Useful Idiots

In 2255 a gale rips through a beach and exposes the ancient boglands below, and embedded in the bog is a body. A team of archaeologists excavate the body, but it is on the edge of land beloning to the Inglish, an Aboriginal community living an archaic and forgotten way of life. The removal of the body will set off a chain of events that threatens not only the existence of the science of archaeology, but the ongoing tolerance of Aboriginal communities all across Europe. But the skeleton also conceals a secret that might be their salvation.

Useful Idiots is an extraordinarily sophisticated, subtle and adult Young Adult novel - a literary dystopian/utopian science fiction thriller that explores ideas of national identites and the costs of show more keeping them and the price of losing them. The protagonists is a largely ignored and apparently forgotten graduate assistant whose involvement with the Inglish prompts him to make an extraordinary sacrifice, but old resentments and prejudices may be impossible to overcome.

Written superbly, with fantastically contrasted settings between the sterile shelter of the city and the deadly lush maze of the fens. A timely novel - it will resonate chillingly with the current state of climate change and post-Brexit politics and rising nationalism. A brilliant, gripping read. show less

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. show more 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. show less

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?