Utopia

A Thriller

By: Lincoln Child

Narrated by: Eric Stoltz

Fasten your seat belts–the white-knuckle thrills at Utopia, the world’s most fantastic theme park, escalate to nightmare proportions in this intricately imagined techno-thriller by New York Times bestselling author Lincoln Child.

Rising out of the stony canyons of Nevada, Utopia is a world on the cutting edge of technology. A theme park attracting 65,000 visitors each day, its dazzling array of robots and futuristic holograms make it a worldwide sensation. But ominous mishaps are beginning to disrupt the once flawless technology. A friendly robot goes haywire, causing panic, and a popular roller coaster malfunctions, nearly killing a teenaged rider. Dr. Andrew Warne, the brilliant computer engineer who designed much of the park’s robotics, is summoned from the East Coast to get things back on track.

On the day Warne arrives, however, Utopia is caught in the grip of something far more sinister. A group of ruthless criminals has infiltrated the park’s computerized infrastructure, giving them complete access to all of Utopia’s attractions and systems. Their communication begins with a simple and dire warning: If their demands are met, none of the 65,000 people in the park that day will ever know they were there; if not, chaos will descend, and every man, woman, and child will become a target. As one of the brains behind Utopia, Warne finds himself thrust into a role he never imagined–trying to save the lives of thousands of innocent people. And as the minutes tick away, Warne’s struggle to outsmart his opponents grows ever more urgent, for his only daughter is among the unsuspecting crowds in the park.

Lincoln Child evokes the technological wonders of Utopia with such skill and precision it is hard to believe the park exists only in the pages of this extraordinary book. Like Jurassic Park, Utopia sweeps listeners into a make-believe world of riveting suspense, technology, and adventure.

UTOPIA -- Where technology dazzles–and then turns deadly!

©2002 Lincoln Child (P)2002 Random House Inc., Random House Audio, a Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

“Child’s latest is a beautifully crafted scare-fest….Here’s hoping for a sequel.” -PEOPLE

“A sensational piece of popular entertainment. If you are looking for intelligent fun, it doesn’t get much better than this.” -The Washington Post

"The novel's namesake—a cutting-edge, futuristic theme park—is a tour-de-force of the imagination, one of the most extraordinary settings for a thriller I've ever read."-Douglas Preston, New York Times bestselling co-author of Relic and Rip Tide.

Outstanding in Unabridged

This is one of the best thrillers I have listened to in some time! Child does an excellent job with suspense, but it's the technical that makes the story! I've always had a dream of a home on a butte and Child puts an "Amusement Park" on one - brilliant!
I can't imagine how one would decide what to cut from the unabridged form and yet maintain the integrity of the suspense. The unabridged is always my choice, unadulterated straight from the author. Perhaps the abridged will do, but realize that there is much, much more to be had!
My final question - what happened to Poole?

Fantastic thriller in an imaginative setting.

the imagination and plot of this is really well done and thought out. it's something you should check out and it won't take you long to do so but that's a good thing. it doesn't draw it doesn't lag it gets through the story and it tells you a great one. The only drawback to this audiobook is the narration. it's strange to me and just like so many narrators Eric stolz just reads the book, he doesn't give you any inflections or any accents or anything to distinguish one character from another. this has become a popular trend in narration. some of the most popular narrators do the same thing just read the book. But it would have been much much better if you had tried some accents or any sort of distinguishing vocal characteristics between characters. but again that did not stop me from listening. I just had to be a little more aware.

Exciting and well read

If you have read Mount Dragon, and liked it better than the Relic, you will enjoy this book. Child & Preston together have written horror, but this is NOT horror, and closer to Mount Dragon, and though not as elaborate, it has several engaging characters. I had intended just to listen to this in the car, but found myself so taken in by this virtual world that I put the book on at home too. The climax may remind you a bit of Die Hard, but it does not end too abruptly or leave you feeling cheated.

A Good Quick Read

I am not sure I agree with all the science in the book, but I liked the setting and the fast pace. This is one book where I am not sure you lost anything with the abridgement.

A Fun Summer Listen

"Utopia" - abridged - was a fun listen during the summer while working in my yard. So its somewhat fluffy, it is still better than any recent James Patterson work. However, I'm annoyed to see there is now an unabridged version available on audible with 14 additonal hours - I tend to go unabridged, but the story sounded good and there being no other option at the time... Eric Stolz did a fine job narrating; however, there is a different narrator for the unabridged and I'm half tempted to get the unabridged version to see how different the stories are.

Suspense at a theme park

Interesting tech incorporated into a theme park! The story kept us guessing at how they would beat the bad guys. This isn't high action thriller, more like hostage heist thriller with lots of moving pieces that you eventually come to discover. We listened to the abridged audio book. Narrator was fine, doing slight variations between voices. I don't feel like anything was missing in the abridged version. There are a few instances of strong language and terrible injuries.

Utopia, a snoozer

This book was so trite I could hardly believe my ears. I felt like I was listening to a written version of a really bad mimic of a Michael Crighton movie. The writing was hackneyed, the plot was full of unfilled holes (what ever happened to the daughter?!?) and I will never touch another book by this author!

'A Thriller'???? Not so much

To be fair I only got 2 hours in on this one and it was a struggle to get that far in. It's like a Westworld knock off, the series not the movie. If you're going to put 'a thriller' in the title of your book I expect to not still be bored 2hrs in. Also, is Eric Stoltz really who you want reading 'a thriller'? I think not. Will I ever finish this read? Well, that may be as big of a mystery as to why this book is so highly rated.

Blah, blah, blah, blah -- 10 cents a word

I give Scott Brick, the ever-excellent reader, high points for apparently staying awake while reading this book. Our author, who I think may be paid by the word, took a very thin, potentially interesting, plot line and buried it very deeply under long-winded, but graceless, descriptions. The cardboard characters seem to at least have very quick minds since at moments of great peril they are able to think over their past lives, lost relationshops, etc., etc.

I enjoy reading lengthy, unabridged, books, but only when they actually have something to say. Sorry, but there is nothing perfect about this Utopia!

Not terribly original

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

I expect more from Lincoln Child. This one feels like he rushed through it.

What was most disappointing about Lincoln Child’s story?

I expect more from Lincoln Child. This one feels like he rushed through it.