Review: Wickedly smart
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 10, 2012
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar - but we have to remember the cigar is a vessel created from many leaves. That said, I think this story is layered as it should be and is neither just about dystopia, nor obsession, nor sex. Sex is after all the universal symbol for life force seeking creative expression. For me the narration is perfect as is, a tale about a thought provoking social experiment producing a context wherein rotation becomes not change but yet another predictable psychological jail whether it's your turn to be a guard or a prisoner, a place where personal freedom, articulation of individualism, and the seeking of productive satisfaction has to seek shadow corridors to find expression. [SPOILER ALERT]I thought the twisted ending where one protagonist gets his wish only to be further condemned by it (be careful what you ask for) is perfect as only sadistic evil can be, and who can forget the image of a woman about to give a handsome young man in his prime a lethal injection (he's "defective" as defined by the rulers), and as she puts the needle to his skin and sees the fear in his eyes, wonders if she should service him sexually "kind of like a last supper." Evocative imagery combines with the chill of a potential reality as produced by a true wordsmith. Expensive at $2.99? Frankly, isn't a good read priceless?