Idlewild

by Nick Sagan

book data

337 ratings, 3.74 average rating, 55 reviews (more data...)

rating	frequency	%
5		23%
4		40%
3		25%
2		7%
1		2%

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published

January 1st 2004 (first published 2003) by Bantam

binding

Paperback, 384 pages

isbn

0553815970 (isbn13: 9780553815979)

description

From a bold new talent comes a smart, stylish near-future thriller that fuses the fierce imagination of The Matrix with the chilling social vision of ...more

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05/27/09

Sean Randall rated it:

Read in May, 2009

People are calling Sagan everything from a revolutionary to a thief, this debut novel has folk up in arms with rapture, for the most part.

I like Paul Skevington's character summation - he writes: "we are presented with a very realistic and credible depiction of a group of teenagers who are teetering on the edge of a grim precipice that they will be lucky to escape from."

I agree with the point, also; rather than just liking the sentiment - the characters are cert...more

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04/09/09

Eric rated it:

Read in January, 2004

In a future world devastated by the disease known as Black Ep, humanity's last hope comes down to ten brilliant young minds being educated in a virtual-reality school. If they succeed, they will become humanity's saviors. But inside their virtual school, something has gone terribly wrong, and one of the students, Lazarus, has died. A combination of 'Outbreak' and 'The Matrix.' The novel introduces the character named Halloween, one of the coolest and most cynical of unlikely heroes in scienc...more

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11/01/08

Jean rated it:

(review of isbn 0451461983)

bookshelves: science-fiction

Read in November, 2008

A book I picked up on a whim when I needed a few extra dollars for free shipping. A piece of fanart first brought it to my attention and the main character's name caught my attention.

First off - everyone compares it to the Matrix, and I can see why, but really the comparison is only superficial. People plugged into a virtual world, yada yada yada. It's like comparing paranormal romance books because they contain vampires.

The style of narration puts me in mind of my earl...more

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05/29/07

Jessica rated it:

(review of isbn 0399150978)

bookshelves: read-in-2007

Read in January, 2007

“There are no miracles. Not for you, certainly not for me. Not for any of us.”

Author Nick Sagan is the son of astronomer Carl Sagan. As a boy in the 1970s, Nick’s greeting, “Hello from the children of planet Earth,” was recorded for NASA’s Voyager Golden Record (a phonograph with audio and visuals depicting human life) and sent into space for aliens to discover. So it is only fitting that Nick Sagan’s first novel fits snugly into the sci-fi fantasy genre.

Idl...more “There are no miracles. Not for you, certainly not for me. Not for any of us.”

Author Nick Sagan is the son of astronomer Carl Sagan. As a boy in the 1970s, Nick’s greeting, “Hello from the children of planet Earth,” was recorded for NASA’s Voyager Golden Record (a phonograph with audio and visuals depicting human life) and sent into space for aliens to discover. So it is only fitting that Nick Sagan’s first novel fits snugly into the sci-fi fantasy genre.

Idlewild is the story of 19-year-old Halloween (birth name Gabriel), who wakes one day with no memory of his life or surroundings. The world seems oddly…off. The people he meets are just as bizarre. Slowly, he begins to recover aspects his memory and realizes that he is one of ten students in a futuristic virtual school, taught and cared for by computer programs. Similar to the Matrix, he and his classmates are actually (physically) plugged into virtual reality equipment in the real world, where their bodies are nourished. Their minds, however, are fed within the virtual system. However, one student is missing, presumed dead, and Halloween suspects he is next.

Interspersed with the story of Halloween and his eight strange friends is that of three scientists attempting to save humanity from an early 21st century plague called the Black Ep. The relation between both storylines is revealed throughout the book.

The plot starts out strong and shows potential as a dystopian, cyber-punk novel, but falls apart halfway through. Neil Gaiman called this book a “roller coaster ride” of a story, but I think that’s just his nice way of saying the book takes too many quick, sloppy turns. An element of surprise is always welcome in fiction, but Idlewild becomes choppy – as though Sagan couldn’t decide where he wanted to take the plot. The climax seems to come out of nowhere and doesn’t quite satisfy, while the ending is too rushed.

Such faults could possibly be overlooked if Sagan’s writing compensated for the plot flaws, but sadly that disappoints as well. The characterization of Halloween is a trifle cliché (typical angst-ridden teenage goth boy), and the other characters are never fully developed.

That said, the idea behind the story is provocative, and despite its poor execution in this first book, there might be enough potential to be continued. I read the excerpt included of its sequel, Edenborn, and the post-apocalyptic vibe did spark some curiosity in me. If Sagan improved his writing style and got all the kinks out, Edenborn might be worth reading. I would, however, skip Idlewild and watch the first Matrix movie instead.(less)

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05/21/08

Julie rated it:

(review of isbn 0451212061)

Read in May, 2008

A quick and relatively easy read, which means I'm dying to pick up the two sequels and find out what happens. A bit too short, though, because you turn a corner and all of a sudden you've reached the epilogue -- it read a bit like pared-down William Gibson, maybe. Definitely recommended for sci-fi and cyberpunk lovers. They start off with giving your protagonist amnesia, and it stays intriguing all the way 'til the end.

