Neon Empire

by Drew Minh

Bold, colorful, and dangerously seductive, Eutopia is a new breed of hi-tech city. Rising out of the American desert, it’s a real-world manifestation of a social media network where fame-hungry desperados compete for likes and followers. But in Eutopia, the bloodier and more daring posts pay off the most. As crime rises, no one stands to gain more than Eutopia’s architects―and, of course, the shareholders who make the place possible.

This multiple-POV novel follows three characters as they navigate the city’s underworld. Cedric Travers, a has-been Hollywood director, comes to Eutopia looking for clues into his estranged wife’s disappearance. What he finds instead is a new career directing―not movies, but experiences. The star of the show: A’rore, the city’s icon and lead social media influencer. She’s panicking as her popularity wanes, and she'll do anything do avoid obscurity. Sacha Villanova, a tech and culture reporter, is on assignment to profile A’rore―but as she digs into Eutopia’s inner workings, she unearths a tangle of corporate corruption that threatens to sacrifice Cedric, A’rore, and even the city itself on the altar of stockholder greed.

"Minh creates a nonstop social media frenzy amid a rich cyberpunk landscape in this vivid debut." – Publishers Weekly

"Sci-fi fans will want to read this story of #SocialMediaDystopianism before it becomes a reality." - Kirkus Reviews

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Dystopia

250 pages, Paperback

First published September 17, 2019

About the author

Drew Minh is a digital strategist living in Los Angeles, CA. He has previously published short stories and nonfiction in 3AM, Word Riot, Litro UK and many others. NEON EMPIRE (coming out September 10, 2019) is his debut sci-fi novel.

Praise for Neon Empire:

"Minh creates a nonstop social media frenzy amid a rich cyberpunk landscape in this vivid debut." - Publishers Weekly

"Sci-fi fans will want to read this story of #SocialMediaDystopianism before it becomes a reality." - Kirkus Reviews

Reviews

[Jaidee (lost in Vegas for a few days) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 "on the pulse, hyperkinetic, fiercely vivid" stars !!

2019 Honorable Mention Read

A few months ago Mr. Minh offered me a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for a review. When he shared with me the premise of the book I unhesitatingly said YES !! An excellent decision I may add.

This book takes place in the near future, in the American Southwest, likely close to Vegas in the most artificially manufactured city named Eutopia. It is all of Europe's landmarks in one garish, brightly covered, superficially gorgeous place. You see Europe is falling apart. The young nouveau riche technocrats, celebrities, social media stars, criminals and wanna-bes need somewhere to be ridiculously catered to where any values or scruples are thrown out the window. What happens in Eutopia stays in Eutopia.

The world building in this book is absolutely technicolor and I could see everything in vivid 3D in my mind's eye. I was mesmerized, titillated, disgusted and covetous often within minutes. The degree of corruption, decadence and sheer ridiculousness will knock your socks off.

We follow four characters through a bit of a maze. We have a shady cop who receives kickbacks and is tailing all the other main character. An aging Hollywood director named Cedric who is looking to discover what happened to his wife who is implicated in the destruction of Eutopia's Louvre. We have A'rore the pansexual femme fatale with a fancy prosthetic leg who has more followers than anyone and drives Eutopia's social currency through sexcapades and other outrageous car chases and heists. Sasha, the reporter with a shady past who falls for both A'rore and Cedric and is on the hunt for the truth as what is really happening in Eutopia. The story is easy to follow and often very fast, fun and furious. I love the way the author namedrops celebrities of both today and tomorrow into the storyline.

There is so much fun here that I NEED there to be a sequel or preferably a whole series. I truly hope this book gets the readership it deserves.

Kudos Mr. Minh and I am so happy that you reached out to me. Rock on !

[jenn *mother of dragon & snake* · Rating 2 out of 5]

welp. another one of these damn arc's bites the dust. however, some people may like this because it kind of reminds me of blade runner. but it's just not for me.

i don't like being bored out of my goddamn mind when i read. i read to get out of my boredom.

