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Blueprint Trilogy #1
Future Perfect
The Blueprint trilogy takes us to a future in which men and women are almost identical, and personal relationships are forbidden. Following a bio-terrorist attack, the population now lives within comfortable Citidomes. MindValues advocate acceptance and non-attachment. The BodyPerfect cult encourages a tall thin androgynous appearance, and looks are everything.
This first book, Future Perfect, tells the story of Caia, an intelligent and highly educated young woman. In spite of severe governmental and societal strictures, Caia finds herself becoming attracted to her co-worker, Mac, a rebel whose questioning of their so-called utopian society both adds to his allure and encourages her own questioning of the status quo. As Mac introduces her to illegal and subversive information she is drawn into a forbidden, dangerous world, becoming alienated from her other co-workers and resmates, the companions with whom she shares her residence. In a society where every thought and action are controlled, informers are everywhere; whom can she trust?
When she and Mac are sent on an outdoor research mission, Caia’s life changes irreversibly.
A dark undercurrent runs through this story; the enforcement of conformity through fear, the fostering of distorted and damaging attitudes towards forbidden love, manipulation of appearance and even the definition of beauty, will appeal to both an adult and young adult audience.
This first book, Future Perfect, tells the story of Caia, an intelligent and highly educated young woman. In spite of severe governmental and societal strictures, Caia finds herself becoming attracted to her co-worker, Mac, a rebel whose questioning of their so-called utopian society both adds to his allure and encourages her own questioning of the status quo. As Mac introduces her to illegal and subversive information she is drawn into a forbidden, dangerous world, becoming alienated from her other co-workers and resmates, the companions with whom she shares her residence. In a society where every thought and action are controlled, informers are everywhere; whom can she trust?
When she and Mac are sent on an outdoor research mission, Caia’s life changes irreversibly.
A dark undercurrent runs through this story; the enforcement of conformity through fear, the fostering of distorted and damaging attitudes towards forbidden love, manipulation of appearance and even the definition of beauty, will appeal to both an adult and young adult audience.
288 pages, Paperback
First published September 19, 2014
About the author
Katrina Mountfort
7 books20 followersI was born in Leeds. After several years collecting qualifications, I started work as a scientist. My philosophy of life is that we only regret the things we don’t try, and my career reflects that. So far, I’ve been a civil service scientist, homeopath, forensic science researcher and currently work as a freelance medical writer. In that time I’ve lived in Liverpool, Ipswich, Norwich, London and now live in Saffron Walden with my husband and two dogs.
When I reached forty, a close friend died of cancer. It made me realize that we never know when life is going to be snatched away from us; we can’t put off our dreams forever. The writing bug that had been dormant since childhood started nagging at me. I began my first novel, Future Perfect, and finally completed it eight years later! My loves in life include my husband, family and friends, two occasionally criminal dogs, travel, music, wine, dark chocolate, Parma violets and daffodils.
When I reached forty, a close friend died of cancer. It made me realize that we never know when life is going to be snatched away from us; we can’t put off our dreams forever. The writing bug that had been dormant since childhood started nagging at me. I began my first novel, Future Perfect, and finally completed it eight years later! My loves in life include my husband, family and friends, two occasionally criminal dogs, travel, music, wine, dark chocolate, Parma violets and daffodils.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
May 8, 2015
I LOVED this book! Read it over a period of 24 hours, hated having to put it down.
The story takes place in year 2181. 120 years after various events that devastated the world as we know it, the chosen people of 'State 11', formerly the UK, reside in 'Citidomes', in which their lives are easy, comfortable - and controlled. Residents live not in families or couples but with their selected 'resmates', and aspire to join the BodyPerfect clan: women who look like anorexic supermodels, men so metrosexual they are no longer masculine. Televisual entertainment has returned to the age of baying crowds and gladiators with non-stop reality shows in which those not conforming to Citidome standards are cruelly mocked. Bodily 'imperfections' are considered a sign of inferiority, emotion is discouraged; residents have 'connections' rather than friends. There is no religion, no creativity, no literature, and sex is outlawed, seen as dirty. Children are created by artificial means only. Details of the country's history is available from the 'Knowledge Fountain', but there is little information available about life before the Citidomes. However, underneath all this shallow perfection and unquestioning conformity there is a rumbling of discontent; the 'subversive thinkers' want to discover the truth, and find out if life on the outside is really as savage as they are told...
I suppose this is the modern '1984'! Aside from being entertaining, it all seemed frighteningly possible, especially when I found out, later, what really happened to the UK back in 2065. I'm very interested in the way the population can be controlled by those in power, in ways more underhand and seemingly innocuous than many imagine (who needs Big Brother when you have the internet?), and how quickly what once seemed to be a ludicrous idea can very quickly become accepted as the norm. This book is a brilliant portrayal of subtle mind control.
Of course, a great story is only as good as the way it's told, and this is SO well written, the superficial atmosphere and hidden horror of life in State 11 Citidomes told so artfully. Once the book moves outside (to what was Derbyshire), I loved reading Ms Mountfort's vision of a country left to its own devices for over a hundred years, and how her Citidome residents discovered the old, forgotten ways of their ancestors.
Although the main character, Caia, is only seventeen, I didn't realise the book came under the heading 'YA' until I came to write the review; there's certainly plenty to think about in it that I perhaps wouldn't have seen if I'd read it when I was sixteen!
A terrific novel, I'm so glad it came my way and, Katrina Mountfort, this is me hassling you for the next one in the series NOW!
