Marlienable

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Marlienable’s Bookshelves

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Marlienable is Currently Reading

Marlienable is currently reading

The Solstice Bargain: a dark and witty portal fantasy

by Sophie Williamson (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, fantasy

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Sep 20, 2026 10:13PM

Marlienable is currently reading

The Last House on Earth / Death Walks South Boston

by Christoph Paul (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: horror, currently-reading

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Marlienable said: " I read an advance copy of The Last House on Earth / Death Walks South Boston by Christoph Paul in exchange for an honest review.

This is a double creature feature: two horror novellas with big, pulpy premises and a shared interest in power, technology ...more "

Aug 10, 2026 04:25AM · see review

Marlienable is currently reading

51%

by Matt Witten (Goodreads Author)

bookshelves: currently-reading, dystopic

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Marlienable said: " When you think about debt and poverty, where do you land: personal responsibility, or a system designed to punish being born without money? The most unsettling part of 51% by Matt Witten is how plausible it feels. We’re not as far removed from a “51% When you think about debt and poverty, where do you land: personal responsibility, or a system designed to punish being born without money? The most unsettling part of 51% by Matt Witten is how plausible it feels. We’re not as far removed from a “51% economy” as we’d like to believe.

This book reminded me a lot of one of my all-time favourites, Walkaway by Cory Doctorow. Not because they’re the same kind of story. Walkaway is dystopia-turned-solarpunk, a book that breathes revolution. 51% is a detective story set in a near-future New York City where the debt economy has turned predatory: corporations can own over 50% of a person’s future income. A threshold that turns human beings into assets, and allows 'shareholders' to influence major decisions, such as line of work or city of residence.

Witten does so much right here. The writing is sharp, the worldbuilding is strong, and the plot development is genuinely satisfying. The entire book unfolds over 18 hours, and it keeps that urgent tempo without feeling sloppy. The story uses multiple POVs, which can feel a bit messy at times, but it works. The main characters have distinct inner voices that fit who they are, and I was especially impressed by some of the female characters. It’s some of the best writing of women and relationships I’ve read in a long time from a male author.
After the detective plot concludes, the book wraps up quickly, which makes sense for the genre. Still, it left me wanting more. Not because it felt incomplete, but because the world Witten built raises a bigger question: what happens next? Do people revolt, or do the corporate overlords clamp down harder? How far do the mechanisms of control reach, exactly?

This had five-star potential for me, but I’m rating it a solid 4 stars because not all of that potential is cashed in. There are a couple of perspectives that could have taken it to another level entirely. The tech side, especially cybersecurity, stays fairly surface-level for a book with so much hacking going on. And I would have loved a few more concrete glimpses of what it means, in daily life, to be “owned” past that 51% line. I get why it’s not all there. More detail would have slowed the pace and pushed the book away from its detective engine. My inner solarpunk fangirl would have happily made that trade, though.

Even without the revolutionary warmth of Walkaway, 51% is a thought-provoking, propulsive read that’s absolutely worth your time, especially if you like fast plots in dystopian settings.

Rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the author for a free digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. ...more "

Aug 24, 2026 01:42PM · see review

See all 8 books that Marlienable is reading…