Title: Futura: A Novella
Author: Jordan Phillips
Publication: January 8, 2018
Publisher: Amazon Digital Services
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 84
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
By the year 2050, Paris is a stark contrast from other large cities, which had long ago morphed into ultramodern metropolises, where every new building was practically a city within a city. Even in France, humans cannot escape the fact that the Invisibles have taken over. Some come in the form of microscopic chips that are embedded practically everywhere, while others are more visible because they power robots. Humans were suddenly underutilized, and they would be forever.
Past futurists had cried that this would be disorienting and depressing, but it turned out to be quite liberating. Human qualities—good and bad—are tolerated because they are authentic, and not artificially created. To err is to be human, and these days, to be human is to be beautiful.
Futura follows a single American woman named Ruby as she figures out how to thrive in a dramatically different cultural landscape. This utopian novella pushes back on the cynical views many hold today. Instead, author Jordan Phillips has imagined a bright future for the entire human race.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this novella was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.**
Futura was brought to my attention and while it was outside my normal realm of reading, I was intrigued by it’s premise and what it may offer.
The novella follows the story of a girl living in 2050 Paris. She has aspirations that are unlike what most have during these futuristic times in a world where everything is perfect, the human is, for the most part, unneeded but quite enjoyed at the same time. Life seems ideal. However Ruby, the girl, dreams of things that are not typical for humans anymore and that leads to issues in her life and can have repercussions into the future.
While the premise of this story was good, and I’d love to read this as a full novel, I feel like it was too much in too little time. The story moved very fast to the point of confusion. I would expect a novella to be a snippet of someone’s life or a portion of a bigger story, even if you don’t know the bigger story. Futura took place over an extended period of time and was multiple portions of a Ruby’s life. It was very hard to follow at times. The story is definitely interesting, and like I said, I would really enjoy reading this as a longer story with more of the filler information that would smooth out the confusion and missing tidbits.
This is definitely for those who like sci-fi and fast pace stories. It’s also for the lovers of dystopian stories, but this is almost a reversal on the typical story, with a more happy future. Check it out for yourself and let us know what you think. I give three stars because I did enjoy the story, I just wish there was more cohesion and information to fill the gaps.
STAR RATING: 3/5
Futura: A Novella by Jordan Phillips is available on Amazon. You can also add it to your To Reads list on Goodreads and leave feedback for the author when you are finished.
