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Empire City
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The author of the “urgent and deeply moving” (The New York Times) Youngblood returns with this bold and provocative novel following a group of super-powered soldiers and civilians as they navigate an imperial America on the precipice of a major upheaval—for fans of The Fortress of Solitude and The Plot Against America.
Thirty years after its great triumph in Vietnam, the ...more
Thirty years after its great triumph in Vietnam, the ...more
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Hardcover, 368 pages
Expected publication:
April 28th 2020
by Atria Books
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Empire City
I read Gallagher’s first two books and enjoyed them. His 1st, Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War, is a nonfiction account of his time serving in Iraq and his 2nd, Youngblood, is a fictional story set in Iraq and reminiscent of the movie, Platoon. This one is a definite change of pace. It's an alternate history, one of those “What if” stories that imagines how the world would be different if certain past events had a decidedly different outcome. Often, alternate history ...more
I read Gallagher’s first two books and enjoyed them. His 1st, Kaboom: Embracing the Suck in a Savage Little War, is a nonfiction account of his time serving in Iraq and his 2nd, Youngblood, is a fictional story set in Iraq and reminiscent of the movie, Platoon. This one is a definite change of pace. It's an alternate history, one of those “What if” stories that imagines how the world would be different if certain past events had a decidedly different outcome. Often, alternate history ...more
Fair warning: I won a free ARC of this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
Hmmmm … how to approach this? This book is almost more about the setting than the story. Yes, there is a story: the Volunteers gained superhuman abilities during a hostage rescue mission during which an experimental cythrax explosive device was detonated. They're currently on leave--awaiting orders--in Empire City, and start to get drawn into a web of events involving an aspiring presidential candidate …
The characters and the ...more
Hmmmm … how to approach this? This book is almost more about the setting than the story. Yes, there is a story: the Volunteers gained superhuman abilities during a hostage rescue mission during which an experimental cythrax explosive device was detonated. They're currently on leave--awaiting orders--in Empire City, and start to get drawn into a web of events involving an aspiring presidential candidate …
The characters and the ...more
I love sci-fi and futuristic storytelling. Empire City was a little closer to reality than most, creating a bit of a mind-f*ck for me. This book to longer than usual for me to get into; in fact, I had decided to give it 10-20 more pages then call it good. And something happened. It clicked all of a sudden and I could hardly put it down. Once I got into it, I was in 100%. It is an alternate look at a pretty effed up world not so far from the one we live in, and a few people who are still fighting
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Was really surprised by this novel. It hit the vibes of the Watchmen while feeling very modern. It touched on very relevant topics. Such as America being mired in an endless war overseas, and the glorification of war as a way controlling the population (that's what I took away anyways). Gallagher also sheds light on how America is built on fighting wars, but wants hides the returning warriors in rehabilitation centers, and away from the civilians. All of the characters felt realistic, even with
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Full disclosure: I received a free ARC from a Goodreads giveaway.
At a glance, "Empire City" shows powerful shades of George R. R. Martin's "Wildcards" anthologies. Both books use alternate history to re-contextualize superheroes. While "Wildcards" focuses on the birth of superhumans post-WWII, "Empire City" shows the birth of superhumans following an American victory in Vietnam - and the results are fascinating. Without a stinging loss in South Asia, America has developed into the eponymous ...more
At a glance, "Empire City" shows powerful shades of George R. R. Martin's "Wildcards" anthologies. Both books use alternate history to re-contextualize superheroes. While "Wildcards" focuses on the birth of superhumans post-WWII, "Empire City" shows the birth of superhumans following an American victory in Vietnam - and the results are fascinating. Without a stinging loss in South Asia, America has developed into the eponymous ...more
A cool fusion of 1984 and Watch Men,this novel represents a big step forward for Matt Gallagher. I've been following the "new veteran" writers for a few years now, and Gallagher always struck me as having a lot of potential: big ideas and more willing to take chances than some of his peers.
Empire City breaks through. It is a strange, thrilling trip to an alternate United States, different enough from ours that you want to learn about it but still similar enough you can see it all happening. The ...more
Empire City breaks through. It is a strange, thrilling trip to an alternate United States, different enough from ours that you want to learn about it but still similar enough you can see it all happening. The ...more
Empire City (3.5 stars) starts out slow, and may be immediately off-putting to anyone familiar with Alan Moore's The Watchmen, or the new HBO show, or even (to a lesser extent) the Amazon Prime Show (or comic its adapted from) The Boys. Empire City exists in a very similar world on the surface, but in truth, Gallagher does a solid job setting his world apart. That said, it's impossible to consider Empire City completely out of the context of these other works.
After several very imperfect (but ...more
After several very imperfect (but ...more
A very fun alternate history that, as other reviews have noted, will be of interest of fans of Watchmen, Man in the High Castle, or any alternate take of history. In "Empire City," we have a skewed version of America that has turned the "thank you for your service" into a darker, more militaristic style.
It has several characters that spin around each other, revealing secrets to each other as the narrative progresses. There's no need to spoil anything - it's a book more notable for style and ...more
It has several characters that spin around each other, revealing secrets to each other as the narrative progresses. There's no need to spoil anything - it's a book more notable for style and ...more
An alternate look at history beginning in the 1960's forward. It is a time of war around the world and major unrest in Empire City. Several "super heroes" come into the mix of things. These heroes are trying to determine exactly what happened to give them their unique powers. Read along as they struggle with personal issues as well as their duty. The book ends with an amazing ending. Highly entertaining and enjoyable. I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway.
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Matt Gallagher is the author of the novels Empire City and Youngblood, a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Esquire, The Paris Review and Wired, among other places. He's also the author of the Iraq war memoir Kaboom and coeditor of, and contributor to, the short fiction collection Fire & Forget: Short Stories from the Long
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