Radicalized

Starred review from March 1, 2019

This collection showcases the author's (and genre's) propensity for comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable with stories of near-future dystopias so close we can see them from here. Only one has an even slightly hopeful ending, as the "poors" in a subsidized building find a way to subvert the paradigm of bad and worse choices that is supposed to control their lives. The stories get less hopeful and more frightening as an extraterrestrial superhero discovers that his respectability and honorary "whiteness" can be easily stripped away when he challenges the racism endemic to American life. Then come the two serious frights. One posits the results of a movement to treat insurance companies that consistently put profits over health care the same way that abortion providers get treated: with murder, doxxing, and terrorism. Finally, a group of rich and entitled survivalists hides out at the end of the world, discovering that the one contingency they have not planned for is their own hubris. VERDICT The near futures Doctorow (Walkaway) portrays in these stories are chilling in their possibility and will draw in any sf reader who imagines what might happen if our current situations remain unchanged. Highly recommended.--Marlene Harris, Reading Reality, LLC, Duluth, GA

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 11, 2019
Author and blogger Doctorow’s thought-provoking latest story collection considers several possibilities of a future America. All of the tales are linked together by desperation borne out of trying times. “Unauthorized Bread” chronicles the attempts of refugee families to circumvent the restrictions of their apartment building, where elevators only stop for the rich and appliances are controlled by third-party software. In “Model Minority,” superhero American Eagle tries to assist victims of racial violence by challenging the system, but the effort hurts more than it helps. The title story follows a man who becomes involved in an online support forum after his wife is diagnosed with cancer. When members of the forum begin to attack insurance companies and hospitals, the man’s life, livelihood, and marriage are put on the line. Rounding out the collection is “The Masque of the Red Death,” in which a lucky few hold against the encroaching apocalypse in a makeshift camp, even as the odds are stacked against them. Doctorow (Walkaway) captures the mix of hope, fear, and uncertainty felt by those in precarious situations, set against the backdrop of intriguing futuristic landscapes. The characters are well wrought and complex, and the worldbuilding is careful. This is a fine introduction to Doctorow’s work, and his many fans will enjoy its exploration of favorite themes. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary.

Starred review from February 15, 2019
Doctorow (Walkaway, 2017) presents four different pictures of the present and the near future that meet at the intersection between technology and political or social change. In "Unauthorized Bread," the already disenfranchised are forced to use restrictive technology, such as toasters that toast only brand-loyal bread, and one woman's attempts to provide her and her neighbors with some measure of freedom. The similarly near-future "Radicalized" chronicles one man who, during his wife's battle with cancer, becomes a member of a darknet grieving forum that soon becomes the birthplace of a violent uprising against the uncaring U.S. health care system. The "Masque of the Red Death" follows a distinctly unsympathetic survivalist and his followers as they attempt to weather a societal collapse that doesn't go quite as they'd planned. Rounding out the collection is "Model Minority," in which a Superman analogue finds himself way out of his depth when confronting the racist justice system. Doctorow's combination of cutting edge speculation and deep interest in the social and political possibilities of the future makes this collection a must-read for fans of Kim Stanley Robinson or of any sf in which the future is always part of an engaged and passionate dialogue with the present.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)