The story takes place in year 2181. 120 years after various events that devastated the world as we know it, the chosen people of 'State 11', formerly the UK, reside in 'Citidomes', in which their lives are easy, comfortable - and controlled. Residents live not in families or couples but with their selected 'resmates', and aspire to join the BodyPerfect clan: women who look like anorexic supermodels, men so metrosexual they are no longer masculine. Televisual entertainment has returned to the age of baying crowds and gladiators with non-stop reality shows in which those not conforming to Citidome standards are cruelly mocked. Bodily 'imperfections' are considered a sign of inferiority, emotion is discouraged; residents have 'connections' rather than friends. There is no religion, no creativity, no literature, and sex is outlawed, seen as dirty. Children are created by artificial means only. Details of the country's history is available from the 'Knowledge Fountain', but there is little information available about life before the Citidomes. However, underneath all this shallow perfection and unquestioning conformity there is a rumbling of discontent; the 'subversive thinkers' want to discover the truth, and find out if life on the outside is really as savage as they are told...
I suppose this is the modern '1984'! Aside from being entertaining, it all seemed frighteningly possible, especially when I found out, later, what really happened to the UK back in 2065. I'm very interested in the way the population can be controlled by those in power, in ways more underhand and seemingly innocuous than many imagine (who needs Big Brother when you have the internet?), and how quickly what once seemed to be a ludicrous idea can very quickly become accepted as the norm. This book is a brilliant portrayal of subtle mind control.
Of course, a great story is only as good as the way it's told, and this is SO well written, the superficial atmosphere and hidden horror of life in State 11 Citidomes told so artfully. Once the book moves outside (to what was Derbyshire), I loved reading Ms Mountfort's vision of a country left to its own devices for over a hundred years, and how her Citidome residents discovered the old, forgotten ways of their ancestors.
Although the main character, Caia, is only seventeen, I didn't realise the book came under the heading 'YA' until I came to write the review; there's certainly plenty to think about in it that I perhaps wouldn't have seen if I'd read it when I was sixteen!
A terrific novel, I'm so glad it came my way and, Katrina Mountfort, this is me hassling you for the next one in the series NOW!
August 19, 2015
It’s the latter half of the 22nd century and the population of the UK, now known as State 11, live in Citidomes, controlled environments in which everyone is encouraged to look, think and act in a certain way. The inhabitants are dominated by Mind Values which suppress negative emotions to facilitate a peaceful but subjugated existence. Emotional attachments and regular relationships are prevented. Accommodation comprises four resmates to each unit with no outward signs of friendships, people are just interested in how many connections they can acquire. Body perfection is encouraged and anyone not conforming to the standard is belittled and looked down upon. The residents of the Citidomes are controlled by fear of viruses and severe, degrading punishments by the correction enforcers.
Caia, just graduated from the Academic centre, is assigned to B2 residences and her new resmates, with whom she has virtually nothing in common. Meeting Mac, a suspected nonconformist, as she takes up her new position as researcher at the Ministry of Biotechnology, makes Caia begin to question the values and standards of life in the Citidomes. As the attraction between herself and Mac grows she begins cautiously searching the forbidden information sites and becomes aware how contrived everything seems to be. When she and Mac are sent on an outdoor mission it marks the beginning of a complete change in their lives.
Some members of the Citidomes have escaped and built communities in abandoned villages and towns on the outside. Life is hard and very much back to basics. It’s a big leap from the protected and sterile atmosphere of the Citidomes to the rigours of life on the outside, but they’re free to live productive and more normal lives.
Future Perfect is a terrific and well written debut novel. It’s fascinating to follow the story from Caia’s point of view, witnessing her realisation the superficiality of the utopian society she lives in is far from perfect, her ensuing struggles with the feelings she doesn’t initially understand for Mac. After a lifetime of conditioning her beliefs are undergoing a change and she finds it hard to accept that having a loving relationship and ‘coupling’ is gross and dirty as she’s been taught. I love the descriptions of Caia’s discoveries in the real world, from snowflakes to bluebells, the whole concept of being ‘outside’ and able to think and speak for herself without reprisal.
Katrina Mountfort has very cleverly and subtly anticipated and developed the shallowness of, preoccupation with, and devotion to, celebrity perfection and reality TV. It’s unhealthily prevalent and all important to most of the Citidome dwellers. Together with the oppression practised on the populace it’s a frightening yet, at the same time, believable concept of a dystopian future.
Caia, just graduated from the Academic centre, is assigned to B2 residences and her new resmates, with whom she has virtually nothing in common. Meeting Mac, a suspected nonconformist, as she takes up her new position as researcher at the Ministry of Biotechnology, makes Caia begin to question the values and standards of life in the Citidomes. As the attraction between herself and Mac grows she begins cautiously searching the forbidden information sites and becomes aware how contrived everything seems to be. When she and Mac are sent on an outdoor mission it marks the beginning of a complete change in their lives.
Some members of the Citidomes have escaped and built communities in abandoned villages and towns on the outside. Life is hard and very much back to basics. It’s a big leap from the protected and sterile atmosphere of the Citidomes to the rigours of life on the outside, but they’re free to live productive and more normal lives.
Future Perfect is a terrific and well written debut novel. It’s fascinating to follow the story from Caia’s point of view, witnessing her realisation the superficiality of the utopian society she lives in is far from perfect, her ensuing struggles with the feelings she doesn’t initially understand for Mac. After a lifetime of conditioning her beliefs are undergoing a change and she finds it hard to accept that having a loving relationship and ‘coupling’ is gross and dirty as she’s been taught. I love the descriptions of Caia’s discoveries in the real world, from snowflakes to bluebells, the whole concept of being ‘outside’ and able to think and speak for herself without reprisal.