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neon Empire is a fine dystopian science fiction novel in line with Aldous Huxley and George Orwell. It’s inviting and vividly described.

What I like most about this book is the way the author envisions a world that takes social media to an even more overt level. It’s intriguing to think about and a welcome addition to a genre I love.

Neon Empire plays the right notes of character and plot, and the result is enjoyable.

[Beas Chattaraj · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thank @netgalley for the free e-ARC.
Welcome to Eutopia, a city modelled on Europe, built on the American desert, where ad revenue is everything. This city is fuelled by social media, influencers and scandals. Robberies and car chases are faked, and streamed for all to see. Why? To generate revenues of course. Neon Empire is set in a near future, where hashtags and media frenzy are augmented versions of our own present. It is almost Orwellian, except people want to be watched. Fear of losing followers and trying anything to maintain the image on the billboards is everything. Like I said before, it is our present but in brighter and bolder colours.
The description is vivid. You will feel as if you are inside the city itself. It was almost psychedelic. Drew Mihn creates a world where virtues are few and vices are treasured, a world where reality and virtuality has a symbiotic relationship, a shallow world where being fake comes naturally, treasured even. Its scary to watch, for it can be very real in our world. Numbers are the gods seated upon neon thrones.
Inspite of such a detailed description, the characters were lackluster and had no depth. The narration seemed dry and unemotional. I couldn't figure out the plot. At times it did feel like I was wading through an ocean of information. The ending was strange and some mysteries were left unsolved. Is there going to be a sequel? I have no idea.
Overall, it was an interesting read. Sci-fi, dystopia and cyberpunk- a great combo. I wish it were less of a data dump and had more emotional elements. But I did get Altered Carbon vibes from it. If you are a hardcore fan of scifi and dystopian settings, you can try this. I rate it a 3.3 out of 5 stars.

[Realms & Robots · Rating 5 out of 5]

Neon Empire showcases masterful worldbuilding, giving us a setting that’s impossible to look away from. The story itself follows multiple characters as they interact with the city, all following their own story lines as they search for answers or fame or the next big break. It’s the city of Eutopia that stands out on every page, always inserting itself in some humorous or larger than life way. I love when setting takes a front seat along with storytelling, and this novel fits that bill expertly.

This is a city designed entirely for pleasure at every turn. We actually get to see snippets of the early days, watching as groups of marketers and developers figure out how to create the most addictive version of an adult theme park they can possibly come up with. Thus, Eutopia is born and becomes the destination for anyone looking to forget their old life at the city limits. Every street corner is a mix of European streets and monuments, mixed with enormous billboards and advertisements for sex-on-demand services, gambling, social media, and a special drug that keeps the party going for days on end. I was continuously amazed at the author’s inventiveness as the characters walk through the various parts of the city. Even when the city takes a backseat to the story, it’s so loud and proud of itself that it always pushes its way into the limelight, filling your mind with its many distractions.

Overall, Neon Empire is an excellent book with an interesting story and one of the most detailed settings I’ve seen. It’s a fascinating read through and through.

