This novel was at times gripping, often thought provoking, and frequently fascinating in its stark portrayal of the future that was both alluring and frightening. The way it was structured was interesting in that it was divided into stories, but each story illuminated different parts of a larger picture, and had characters which overlapped from time to time, influencing the outcome and adding a nice texture to the novel. Unfortunately, some of the stories were less than thrilling, let alone fast paced enough to hold interest, but to not finish each would cheapen the overall effect of the book. My biggest problem with the novel was the ever present racial aspect, which I felt weighted the book with too much baggage. I felt the same when I read a few of the Left Behind series, where religion, instead of race, was the weight that burdened an otherwise great thriller with overbearing importance. What I really liked and identified with in Futureland was the individual against overwhelming society, authority, and control, both mental and physical. That aspect made the novel for me.