Katrina Mountfort has very cleverly and subtly anticipated and developed the shallowness of, preoccupation with, and devotion to, celebrity perfection and reality TV. It’s unhealthily prevalent and all important to most of the Citidome dwellers. Together with the oppression practised on the populace it’s a frightening yet, at the same time, believable concept of a dystopian future.
January 1, 2021
The year is 2181 and 17 year old Caia is beginning her first job with the Ministry of State 11 which used to be called London. But State 11 is very different to the London that we know today. The citizens live in isolated Citidomes, marriage and sex are outlawed, and people are discouraged from becoming too attached to each other, asking too many questions, or feeling any kind of intense emotion. There is no such thing as religion and children are created by artificial methods. The citizens of State 11 are all striving to reach BodyPerfect status— which is tall, anorexic and androgynous— and anybody who is not considered BodyPerfect is bullied and humiliated. Information, particularly about the world outside, is limited and controlled by the government. Anybody who doesn’t toe the line is labelled as a ‘subversive thinker’ and disappears and couples who do have sex will catch the TJB virus and break out in red marks on their skin.
Through the ‘truth exchange’ and her secret conversations with her subversive new colleague, Mac, Caia slowly begins to piece together the truth about State 11. She also develops her very first crush. When Mac and Caia are sent outside the Citidome on a work mission they are finally able to act on their mutual feelings and decide that they have to hatch a plan to escape and live together in freedom.
I found many parallels between Future Perfect and George Orwell’s 1984, particularly since I have only recently completed a rather intense essay on Orwell and the collapse of the private and public spheres. I think that we really do need to start thinking about the way the world is heading and how privacy is becoming an increasingly elusive concept.
I loved Future Perfect and wait to read the next installment.
Originally posted at https://scatterbooker.wordpress.com/2...
Through the ‘truth exchange’ and her secret conversations with her subversive new colleague, Mac, Caia slowly begins to piece together the truth about State 11. She also develops her very first crush. When Mac and Caia are sent outside the Citidome on a work mission they are finally able to act on their mutual feelings and decide that they have to hatch a plan to escape and live together in freedom.
I found many parallels between Future Perfect and George Orwell’s 1984, particularly since I have only recently completed a rather intense essay on Orwell and the collapse of the private and public spheres. I think that we really do need to start thinking about the way the world is heading and how privacy is becoming an increasingly elusive concept.
I loved Future Perfect and wait to read the next installment.
Originally posted at https://scatterbooker.wordpress.com/2...
July 16, 2015
What a terrific debut novel! Katrina Mountfort has created a fascinating and frightening future, cleverly developing many of the negative aspects of today's society into a disturbing and believable conclusion. Yet, despite the darkness, Future Perfect, an apt and ironic title, is a beautifully written story of love, discovery and hope as we follow Caia, the heroine, on her traumatic journey. I can't wait for the next instalment of the trilogy.
March 17, 2015
The storyline of Future Perfect is heart-breaking in its truthfulness. It is a realistic storyline of life in a government collapse-and-realignment constructed dystopian setting, where life is hard and decisions are harder. I treasured Future Perfect's closeness to reality, the nearest to realistic that you can get for a futuristic dystopian world. The book explores the effects of oppression on humanity's natural instincts. Society has narrowed everyone's horizons into Citidomes, a proposed perfect world where everyone's goals are the same: superficial physical alterations and materialistic social climbing with a search for “perfect” being the materialistic basis for life.
A few Citidome dwellers during the years have managed to escape and lead a harsh but free life outside the Citidomes. This small scale life continues in the old towns and villages that were abandoned in the transition into Citidome living. Within the morally skewed world of the Citidome we follow the lives of odd-one-out Caia and the rebellious Mac.
Mac's loyalties are clear; to a free life on the outside. Mac is a born rebel for the cause. He believes in a better world outside, living in the colonies. He is meant for a world with no oppression or materialistic values and because of these principles, he constantly openly challenges the laws of the Citidome.
Caia simply doesn't fit in with the others around her, physically or mentally. She cannot find their materialistic values important, or find the reason to try. When she meets Mac, her thoughts are able to take wing and be voiced. Caia is torn, between escaping to a new life with Mac on the outside and fear-tainted loyalty to the only life she's ever known in the Citidome. Actively going against the laws of the Citidome in pursuit of brighter horizons may be one step too far for them both.
In these divided perspectives one person's perfection is another's oppression. As we learn from Caia and Mac, perfection stands in the eye of the beholder. As we learn more about both Citidome life and outside life, we have to decide what definition of “perfect” we choose to live by. As the corruption of the Citidomes begins to show so does the harshness of life outside the walls. I enjoyed the questioning nature of the divided, yet co-existing lives of the Citidomes and the outside. They are ran by completely different ideas of happiness, healthiness, working; of just living. I couldn't agree more with the synopsis that Future Perfect "will appeal to both an adult and young adult audience," I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend to all.
UK version:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Future-Perfec...
US version:
http://www.amazon.com/Future-Perfect-...
March 29, 2015
Four very well deserved stars for this creepy vision of a false Utopia. Inside the Citidomes, everything is provided for each citizen - residences, companionship in the form of contacts and resmates, food appropriate to each individuals needs and meaningful work. Well, meaningful to the individual.