The plot had some truly awesome twists, and I was totally in it ...more

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04/02/09

Diana rated it:

Read in January, 2006

I thought that this was really original. And I was totally surprised by the ending--totally didn't see it coming. And the author is very cool. I ended up communicating with him after I read the book and it turns out that he went to the same high school as I did and based the book partly on our school. Maybe that's why I liked it so much . . .

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11/24/08

Johnny rated it:

Not groundbreaking, nor is it terribly original.
It is entertaining enough (not the basis for the outKast movie) and certainly not what I expected from Carl Sagan's son.

I read it a while back and morbid curiosity finds me reading the second book in the series right this very moment....well not this exact moment, buuuuut
now!

(read)

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05/19/09

Gendou rated it:

bookshelves: fiction

Read in May, 2009

This is a fun book to read due in no small part of the adolescent narrator.
Avoid feeling embarrassed for the brooding protagonist. Contrary to the poor reviews from those who haven't read the whole book, there is much originality and creativity to be had. The slow start is worth it for the thrill of suspense.

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11/29/07

Amy rated it:

(review of isbn 0399150978)

bookshelves: audio-book, fiction, i-own, scifi

Read in August, 2005

I LOVED this book. I adored this fascinating universe that Sagan created with these believable characters. I thought it was a great technique to start off with Halloween's amnesia to slowly introduce the reader to the full extent of the craziness. It made it seem more believable when the main character himself didn't understand what was going on.

Halloween is a *superb* character -- probably one of my favorite main characters I've encountered in the past 10 years. I loved all the la...more

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05/09/09

Emily O rated it:

I loved this book, but it got rather slow towards the end and just ran out of steam. The only redeeming parts of it were the characters, a few of which I fell in love with. It is definitely worth reading once, and I would recommend it as a way to get to the sequel, Edenborn.

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02/01/09

Melissa rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in April, 2007

recommends it for: Anyone Interested In Mystery-Type Books

There isn't much you can say about this book without giving everything away. It is the first part of a three part series, and it is VERY good. I would recommend reading it. It is worth the time, also don't peak ahead when reading it...it ruins all the fun.

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02/04/08

Adam rated it:

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in January, 2008

recommended to Adam by: Larry Wilson
recommends it for: sci fi readers

My Dad sent me this sci-fi trilogy (which begins with Idlewood) because it references StoryCorps in the first or second book.

Its not the best written trilogy, but it has a decent speculative concept, which materializes in the 3rd book. Basically the human race is killed by a new Black Plague, killing everyone but a few folks frozen - a few thousand I guess - and another dozen "post-humans" who won't die from the plague, who are your heroes for the triology.

The...more

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04/11/09

Sam rated it:

Read in September, 2006

I read this years ago when I randomly picked it up at the library, and the story never quite left me. I finally found it after months of trying to remember the title, and now I'm very interested in reading the next two in the series.

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03/10/09

Marisa rated it:

(review of isbn 0399150978)

bookshelves: 50-book-challenge--09

Read in February, 2009

Idlewild was interesting until the third layer of reality showed up and then all hope perished on the way to the underwhelming finale. I won't be picking this one up again.

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03/31/08

Chris rated it:

bookshelves: cyber-punk

Read in April, 2008

First I didn't connect this book being by Carl Sagan's son. I read a lot and I will say I have been very pleased reading this first in the series. Sagan has the flair for what I would term casual conversation writing. His story flows as if you were having a conversation with the characters. I found the little asides and the tidbits of internal knowledge very fun. "Halloween", the main character, is not the strongest character I have found in stories. I still found that I connected with...more

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03/15/09

Erica rated it:

I'm tired of sci-fi books like this where it's all about an Artificial Intelligence World.

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09/06/08

Mickt rated it:

bookshelves: sci-fi

Read in June, 2008

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It is not an easy read and I would not recommend it unless you are a Sci-Fi fan, but ultimately I found it engrousing and thought provoking. The first third of the book I spent trying to figure out what in the world was going on. The second third I was continually suprised until finally I felt like I knew where I was and the last third I spent wishing it would not end. I didn't realize until I finished it that this was part of a series of books. If you are a...more

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02/12/09

Slone rated it:

Read in March, 2007

Odd, disjointed, poor ending; part of a series, sadly: it didn't have to go on ...

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02/19/09

Kenji De Sade rated it:

Read in February, 2009

it's oky, pretty neat story, but i don't feel compelled to read the rest of the trilogy.

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06/10/09

Deidre rated it:

bookshelves: leisure, own

Has a copy to sell/swap — Read in June, 2006

recommended to Deidre by: no one
recommends it for: dystopian fans, sci-fi fans

Grade: 6/10
Thoughts: It had potential, but ruined itself for me near the end. I did like the idea of living in your mind in a different world, but WHY they were there is the problem I had with the book.

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