NOTE: I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, it can’t bode well for the book that it took me this long to remember it, coming to review it just two days after reading it. Or maybe it says more about…nah, can’t be my memory. Can it? Ok, I don’t want to consider it, ideally I would be reviewing books immediately upon finishing them, reviewing in bulk is practical, but challenging. But yeah, back to the book…it grabbed my attention with its dystopianish plot, like these things tend to do. It isn’t really a dystopia, though, and not quite steampunk either, but it is a commentary of a society all too reliant on its digital connections and gadgets and that doesn’t exactly spell out happy future, does it. The novel takes place in Eutopia (notice the spelling), a sort of hyperVegas, a place where European attractions have been recreated for the American tourists after Europe, shaken by nationalist uprisings, became too volatile to visit. Eutopia, bathed in neon and its own specific sort of desperation, never sleeps. It’s too hyperaware to even rest. It’s populated by attention seekers lacking attention spans. This world is only as exciting as the new hot thing, revolving screens of likes and followers, the mindless meaningless bright and shiny city. In a way Eutopia is a personification of the internet and it’s a scary one at that. Or maybe it’s the portrait of itself the internet stashes away in its attic. But at any rate Eutopia and its vivid representation are the real stars of the show here. Which is conceptually intriguing, but insufficient for a novel. The novel needs so much more to work and plot wise, the story just never lives up to its setting. There are several main characters, a movie director who comes to the city to finds out about his estranged wife’s disappearance, a superpopular social media celebrity and an investigative reporter. Those three interact as their lives intersect, but the main idea behind it all are the wizards behind the Eutopia curtains and their nefarious greed driven motivations. And the characters leave a lot to be desired, it seems they are never given the dimensionality the city around them has and their narratives don’t really follow any sort of traditional or even a nontraditional arc, they just exist. If Eutopia’s frantic neon appeal resembles all too strongly a video game, the players too seem to be mere video game characters. Not substantial enough to rest the story upon. In fact, only in death does one of them actually registers as a person and even then it’s mostly of a reactionary thing. So yeah, an interesting concept, great world building, insufficient characterizations. Quick read, flash, but not emotionally engaging. Much like Eutopia. Thanks Netgalley.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author, Drew Minh, sent me a pre-publication Kindle copy of "Neon Empire" to read and review.

"Neon Empire" is a plausible near-future dystopian tale. Imagine a city like Las Vegas, built from scratch in a remote desert location, with different sectors duplicating tourist highlights of Paris, Rome, Barcelona, and Berlin. The famous buildings and monuments are shells, filled inside with casinos, spas, and high-end consumer goods shops. The city is inhabited by a core population there to keep things running, vastly outnumbered by rotating hoards of tourists eager to see and tweet cell phone videos of their favorite celebrities (who can frequently be glimpsed whizzing by in Princess Diana-esque car chases, pursued by motorcycle-mounted paparazzi, taped by remotely-flown drones and broadcast on giant screens ... all fake of course). Life in Eutopia, especially for its branded celebs and the cell phone-wielding tourists, is a frenzy of social media and consumer shallowness. Kardashians carrying Hermes bags on the Strip writ large.

I say plausible because you have suspend just enough belief to accept the idea that normal people will in the near future be able to monetize their social media presence by tweeting about celebrity sightings and drawing vast followerships through hashtags. I dunno, maybe we are in fact getting to something like that. At any rate, I was willing to go along with it. And I'm glad I did, because "Neon Empire" is a rousing story with all the elements: missing persons, strange political and financial undercurrents driving events, drugs, sex, violent crime (both staged and real), murder, and did I mention sex?

At its core, "Neon Empire" is an old-fashioned morality play, and I don't say that to scoff. That's what draws most of us to novels (and TV shows and movies); that's what satisfies us in the end. If this novel merely depicted greed and fame, all reward and no punishment, it would be mere nihilism, and pointless ... too much like real life. Stay to the end. It's worth it, even if you can see the general outlines of it coming a long way away.

The world-building, characters, and story were more than enough to keep me turning pages, and you know what? I can see this Eutopia. Having lived in Las Vegas, knowing it as I do, I can see this next step. Drew Mihn is a sharp observer of the zeitgeist, and he's onto something.

[Louise · Rating 1 out of 5]

***ARC provided by Netgalley and California Coldblood Books & Rare Bird Books in exchange for an honest review***

DNF at 30%

I wanted to DNF it sooner but I thought I'd give it a better chance. I just can't. I have a hard time getting into the story as I find it pretty confusing. The synopsis of it make it sound very interesting and I love the idea of it completely as I can see social media actual taking over every little bit of our world and what we do, think and say in a near (not so near?) future.

I would probably like to give this a try at some point but I guess right now is not that time.