Caia is dissatisfied and has started to question her apparently perfect life before she even realizes it. Sure she has everything she technically needs and there are luxuries like 'bliss' (a drug that produces a relaxed semi euphoric state) and thrill pills (which simulate sexual pleasure since the real thing is considered the 'animal act' and coupling is illegal), so why does she feel there is something missing? She has already accepted that she'll never reach the standards of BodyPerfect but that's ok - she's more intelligent than all of them. Why does the fate of the 'marked' disturb her? And just what are her feelings for her superior, Mac? Because if it's attraction disorder she is in real trouble... And then Caia finds out that outside the Citidomes is a life she never dreamed of...
Fast paced (occasionally a little too fast paced), brutal and unflinchingly honest, this is a cynical look at where the cults of celebrity and self are leading us. A place where control is disguised as status and personal beauty is valued above competence and cleverness. Disturbing in it's elitist plausibility this nevertheless has an uplifting message where the value of individuality can be reclaimed and valued.
My only quibble is that while Caia is a questioner and undoubtably brave, she is also rather passive, requiring events or other people to kick her into gear. It makes some sense when you consider how young she is and how she is overcoming a life time of conditioning I suppose and when she is galvanized, she is magnificent.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to book two. Highly recommended for fans of YA dystopian fiction.
Caia is dissatisfied and has started to question her apparently perfect life before she even realizes it. Sure she has everything she technically needs and there are luxuries like 'bliss' (a drug that produces a relaxed semi euphoric state) and thrill pills (which simulate sexual pleasure since the real thing is considered the 'animal act' and coupling is illegal), so why does she feel there is something missing? She has already accepted that she'll never reach the standards of BodyPerfect but that's ok - she's more intelligent than all of them. Why does the fate of the 'marked' disturb her? And just what are her feelings for her superior, Mac? Because if it's attraction disorder she is in real trouble... And then Caia finds out that outside the Citidomes is a life she never dreamed of...
Fast paced (occasionally a little too fast paced), brutal and unflinchingly honest, this is a cynical look at where the cults of celebrity and self are leading us. A place where control is disguised as status and personal beauty is valued above competence and cleverness. Disturbing in it's elitist plausibility this nevertheless has an uplifting message where the value of individuality can be reclaimed and valued.
My only quibble is that while Caia is a questioner and undoubtably brave, she is also rather passive, requiring events or other people to kick her into gear. It makes some sense when you consider how young she is and how she is overcoming a life time of conditioning I suppose and when she is galvanized, she is magnificent.
Thoroughly enjoyed this and am looking forward to book two. Highly recommended for fans of YA dystopian fiction.
January 19, 2015
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Katrina Mountfort's Future Perfect was a pleasant surprise for me. It's one of the most entertaining and intriguing young adult science fiction novels I've read during the last couple of years. The story was so entertaining that it kept me glued to the novel until I reached the last page (this seldom happens when I read this YA science fiction).
Future Perfect is one of those rare sci-fi novels that can be recommended to both adults and young adults alike. It has the ability to attract both readerships, because there's something in it for everybody. In my opinion this novel is mostly YA science fiction, but it also contains adult elements.
I have to confess that I normally avoid reading young adult science fiction novels, because there have been many occasions when I've been frustrated and annoyed with the low quality of YA science fiction. YA science fiction has become so popular that many authors dish out bad and mediocre novels and expect people to read them, although there's very little to enjoy in them. Fortunately, Future Perfect was a good novel that lacked the annoying elements that can be found in way too many similar kind of novels. It was nice to read a good and well written novel for a change (the only other similar kind of a YA sci-fi novel that has managed to impress me as much as this novel is John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard's Conquest).
I think that everybody who has read young adult science fiction will be impressed by Future Perfect, because it has the best possible YA science fiction elements in it. The story contains many well-known and popular YA and sci-fi elements and Katrina Mountfort uses them well. She doesn't annoy her readers with these elements, but keeps the story intriguing. She has managed to create a story that's full of life, excitement and real human emotions.
Future Perfect is basically a story about change and acceptance, but there's also more to it, because the author addresses such difficult issues as intimacy, sex, relationships and changes in the society in an interesting way. There's an amazing amount of emotional depth in this novel that is lacking from other similar kind of novels. I found it refreshing that the author was able to write about feelings in a believable way.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- A virus has affected many people and the ones that have been Marked by it have been ejected from the Citidomes and detained in correction centres. Some of the affected people have escaped...
- Caia has just graduated from the academic centre and will be working as a researcher at the Ministry of Biotechnology. When Caia goes to work, she meets Mac and is attracted to him. She's warned about him and his possible subversive thinking, but she likes him. Mac tells Caia about forbidden things and she becomes fascinated by the truth. Caia finds herself questioning the values and the rules that she was taught to live by. Her life begins to change...
- When Caia and Mac go on an outdoor mission for a couple of days, Caia's life changes even more as she learns new things of what it is like to live outside the Citidome...
The story is told from Caia's point of view. I think it's good that the author writes about the happenings from Caia's perspective, because readers can easily relate to her problems and feelings.
Here's a bit of information about the main characters:
- Caia is an intelligent young woman who has different kind of looks than everybody else. She doesn't quite understand why people want to be part of the BodyPerfect cult. She doesn't like parties and doesn't enjoy the same things as others. She loves to learn new things and is interested in different things than her resmates. Caia is puzzled about many things, including skin colour, because young people look more homogeneous than older people.
- Mac is Caia's colleague. He differs from other persons, because he's not interested in the same kind of things as others. He's a bit similar kind of a person as Caia. Mac helps Caia at work and he talks to her about many things related to the society etc.
The minor characters are also interesting. It was especially interesting to read about Uma who was into beauty, fashion and parties. The author wrote well about Uma's passion for shallow life, good looks and parties.
