What would the word be like in the year 2255 after severe Climate change erosion and Science has made long strides in extending Human Life by eliminating disease, albeit with a significant pricetag? Interesting enough to plod through, but it just became too much work and I abandoned this book about two thirds of the way through. I found I stopped enjoying the work and started looking upon the reading as far too much of an effort, only accomplishing a few pages at a time before straying from the story. When you read for enjoyment and the reading ceases to be enjoyable, why bother? ( )

I entered this book somewhat blind. I didn't read the summary, and I wasn't familiar with the author. All I knew was the genre, and that the size of the text (large) and the size of the margins (large) would make for a quick, which is what I needed when I started the book. I was pleasantly surprised by what I found once I got into it.

Set in the year 2255, the United Kingdom is quite a different place. I mean, sure, it is technologically advanced, but what I liked about Useful Idiots is that it doesn't focus on that. Buildings are built and destroyed in the span of a decade, people live in emotionless box-sized apartments, archeology is frowned upon and Aboriginals live on protected land, where they live traditional (and archaic) lives. What I like is how understated it all is. How often do you read a book set 30 years in the future and it feels like an alien planet? This feels like it is set on Earth, and yet it feels alien in more of a figurative sense.

The plot follows Merrick Korda, and archeologist who stumbles upon an intact skeleton on the edge of an Aboriginal reserve. The legality of excavating it is undetermined, but he and his boss go through with it anyway, and this directs them down a tumultuous path that forces them to question the way they choose to live their lives.

I read this purely out of convenience, but it turned out to be a really good one. One minor complaint and the reason i didn't give it 5 stars, the author spent a lot of time building up a conspiracy theory that never really went anywhere. The book would have been fine without it.

An interesting side note: the book seems to be tagged as Children's or Young Adult on a lot of sites. While it is true that it was published by a children's book publisher, there is nothing about this that makes it a children's book. In fact, sex is mentioned casually a couple times, there is a sex scene, and some violence towards the end. I would describe it as adult speculative fiction with a science fiction theme. I don't think anyone who has read it wold call it a Children's book. ( )

http://tamaranth.blogspot.com/2005/05/46-useful-idiots-jan-mark.html ( )