[Queen Cronut · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in a vibrant dystopian world reminiscent of Ready Player One and 1984, Neon Empire follows three characters as they navigate through Eutopia, a pulsating and energetic city where social media coverage and thrillseeking popularity run rampant.

Cedric Travers: a has-been director searching for his missing wife

A'rore: a celebrity desperately trying to maintain fame in an age where attention spans have greatly diminished

Sacha Villanova: a reporter profiling A'rore but her search leads to the discovery of corruption within Eutopia infrastructure

I loved the worldbuilding and the commentary Minh makes on this setting. Eutopia represents the promise of fame and fortune, a golden age in a sense, but underneath all the glitter lays the dangers of social media, drugs that last for weeks, and other unsavory ventures. Social media has been raised to a new level of awareness, attention seekers and celebrity-wannabes obsess over the limelight in hopes of making it big, while current celebrities struggle to maintain their followings in an oversaturated battlefield of stardom. It also delves in deeper and explores corporations monetizing profits from these deadly thrillseeking enterprises. If you couldn't tell, I loved this alternative universe because of how thought-provoking and well-developed it was in presenting its ideas.

I wasn't so fond of the plot though. I wasn't completely sure what was happening most of the time but the characters were easy enough to follow though I wasn't very engaged in their plotlines. I'm still confused about the ending... is there going to be a sequel or something because there was very little closure and the novel ends at an odd time.

*Thank you to NetGalley and California Coldblood Books publishers for providing a free ARC

[Sorceryoftomes · Rating 5 out of 5]

E-arc provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest opinion.

This book was beautifully written! I'm not a big fan of sci-fi novels but this one was really enjoyable. The world build did not disappoint me at all since It seemed like I was in there until the book ended.
After I read it I felt like I came back from an amazingly long journey. Loved it and I advise people to read it!

[Guy Portman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in the near future, Neon Empire is a dystopian sci-fi novel based in a high-tech city called Eutopia. The place is a latter-day combination of European cities, including Paris and London. Eutopia’s population are embroiled in a social media frenzy; an all-consuming obsession with superficial attention — likes, followers etc. The book centres around three characters — film director Cedric Travers, model and social media influencer A’rore, and reporter Sacha Villanova.

The scant storyline is submerged beneath a sea of detail entailing brands, clothes, beauty products, appearances and a plethora of names. To such an extent is this the case with this frenzied-paced, depthless offering that this reader was unable to discern the plot, and his confusion soon gave way to apathy.

Neon Empire’s digital strategist author may well have created an accurate reflection of where we are invariably heading as a society, but it comes at the expense of engagement and entertainment.

[Meredith Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one wild ride. I'm struggling to find words to adequately convey the effect of this novel. But here's my best attempt.

Eutopia is a city that's more than a city. Built on Navajo Nation territory, far-seeing developers have recreated all the highlights of Europe. Thus an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower shares the city with Buckingham Palace, the Coliseum, and the like. All replicas, of course.

Being built on confiscated Navajo land has financial benefits. Gambling and prostitution are legal. But that's not all. The entire city is high tech. Based on information from all the digital devices carried by residents and tourists, outdoor advertisements target those nearby. Financial incentives persuade people to live-broadcast their lives.

A chance to make money while having fun. What could be better?

But with their altered realities, both physical and virtual, and interactions with the city's commerce and social media, the humans have created another character: Eutopia.

It's not just a setting that comes to life and "feels" like a character, but a city that is a character. Moreover, it's a dynamic, malevolent character, one with an agenda that goes against human will. Eutopia exploits the humans. 

Like Dr. Frankenstein with his famous creature, the humans have set something in motion that they cannot control. Even the ones who believe that they are controlling Eutopia really aren't; the city spirals out of control like a person on a downward cycle into mental chaos, and it takes the humans with it.

I hope this makes sense. Several reviewers have noted that they felt distanced from the human characters or that the humans weren't fully developed. I sensed this, too.