It was fascinating to read about how Caia had to struggle with her feelings, because getting close to somebody and being intimate with another person were not allowed in the society. She had to accept her feelings, because she was attracted to Mac and wanted to spend time with him.
The romance between Caia and Mac is handled exceptionally well, because they gradually begin to develop feelings for each other. Although they liked each other from the first time they saw each other, it wasn't easy for them to tell what kind of feelings they had, because the society didn't approve of intimate relationships. In my opinion the author writes fluently about what's going on between Caia and Mac and how they begin to fall in love with each other.
Katrina Mountfort has created an intriguing future world, because she writes about what kind of life people have in the Citidomes and what happens outside the Citidomes. Everything is clean, neat and healthy inside the domes, but the outside world is totally different from the almost sterile life inside the Citidomes, because such diseases as influenza and bronchitis can be found there. The Citidomes have sheltered people from weather, sun, humidity, coldness and diseases and humankind has gradually adapted to a new way of living.
Life inside the Citidomes is controlled, sheltered and peaceful, but it's a life full of fear and loneliness, because if you happen to be different, you have to be careful not to get caught or you'll be taken to the correction centres. If you think differently about what life should be like and you are too loud about your opinions, your life may suddenly change and you may lose your work and will be forced to work and live elsewhere, or you may find yourself in a correction centre (one wrong move could cause you many problems).
In my opinion the author's descriptions of life outside the Citidomes were captivating, because she wrote beautifully about what it is like to be free and what kind of difficulties and pleasures free people experience in their everyday life. She wrote lovingly about farm life and the simple pleasures that life has to offer for all of us.
It was intriguing to read about the Mind Values and what kind of effect they had on the characters' lives. The Mind Values have eradicated negative thoughts, hatred, dissatisfaction, greed, envy and jealousy, because they caused problems, crimes and wars. Attachment and feelings towards other people are unhealthy and they make people unhappy. Close relationships are not couraged and a person could be transfered to another city sector or even another Citidome for being too close to somebody. The society has become peaceful, but humanity has lost a lot - including compassion and love - over the years. There's also hypocrisy, because obese and short people are not offered good jobs and they can't provide stem cells.
Issues related to sex and sexuality are handled well in this novel. I think that readers will appreciate it that the author writes surpriginly boldly about sexuality and feelings related to sex, because when you fall in love you develop sexual feelings towards your partner and you have to deal with them.
Katrina Mountfort writes well about how people worship beauty and want to look elegant and stylish. The society has changed a lot and the BodyPerfect cult encourages an androgynous appearance and beauty is respected. Many people have similar kind of looks and people want to be beautiful.
The society has interesting views about coupling, because coupling is considered to be gross and indecent. Coupling is also considered to cause Marks on the persons who do it. The society has replaced sex by exercise, because exercise subjugates sexual urges. The society has changed so much that having babies has also become a bit different and mothers can't grow their own children.
One of the most important things that makes this novel work well is that there's humour and satirical elements in it that are seldom found in this kind of fiction. The references to BodyPerfects are often funny and delightfully sharp. The worship of beauty has become so popular in the society that it has risen to almost grotesque and unhealthy heights. The author's descriptions of certain characters and their actions are wonderfully satirical and sharp, because they seem to respect only beauty and good health and they're narcissistic.
Katrina Mountfort is a talented author who writes intriguing science fiction that has both depth and style in it. In my opinion it's rare that an author who writes science fiction with young adults elements is capable of writing this well, because many authors seem to have problems with this kind of fiction. I respect the author for not underestimating the intelligence of her target audience. I look forward to reading the second instalment in this series, because this novel was good entertainment.
This novel can be recommended to readers who have read novels written by Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth and John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. It stands proudly side by side with them as one of the best modern YA sci-fi novels ever written, because the story is good and the author's passion for storytelling shines through it.
I give Future Perfect 4.5 stars on the scale from 1 to 5 stars, because it's a well written and fascinatingly satirical look at the future of mankind (I was impressed by the author's dark vision of the future where being different was considered to be bad and asking too many questions could cause problems).
Future Perfect is a satisfying and well-told science fiction story for readers who enjoy reading young adult science fiction and who want to read good stories that have depth in them. This novel is not annoying fluff like most YA sci-fi novels, but pure quality full of depth, feelings and excitement. I'm sure that this sci-fi novel will appeal to many readers regardless of their gender and age.
Entertaining and thought-provoking science fiction for young adults and adults!
Katrina Mountfort's Future Perfect was a pleasant surprise for me. It's one of the most entertaining and intriguing young adult science fiction novels I've read during the last couple of years. The story was so entertaining that it kept me glued to the novel until I reached the last page (this seldom happens when I read this YA science fiction).
Future Perfect is one of those rare sci-fi novels that can be recommended to both adults and young adults alike. It has the ability to attract both readerships, because there's something in it for everybody. In my opinion this novel is mostly YA science fiction, but it also contains adult elements.
I have to confess that I normally avoid reading young adult science fiction novels, because there have been many occasions when I've been frustrated and annoyed with the low quality of YA science fiction. YA science fiction has become so popular that many authors dish out bad and mediocre novels and expect people to read them, although there's very little to enjoy in them. Fortunately, Future Perfect was a good novel that lacked the annoying elements that can be found in way too many similar kind of novels. It was nice to read a good and well written novel for a change (the only other similar kind of a YA sci-fi novel that has managed to impress me as much as this novel is John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard's Conquest).
