggage still aims to fight against the badness evident in the New York landscape during the time. The book offers a combination between searching for criminal leaders and also caring for the people you love. Readers who enjoy action, futuristic thinking and out of the box thinking, this book offers a must-read to see if Yu's mission will succeed.

This is my first book by the Author and based on this one it won't be my last .

The Author has created a terrible but potentially realistic world where AI's and MI's have taken the place of a human based workforce - 99% of humans are unemployed , if you have a job you hold onto it with all you have .
The cities are controlled by gangs -filled with danger - if you have nothing there is nothing to lose except your life what is left .?
When a cop , Officer Alice Yu , is brutally attacked and left for dead and her partner is abducted by a ruthless crime boss she must face her fears and enter the Fourth Ward . An area that only the most desperate live in , one where only the most desperate can leave . What will she find ?, can she survive ?

This an interesting premise of what can and might happen in our future - a thoroughly entertaining book .

I was given an arc of the book by NetGalley and the Publisher in exchange for an honest review .

i really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great start to a scifi novel. and I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and the story.

A simple dystopia, entertaining, easy to read and perfect for those of us who are lovers of this type of story.