But I also think this was intentional. This isn't a novel where the reader likes the characters. We aren't supposed to like them or dislike them; whether we do or don't doesn't matter. They are entirely shaped by the environment, which is the true protagonist/antihero.

It's easiest to see with this Cedric, who comes to Eutopia to find information on his missing wife and is sucked into the altered realities of the city. He claims to be working in "grey areas," yet it's clear (to us, at least) that he's lost perspective, integrity, and humanity.

Minh has plenty to say about social media, including how it affects sex, violence, reality, and the value of a human being. Brace yourself: some of it is downright sickening. One chapter title is "Sex is violence." It's a theme that Minh returns to multiple times. A'rore, Sacha, Cedric, police officer Monteiro: all participate in some version of this sickening theme.

It's even more sickening when you consider that this vision of Eutopia is a logical endpoint for where our culture's current direction.

This was a rich, rewarding read. Visiting the not-yet-existent Eutopia was a harrowing experience, even through the pages of a book. I'm glad that I don't live there! 

Thanks again to ColdBlood Books and Netgalley for a copy of Neon Empire in exchange for an honest review. 
(Note: this review will appear on my blog on September 20, 2019.)

[mylogicisfuzzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked Neon Empire a lot. It is a fairly short, engaging novel, very well paced and executed.

The setting – a Las Vegas/theme park-style city, Eutopia, conceived and developed by a media network to make maximum profit from social media is very well done, vivid and pulsating with (often seedy) energy. Inside Eutopia are mini capital cities of Europe - augmented, more experiential and interactive, since Europe itself has, due to populist uprisings, become unsafe for tourism. Wannabe influencers, tourists, wealthy Europeans (meta-style) and 'Transcational' youth (post millennial generation) visit Eutopia seeking thrills and hoping to become social media stars themselves. Neat concept. Only now, in its fourth year of existence, Eutopia is slightly past its prime as rival cities crop up across Asia and the exhaustive need for globally trending hashtags, media coverage and revenue becomes harder to achieve and maintain.

Minh has interesting things to say about fame, thrill-seeking and our obsession with danger and violence in particular and how all of these can be monetised for profit. There are no ethical considerations, Eutopia itself is not subject to certain laws, its police department is privately run for example, questionable drugs are freely available to buy and widely advertised. Social media ethics is very much a current topic (in real life I mean) and the novel made me think about how far would individuals and companies go for popularity/ profit, what is a ‘real’ experience when related to social media and so on.

I really liked what Minh did with the concept – there are many current references and the technology itself is pretty much available now (or will be very soon) and while a city like Eutopia doesn’t exist (yet), it is not particularly unrealistic or far fetched. The plot and the characters come somewhat secondary to the concept but that’s not really a criticism, I think it actually works better that way. A timely novel.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read Neon Empire.

[D L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neon Empire by Drew Minh is a curious book which I felt did not know what it wanted to be. Starting off with Cedric Travers visiting the city of Eutopia, a place entirely and knowingly indebted to Las Vegas, to collect his dead wife's belongings our protagonist is drawn into the mystery of what actually happened to his wife and the potential underground revolutionaries she might have been involved with.

Unfortunately after that, the mystery dies away and we are left with Cedric becoming a part the world of A'rore, a figurehead of the city and Sacha, an investigative reporter. Among this is a large amount of name dropping of current celebrity children and famous products which after a while becomes more distracting rather than making the story more convincing.

Following completion I feel this was the first of a series or trilogy about the characters and city, given a couple of loose ends and little strands in the story which did not go anywhere. The only problem is these areas should have been more prominent, helping to balance out and enhance the rest of the novel.

Neon Empire is well written and Drew Minh is one to look out for but there was not enough to draw me in or even return for any sequel.

This book was provided by Netgally for an honest review.

[Nicki Markus · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were many things I enjoyed about Neon Empire. Most notable was the premise, which does reflect a possible future world, given the way social media is heading. I liked A'rore and Cedric as characters; Sacha I found a little less well developed. Overall, the story held my interest throughout, and I was keen to see what would happen, but I would have liked something more from the ending. I had thought this was a standalone, but maybe there will be a second book, as one element of the plot remained up in the air at the conclusion. I am giving this book 3.5 stars and recommend it to readers who enjoy books set in the near future with a slight dystopian feel.