I think that everybody who has read young adult science fiction will be impressed by Future Perfect, because it has the best possible YA science fiction elements in it. The story contains many well-known and popular YA and sci-fi elements and Katrina Mountfort uses them well. She doesn't annoy her readers with these elements, but keeps the story intriguing. She has managed to create a story that's full of life, excitement and real human emotions.
Future Perfect is basically a story about change and acceptance, but there's also more to it, because the author addresses such difficult issues as intimacy, sex, relationships and changes in the society in an interesting way. There's an amazing amount of emotional depth in this novel that is lacking from other similar kind of novels. I found it refreshing that the author was able to write about feelings in a believable way.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- A virus has affected many people and the ones that have been Marked by it have been ejected from the Citidomes and detained in correction centres. Some of the affected people have escaped...
- Caia has just graduated from the academic centre and will be working as a researcher at the Ministry of Biotechnology. When Caia goes to work, she meets Mac and is attracted to him. She's warned about him and his possible subversive thinking, but she likes him. Mac tells Caia about forbidden things and she becomes fascinated by the truth. Caia finds herself questioning the values and the rules that she was taught to live by. Her life begins to change...
- When Caia and Mac go on an outdoor mission for a couple of days, Caia's life changes even more as she learns new things of what it is like to live outside the Citidome...
The story is told from Caia's point of view. I think it's good that the author writes about the happenings from Caia's perspective, because readers can easily relate to her problems and feelings.
Here's a bit of information about the main characters:
- Caia is an intelligent young woman who has different kind of looks than everybody else. She doesn't quite understand why people want to be part of the BodyPerfect cult. She doesn't like parties and doesn't enjoy the same things as others. She loves to learn new things and is interested in different things than her resmates. Caia is puzzled about many things, including skin colour, because young people look more homogeneous than older people.
- Mac is Caia's colleague. He differs from other persons, because he's not interested in the same kind of things as others. He's a bit similar kind of a person as Caia. Mac helps Caia at work and he talks to her about many things related to the society etc.
The minor characters are also interesting. It was especially interesting to read about Uma who was into beauty, fashion and parties. The author wrote well about Uma's passion for shallow life, good looks and parties.
It was fascinating to read about how Caia had to struggle with her feelings, because getting close to somebody and being intimate with another person were not allowed in the society. She had to accept her feelings, because she was attracted to Mac and wanted to spend time with him.
The romance between Caia and Mac is handled exceptionally well, because they gradually begin to develop feelings for each other. Although they liked each other from the first time they saw each other, it wasn't easy for them to tell what kind of feelings they had, because the society didn't approve of intimate relationships. In my opinion the author writes fluently about what's going on between Caia and Mac and how they begin to fall in love with each other.
Katrina Mountfort has created an intriguing future world, because she writes about what kind of life people have in the Citidomes and what happens outside the Citidomes. Everything is clean, neat and healthy inside the domes, but the outside world is totally different from the almost sterile life inside the Citidomes, because such diseases as influenza and bronchitis can be found there. The Citidomes have sheltered people from weather, sun, humidity, coldness and diseases and humankind has gradually adapted to a new way of living.
Life inside the Citidomes is controlled, sheltered and peaceful, but it's a life full of fear and loneliness, because if you happen to be different, you have to be careful not to get caught or you'll be taken to the correction centres. If you think differently about what life should be like and you are too loud about your opinions, your life may suddenly change and you may lose your work and will be forced to work and live elsewhere, or you may find yourself in a correction centre (one wrong move could cause you many problems).
In my opinion the author's descriptions of life outside the Citidomes were captivating, because she wrote beautifully about what it is like to be free and what kind of difficulties and pleasures free people experience in their everyday life. She wrote lovingly about farm life and the simple pleasures that life has to offer for all of us.
It was intriguing to read about the Mind Values and what kind of effect they had on the characters' lives. The Mind Values have eradicated negative thoughts, hatred, dissatisfaction, greed, envy and jealousy, because they caused problems, crimes and wars. Attachment and feelings towards other people are unhealthy and they make people unhappy. Close relationships are not couraged and a person could be transfered to another city sector or even another Citidome for being too close to somebody. The society has become peaceful, but humanity has lost a lot - including compassion and love - over the years. There's also hypocrisy, because obese and short people are not offered good jobs and they can't provide stem cells.
Issues related to sex and sexuality are handled well in this novel. I think that readers will appreciate it that the author writes surpriginly boldly about sexuality and feelings related to sex, because when you fall in love you develop sexual feelings towards your partner and you have to deal with them.
Katrina Mountfort writes well about how people worship beauty and want to look elegant and stylish. The society has changed a lot and the BodyPerfect cult encourages an androgynous appearance and beauty is respected. Many people have similar kind of looks and people want to be beautiful.
The society has interesting views about coupling, because coupling is considered to be gross and indecent. Coupling is also considered to cause Marks on the persons who do it. The society has replaced sex by exercise, because exercise subjugates sexual urges. The society has changed so much that having babies has also become a bit different and mothers can't grow their own children.
One of the most important things that makes this novel work well is that there's humour and satirical elements in it that are seldom found in this kind of fiction. The references to BodyPerfects are often funny and delightfully sharp. The worship of beauty has become so popular in the society that it has risen to almost grotesque and unhealthy heights. The author's descriptions of certain characters and their actions are wonderfully satirical and sharp, because they seem to respect only beauty and good health and they're narcissistic.
Katrina Mountfort is a talented author who writes intriguing science fiction that has both depth and style in it. In my opinion it's rare that an author who writes science fiction with young adults elements is capable of writing this well, because many authors seem to have problems with this kind of fiction. I respect the author for not underestimating the intelligence of her target audience. I look forward to reading the second instalment in this series, because this novel was good entertainment.
