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305pp
ISBN: 1-59102-333-5
Hardcover (6" x 9")
$25
February 2006
Cover Illustration: ©2005 Brian W. Dow
www.briandowstudio.com
Genetopia is the story of Flint, a young man in search of his possibly-abducted sister in a far future where nano- and biotechnology have influenced and accelerated the evolution of humans and their strangely altered surroundings. In this world, illness is always to be feared as symptoms can be a part of the transformation process: re-engineering active genes; mutating germ cells; migrating traits from species to species through plague and fever. This is a world where organic AIs grow in the jungle, either worshiped or feared, where trees sing to each other and new houses are grown to order. To find his sister, Flint must travel through communities and wildlands no normal person would brave. Flint’s story is the story of the last true humans, and of the struggles between those who want to defend their heritage and those who choose to embrace the new.
Genetopia will appeal to the core science-fiction market, but also to those interested in environmental, political, biological, and anthropological issues.
Reviews:
"British author Brooke's engrossing far-future parable intertwines old, old human questions: Who am I? Where am I? Where am I going? Must I go? After centuries of biotechnology gone berserk, 'True' humans inhabit a land of mortal fears where a chance microbe or the changing vats of their enemies can dehumanize them forever. 'Mutts,' grotesque 'Lost' subhumans, outwardly devote themselves to their True masters, though like pre-Civil War slaves, the mutts secretly talk of finding 'Harmony,' freedom from their inborn servitude. Flint, a True human, leaves his clan to find his rebellious sister, Amber, sold by their abusive father into a horrifying slavery. Though he dreads change, Flint himself passes through successive fragments of a degenerate civilization, first adopting the Lordsway of the gentle religious Riverwalkers, then becoming a 'Watchman' in an army bent on purging the Lost from the world. In this impressively conceived, poignantly drawn object lesson in the implacability of mutability, Brooke (Lord of Stone) posits one constant: that only change is eternal." - Publishers Weekly starred review
"[A] page-turner full of up-to-the-minute ideas and explorations of genetic viruses and infections....[T]he reader is shown a strange and very dark world with a few shards of hope to hold on to." - BookPage
“[Keith Brooke] shrewdly and honestly, with realism uncommon in far future SF, analyzes our destiny in respect of both biology and class ... as robustly entertaining as it is robustly reasoned ... Genetopia is beyond any facile summary, a minor masterpiece that should usher Brooke at last into the recognized front ranks of SF writers.” - Locus
"[A] fascinating look at the consequences when the nature of humanity begins to change at a genetic level....Like Mark Twain, and in refreshing contrast to the current standard of bloated multi-volume series, Brooke is able to confine his coming-of-age tale to an engaging and relatively short stand-alone novel, even as he uses it to frame important questions about the future of mankind....Genetopia is an original publication of Pyr Books, which in just one year under the adroit direction of Lou Anders has established itself as one of the leading publishers of quality science fiction and fantasy, with a welcome emphasis on the current crop of outstanding British SF writers. Like many of these British Boom authors, Keith Brooke is remarkably adept at envisioning an almost unrecognizable far future, and Genetopia is an excellent example." - Aaron Hughes of Fantastic Reviews
“Keith Brooks has built an amazing society, one that is truly a pleasure to visit. But he’s not done this world building at the expense of either the plot or characters. This is a complete novel - I just could not find fault with it in any way.... I simply cannot say how much I was impressed with the writing in this book.” -The Eternal Night
“[A] very fine book ... Brooke cleverly uses imagery from the real world’s slave trade, from the persecution of Jews, from misogyny and so on to reveal the true message of the book ... I warmly recommend it to next year’s Tiptree Committee. It is, after all, a plea in favor of diversity.” - Emerald City
“Brooke brought the story to a satisfying conclusion weaving all the plot strands together quite adroitly.... Genetopia was a rewarding reading experience and another winner from the young and bold Pyr imprint.” - SffWorld.com
“I liked that the story left me pensive even after I put the book down.... [T]he book is entertaining and, with its wrestling over the definition of humanity, even thought-provoking.... [T]he ending of the book gives some much-appreciated sense of closure.” - Sf Signal
“Once again, Pyr SF has done us Yanks a service, bringing some of the U.K.’s more challenging writers to our shores.” - SF Reviews.net
“It’s a marvelously rich book about what it means to be human and where we’ll go in the future ... It’s a book that makes you think and that makes it a book worth reading.” -SFRevu
“[F]ascinating ... in its review of a constantly genetically-modifying world with evolution speeded.” - University City Review/Philadelphia Weekly Press
"Keith Brooke's Genetopia is a biotech fever dream. In mood it recalls Brian Aldiss's Hothouse, but is a projection of twenty-first century fears and longings into an exotic far future where the meaning of humanity is overwhelmed by change. Masterfully written, this is a parable of difference that demands to be read, and read again." Stephen Baxter, Philip K. Dick award-winning author of Transcendent and Evolution
"I am so here! Genetopia is a meditation on identity - what it means to be human and what it means to be you - and the necessity of change. It's also one heck of an adventure story. Snatch it up!"
Michael Swanwick, Hugo Award-winning author of Bones of the Earth
“Keith Brooke has produced a thoughtful and imaginative version of the future which avoids the standard glossy high-tech worlds of most science fiction books these days. Instead, Genetopia brings a much needed level of uncompromising reality back to the genre. A welcome return for a progressive and skilful writer.” Peter F. Hamilton, author of The Night's Dawn Trilogy
"Brooke is an author well worth reading. . . . I hope some publisher over here makes him available to American audiences.”
Tom Whitmore, Locus
"Keith Brooke's prose achieves a rare honesty and clarity, his characters always real people, his situations intriguing and often moving." World Fantasy Award winner Jeff VanderMeer
Author of Veniss Underground
“Keith Brooke is a wonderful writer. His great gift is taking us into worlds we never imagined, looking at the futurescape through the eyes of people a lot like us. When Flint's sister goes missing in a treacherous civilization driven by bioengineering gone mad, his dangerous, exciting search for Amber casts new light on families and the uses of power in a future that may be approaching as we speak.” Kit Reed, author of Thinner Than Thou
“[I]f you're looking for great, well-written new science fiction novels by writers you have a reason to trust, then Brooke is now your man. Or at least, he will be when the world gets a chance to crack Brooke's world of Genetopia....this novel looks particularly interesting, offering a combination of excellent prose and really, really weird adventures in a carefully conceived environment ... a gripping exploration.” Agony Column
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