I received this book as a free eBook ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[Steph Warren · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC of this novel with thanks to the author and Meg Eden at California Coldblood Books. The decision to review and my opinions are my own.*

Neon Empire follows four different character threads as they navigate the brightly neon, darkly amoral streets of Eutopia – a near-future, manmade, marketing-optimised city where views and likes are the currency and sex and violence are the products.

Each character gives us a different insight and perspective on the real workings of Eutopia: Cedric’s search for his missing wife shows us the manipulative marketing concepts driving the events in the city behind the scenes; Monteiro’s covert shadowing of the main characters gives us an ‘official’ view of the city’s corrupt roots via its law enforcement; A’rore’s hectic schedule of appearances, shock stunts and pre-booked paparazzi car chases shows us the outward glamour of the ‘celebrity’ influencers and the work that goes into maintaining the illusion; and finally, Sacha is the old-fashioned investigative journalist trying to make sense of it all and uncover what really drives the city beneath the social-media frenzy.

The setting and tone are breathtakingly authentic, plunging the reader straight into the world of bright lights and hard edges, where nothing is authentic – everything is staged, planned, analysed, dissected and polished. The people visiting the city, and its inhabitants, are merely commodities to be rated, traded and moved around the playing board of the streets. It is all about seeing and being seen; advertising campaigns, selfies and what’s ‘in’ at the given moment.

Drew Minh dives into great detail on what runs a social media marketing campaign in terms of analytics and data science, which is fantastically informative for those interested in the subject, but can feel a little heavy for those reading more for the action and intrigue of the corruption/investigation plot. In fact, Cedric’s missing wife becomes less and less of a focus as the story unfolds – we being to see her disappearance is just another small event in a constant livestream of choreographed reality.

Neon Empire is a detailed exposé of what feels increasingly less like science-fiction and more like social inevitability! Ideal for fans of futuristic corporate espionage and corruption storylines.





Enhanced reality is what people had come to expect because, growing up, their cultural references had been Hollywood blockbusters, where a realistic pop from a gun didn’t have the same visceral impact as a boom augmented by sound engineers on Pro Tools. Like the advent of sound, then color, then CGI and AR, what he was doing now felt like the next logical step in the evolution of storytelling. By breaking the fourth wall, actually stepping into people’s lives, making them participants in the story they were creating, they were pioneering the cinema of the twenty-first century.

– Drew Minh, Neon Empire


Review by Steph Warren of Bookshine and Readbows blog
https://bookshineandreadbows.wordpres...

[YesIReadThat · Rating 3 out of 5]

E-ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A Cyberpunk-ish book about influencers in the future!
The story is set in a future version of our world - and Drew Minh really hits you over the head with this in the beginning. Autonomous cars, surveillance system, drones, technology we don’t know, mesh network, cryptocurrencies - WE CYBERPUNK NOW!
The story plays in the new city "Eutopia", which has different areas modeled after famous cities in europe. It's a city designed by media companies to generate maximum ad revenue profit and attract lots of people interested in europe, which apparently is overrun by immigrants (ooookay then). Mostly these people are established or inspiring influencers who post everything going on on their social media platforms.
Cedric Travers, an ex-hollywood director arrives in Eutopia after his wife dies in a weird and unclear way connected to a robbery in the Louvre. He meets other people in the city, tries to find out what happened to her and gets more and more involved with the city's celebrities until he finally works with the media team to further improve the cities ratings.

Overall I liked the concept of the book and it felt believable enough, even though all the buzzwords in the beginning REALLY threw me off. The story is established as a kind of mystery/detective storyline where we get to know this new city and its inhabitants. The writing style was pleasant and everything felt exiting and interesting in the beginning. After a while though, the storyline was almost suspended - I barely felt intrigued to get to the truth of Cedric's wifes death - which was good, because we never really found out for sure.
The ending itself was ok, but I feel like there was something missing that really made me love the book.