This novel can be recommended to readers who have read novels written by Suzanne Collins, Veronica Roth and John Connolly and Jennifer Ridyard. It stands proudly side by side with them as one of the best modern YA sci-fi novels ever written, because the story is good and the author's passion for storytelling shines through it.
I give Future Perfect 4.5 stars on the scale from 1 to 5 stars, because it's a well written and fascinatingly satirical look at the future of mankind (I was impressed by the author's dark vision of the future where being different was considered to be bad and asking too many questions could cause problems).
Future Perfect is a satisfying and well-told science fiction story for readers who enjoy reading young adult science fiction and who want to read good stories that have depth in them. This novel is not annoying fluff like most YA sci-fi novels, but pure quality full of depth, feelings and excitement. I'm sure that this sci-fi novel will appeal to many readers regardless of their gender and age.
Entertaining and thought-provoking science fiction for young adults and adults!
April 13, 2015
I have to admit, give me the old tale of a ‘perfect’ future society confined to a city encased beneath under a huge dome, and I’m sold – and Future Perfect certainly did not disappoint.
Future Perfect pays homage to a wealth of classic SF in its influences, and really doesn’t try and hide the fact. This really is a modern take on classic utopian/dystopian scenarios, but its originality really lies in the subtleties, such as the satirical takes on Social Media, Reality TV and the celebrity obsession with perfect appearances.
As one might expect, this is the story of escape, and the discovery of what truths lie in the world outside the dome. Our lead characters Caia and Mac are wonderfully developed, and as your female lead, you really get to know Caia on a very personal level! A large part of the story’s merit lies in the strength of its characters and easy flowing pace and narrative, which make Future Perfect a real page turner.
All told from Caia's point of view, you really go on the journey with her, often to the most intimate places, which make it a very absorbing read. The world of Citidome life is fantastically realised, and enough time is spent in this environment to really get to know it – plus there is a basis of some real credible science. Likewise, the locations of the outside world are well thought out and researched (and the fact that it happens to be set in some places I know very well made the story all the more believable and enjoyable).
This is a book that will appeal to both adult and young adult audiences. It achieves a nice middle ground, and although I may have liked to see things go even darker in parts, at no point did I feel like I was reading something aimed at a specific age group.
Future Perfect is gritty and realistic – a superbly written and excellent take on the classic genre, which will leave you yearning for the next installment.
Future Perfect pays homage to a wealth of classic SF in its influences, and really doesn’t try and hide the fact. This really is a modern take on classic utopian/dystopian scenarios, but its originality really lies in the subtleties, such as the satirical takes on Social Media, Reality TV and the celebrity obsession with perfect appearances.
As one might expect, this is the story of escape, and the discovery of what truths lie in the world outside the dome. Our lead characters Caia and Mac are wonderfully developed, and as your female lead, you really get to know Caia on a very personal level! A large part of the story’s merit lies in the strength of its characters and easy flowing pace and narrative, which make Future Perfect a real page turner.
All told from Caia's point of view, you really go on the journey with her, often to the most intimate places, which make it a very absorbing read. The world of Citidome life is fantastically realised, and enough time is spent in this environment to really get to know it – plus there is a basis of some real credible science. Likewise, the locations of the outside world are well thought out and researched (and the fact that it happens to be set in some places I know very well made the story all the more believable and enjoyable).
This is a book that will appeal to both adult and young adult audiences. It achieves a nice middle ground, and although I may have liked to see things go even darker in parts, at no point did I feel like I was reading something aimed at a specific age group.
Future Perfect is gritty and realistic – a superbly written and excellent take on the classic genre, which will leave you yearning for the next installment.
October 16, 2014
Future Perfect is a great YA dystopian satire of today's shallow, celeb-infatuated culture. It's the late 22nd Century. After a biological terrorist attack the bulk of humanity live in secluded domes. All strive to reach the pinnacle of body perfect status, an androgynous state that leaves little difference between the sexes. It is a perfect world where everything is provided for but relationships are forbidden and friendships frowned upon. The majority are happy to live this way, spending the time not focussing on the perfect body image watching mindless and cruel entertainment shows, but for a few this life isn't enough.
Caia is a well-educated woman who finds her life turned upside down after meeting a new co-worker, Mac. Unsure of what is happening, Caia becomes drawn into a world of illicit attraction and forbidden knowledge.
This is a really good read that will appeal to fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent but brings in its own unique sensibility. Mountfort has skilfully drawn together a future that is both strange and horribly familiar. In Caia and Mac, she has created two characters that most will be able to identify with, capturing perfectly the emotions of early love through innocent eyes. There were a few occasions where I felt the angst was a little overpowering but that is probably due to my age than the writing itself. As the story progressed and their difficulties mounted, I found myself racing through the pages to find out what would happen. It wasn't what I expected. Recommended.
Caia is a well-educated woman who finds her life turned upside down after meeting a new co-worker, Mac. Unsure of what is happening, Caia becomes drawn into a world of illicit attraction and forbidden knowledge.
This is a really good read that will appeal to fans of the Hunger Games and Divergent but brings in its own unique sensibility. Mountfort has skilfully drawn together a future that is both strange and horribly familiar. In Caia and Mac, she has created two characters that most will be able to identify with, capturing perfectly the emotions of early love through innocent eyes. There were a few occasions where I felt the angst was a little overpowering but that is probably due to my age than the writing itself. As the story progressed and their difficulties mounted, I found myself racing through the pages to find out what would happen. It wasn't what I expected. Recommended.
December 3, 2023
Future Perfect, A Review. LAS.
This is an unusual story. Well written, great imagination, believable characters, satisfying details. I stayed up late and read it in one go.
This is an unusual story. Well written, great imagination, believable characters, satisfying details. I stayed up late and read it in one go.
October 5, 2014
“In the year 2525…
…if man is still alive. If woman can survive.”
In ‘Future Perfect’ it’s not quite 2525 but about 150 years into the future. Man is still alive and woman has survived, but love, attachment and ‘coupling’ between the two is strictly forbidden.
Teenager Caia is a scientist in this brave new world, living in a Citidome, which protects from the cruel and dirty outside world, together with ‘resmates’ who strive to achieve BodyPerfect status – superthin and androgynous. Caia is drawn to one of her colleagues, Mac, a rebel who questions the wisdom of the society in which they live. Their mission outside the Citidome leads to discoveries about themselves and the world that have devastating consequences.
‘Future Perfect’ is the first part of a trilogy and is a well-paced, highly involving story from which it’s difficult to tear yourself away. The first part sets the scene with the plausible future of 2171. The author has extrapolated many of the tendencies of today’s society – the detachment of the human race from nature and the obsession with superficial appearance – to create a world that feels uncomfortably familiar in some respects. Indeed, some elements, such as the increasingly grotesque and voyeuristic reality shows feel as if they could happen tomorrow, rather than in 150 years!
The pace cranks up in the second part of the book as Caia and Mac discover what lies beyond the Citidomes and carries the reader right through to the last page with hardly a pause for breath. I say hardly, because there are some beautiful and thought-provoking passages where Caia discovers the joys of the world outside – from snowflakes to a bluebell wood to books – for the first time.
It’s a cracking readable novel that touches on many worrying developments in today’s society while still carrying an overall message of hope for mankind. I would recommend it particularly for teenagers and look forward to the continuation of the Blueprint Trilogy.
…if man is still alive. If woman can survive.”
In ‘Future Perfect’ it’s not quite 2525 but about 150 years into the future. Man is still alive and woman has survived, but love, attachment and ‘coupling’ between the two is strictly forbidden.
Teenager Caia is a scientist in this brave new world, living in a Citidome, which protects from the cruel and dirty outside world, together with ‘resmates’ who strive to achieve BodyPerfect status – superthin and androgynous. Caia is drawn to one of her colleagues, Mac, a rebel who questions the wisdom of the society in which they live. Their mission outside the Citidome leads to discoveries about themselves and the world that have devastating consequences.
‘Future Perfect’ is the first part of a trilogy and is a well-paced, highly involving story from which it’s difficult to tear yourself away. The first part sets the scene with the plausible future of 2171. The author has extrapolated many of the tendencies of today’s society – the detachment of the human race from nature and the obsession with superficial appearance – to create a world that feels uncomfortably familiar in some respects. Indeed, some elements, such as the increasingly grotesque and voyeuristic reality shows feel as if they could happen tomorrow, rather than in 150 years!
The pace cranks up in the second part of the book as Caia and Mac discover what lies beyond the Citidomes and carries the reader right through to the last page with hardly a pause for breath. I say hardly, because there are some beautiful and thought-provoking passages where Caia discovers the joys of the world outside – from snowflakes to a bluebell wood to books – for the first time.
It’s a cracking readable novel that touches on many worrying developments in today’s society while still carrying an overall message of hope for mankind. I would recommend it particularly for teenagers and look forward to the continuation of the Blueprint Trilogy.
Read
October 12, 2015Following a bio-terrorist attack, the population now lives within domes where men and women are almost identical, personal relationships and attachment are forbidden, a BodyPerfect cult dictates the appearance to which everyone is striving, religion has been replaced with Mind Values. Every thought and action is monitored and controlled. People conform through fear. Curiosity is dangerous.
Unfortunately, Caia, the protagonist, has a habit of asking too many questions. She knows she shouldn’t take the risk as she seems to have it all. She’s highly educated, works in an important research role for the Government, known as the ‘Ministry’, and is surrounded by the luxuries of a dome. However, she feels a freak as a normal-shaped woman and fights to keep her attraction to one of her imperfect co-workers hidden, something that becomes increasingly difficult once she realises her feelings are reciprocated. When he introduces her to illegal, subversive thinking, something that fuels her curious mind, she is drawn into a forbidden world and, when the pair are sent on a mission outside the dome, her life changes irreversibly.
This isn’t just a story. Albeit extreme, it’s a comment on society. It warns of what could happen if our relentless drive for perfection and destructive tendencies continue.
Read the full Literary Lightbox article on Future Perfect here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/katri...
Unfortunately, Caia, the protagonist, has a habit of asking too many questions. She knows she shouldn’t take the risk as she seems to have it all. She’s highly educated, works in an important research role for the Government, known as the ‘Ministry’, and is surrounded by the luxuries of a dome. However, she feels a freak as a normal-shaped woman and fights to keep her attraction to one of her imperfect co-workers hidden, something that becomes increasingly difficult once she realises her feelings are reciprocated. When he introduces her to illegal, subversive thinking, something that fuels her curious mind, she is drawn into a forbidden world and, when the pair are sent on a mission outside the dome, her life changes irreversibly.
This isn’t just a story. Albeit extreme, it’s a comment on society. It warns of what could happen if our relentless drive for perfection and destructive tendencies continue.
Read the full Literary Lightbox article on Future Perfect here: http://www.literarylightbox.com/katri...
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