Still, some interesting characters, a unique setting and story and a pleasant writing style made this book enjoyable enough to read.

Youtube review coming on my channel closer to release.

[Lel Budge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in the near future, this is an artificial world in a city called Eutopia…which sounds to me how I imagine Vegas to be….with all the famous European landmarks in one, bright, neon, strobe lit place. Full of social media celebrities and ‘influencers’ vying for supremacy and a complete lack of scruples.

Eutopia is bright, flashy, decadent and so so seedy…..an upmarket Blackpool! Everything is an advert, a marketing opportunity…….scary in that we are not far off that now.

The story follows 3 main characters on their travels through this almost psychedelic world, there is a plot, with a missing person, politics and money but it really is about this dystopian world where money and fame drive everything, the real and manufactured events to raise those ratings… very clever and utterly terrifying.

Thank you to California Coldblood Books for the opportunity to read this for free. This is my honest and unbiased review.

[Ileana Renfroe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not sure if I would enjoy reading Neon Empire. I was pleasantly surprised and glad I had the chance to read this ARC. A well-written story and characters that kept me entertained until the very end.

Synopsis:
This multiple-POV novel follows three characters as they navigate the city’s underworld. Cedric Travers, a has-been Hollywood director, comes to Eutopia looking for clues into his estranged wife’s disappearance. What he finds instead is a new career directing—not movies, but experiences. The star of the show: A’rore, the city’s icon and lead social media influencer. She’s panicking as her popularity wanes, and she'll do anything do avoid obscurity. Sacha Villanova, a tech and culture reporter, is on assignment to profile A’rore—but as she digs into Eutopia’s inner workings, she unearths a tangle of corporate corruption that threatens to sacrifice Cedric, A’rore, and even the city itself on the altar of stockholder greed.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The city of Eutopia is very flashy, Billboards with ads promoting sex or anything else you may want abound. The city is filled with European attractions. Museums, streets, monuments and restaurants. Drugs are easy to get and aren't illegal. Influencers are all the rage and they compete fiercely for ratings.

Cedric Travers comes to Eutopia in search of answers. His estranged wife has disappeared and he is hoping to find out what really happened. He ends up meeting A'rore who is a top influencer and is fighting to stay on top. Sasha Villanova, is a reporter assigned to profile A'rore. Sasha starts digging and find more than any of them expected.

Neon Empire has some very cool world building. It's easy to imagine ourselves going down this road in the not so distant future. Black Mirror fans will like this book.

[ReadBecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested and received a copy for honest review, thanks to Netgalley and the publisher

Eutopia is a single city based on the landmarks of Europe. It is effectively a near future Vegas on steroids setting, fully integrated with social media and influencer culture as part of the basic function of the city. Tourists come and stream their experiences, a generation of "transactionals" trading their lifestyles as advertising to keep living in the city. However it prompts ever more desperate/intense measures to keep the attention of a social media audience.

We follow quite disparate pov characters; Cedric a one hit wonder director, A'rore the aging starlet at the top of the influencer pyramid in Eutopia, and investigative journalist Sasha. Cedric is a bit of a curmudgeon, well beyond the target age for the city and not even on social media, he's only there trying to find out what happened to his estranged wife after she disappeared in a supposed attack on a landmark. A'rore is driven, always pushing for the next drama or deal to keep her popularity up, but she's quickly nearing her expiration date as a hot young thing with the novelty of her as a disabled model (she has a prosthetic leg) that she managed to swing in her favor as unique, is now all too common with transhumanism being embraced and younger influencers who have tried to emulate her, she can't help but grapple with the fact she is losing hold of the only life she knows. Sasha is in a secret relationship with A'rore, while having a few secrets of her own, she's digging into the seedy underbelly of the city looking for a scoop that winds up connecting her to Cedric's own search for his missing wife.

Over all I really enjoyed this, however I have to say it really buried the lede. The first half was just alright for me, it took it's time at building up the world and characters (quite a bit of which ended in loose threads), sort of meandering with the plot, then suddenly over halfway through it absolutely took off. Cedric on his search for information is pulled into a position covertly directing viral social media events. The planning, the execution, discussion of data science and using analytics to assure success and influence... was fantastic! This is really the hook for the story, that should make you want to pick it up, but it takes it's time getting there so stick with it.

[veronicareadstoomuch · Rating 2 out of 5]

if i took a shot every time the author used the word "vermillion" in this book, i would be dead on the floor.

[J. (JL) Lange · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was much about this book that could be defined as 'mids,' but I think one of the biggest issues was how dated everything felt even after five years. I'll probably write about this more at a later date.

[Carola | adreamofpages]

*I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

Even though I really wanted to, I couldn't get into this book. When I first read the synopsis I was interested in the idea of how social media is gonna influence everything in whatever many years. Even though I thought the description of Eutopia made me think about those things. I couldn't see where this book is going and it didn't keep my interest to continue reading.

[Suanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Neon Empire is a dystopian novel in keeping with works by George Orwell and Aldous Huxley. The author vividly describes a plausible near-future world in which social media is even more overt than it is now. The city, Eutopia, has been built on a Native American Reservation and thus can avoid various legalities in other parts of America. Eutopic is like Las Vegas on steroids, with various sections of the city duplicating the Old World (Paris, Berlin, Rome, etc) as Europe is now under travel advisories. The buildings, like the Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile, are shells with the insides being stores for high-end consumer goods (Apple, trendy Italian designers, etc), spas, and casinos. Tourists can monetize their stays in the city. Life there is frenzied and glittering while f filled with drugs, sex, and murder and other violent crimes (some of which are staged and other real).

The world-building and story were enough to keep me turning pages. Jaded, manipulative, self-centered, and self-promoting, the characters were appropriate, in keeping with life in Eutopia, though not necessarily agreeable to read. There is a big plot point left hanging in the air, so perhaps a sequel is in order?

Not an enjoyable read, but a necessary one, as our culture is becoming more and more dominated by social media. Neon Empire shows us where we are heading—and it's more scary than 1984.

[Jypsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plausibility of Neon Empire is a bit scary. This Eutopia could happen, not immediately, but eventually. This story is a mirror of what society values, and the truth is just sad. Who are we becoming? It's well written and an interesting fast read. Thought provoking for sure! Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Lavender · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley.

The premise of Neon Empire was promising. I love reading about various interpretations of how the future might turn out and the vision presented in this book sounded plausible. It is written well, but it didn't really grab me. The characters all felt the same - jaded, manipulative, and only working towards their own goals. The world is described well, but I don't think I would want to know any of the people who live in it. They seem to lack emotions, which might have been intentional, but it made me connect to the characters less.

The central plot was intriguing and it did keep me engaged. Once you get used to the world of Eutopia, it's easier to follow what's happening. However, I was not a fan of the ending.

I really wanted to like this book and I'm sure many will but this wasn't for me.

[Louise Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The use of terms to explain some of the future tech were clever, the characters were flawed and well thought out, and the story was scarily believable to a future that we know is coming.

[Megan Forrest · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of dystopian/dysfunctional social media society novels. I was very excited by the idea of the novel and the society created here does not disappoint. The world is a beautiful (in its own way!), amazing creation and the descriptions are so vivid and active it truly does put you in the world.

The unfortunate thing for me was that the main character lacked any emotion at all, there was no way to make a connection with the characters in the novel. They lacked any kind of depth and could have been shadow puppets. Perhaps this was the point, but it made for hard reading.

As a functional world, it does have so many tie ins with our world and use of social media that it could be a bit of a wake-up call for many people...which is kind of the point with dystopian fiction, anyway, isn't it?