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Genetopia by Keith Brooke
01/07/2006 . Source: Donna Jones 
pub: Prometheus Books. 301 page hardback. Price: $25.00 (US). ISBN: 1-59102-333-5. Buy Genetopia in the USA - or Buy Genetopia in the UK  check out website: www.pyrsf.com and www.keithbrooke.co.uk
In a far off time, nano- and bio-technology have gone mad. Nature has become more feared than terrorism and it's all because of changing vectors hidden within almost anything that you interact with. Changing vectors that affect the genetic make-up of an individual to such a degree that when they have been placed in the vats they come out, in some cases, completely different. Some of the clans use this technology to purposely change the mutts - people who have been born different - into useful forms.
Flint is a part of one of the most renowned clans to use the vectors to sculpt and manipulate people in this way but that's not his main concern. Flint's sister, Amber, has gone missing and he suspects that she has been sold into slavery. Something tells him that she was not entirely True to start with, but that maybe along the way she herself has been changed to lead a purposeful life. But as Flint knows, sometimes the change is too much for the body to take and fevers and skeletal shifts lead ultimately to death.
Flint must journey into places and emotions that he has not dared to experience before. All to save and find his sister. The only problem is he has no idea of where to look or what he'll find when he finally gets there.
Along the way, Flint realises that a great chasm is opening up between the True, the Lost and the mutts. The latter have inbred loyalty to their masters are turning against them in a show of force and the world seems bent on shunning, hating and fearing the change.
Keith Brooke hit a perfectly poignant note here in this book. We don't like those that are different. This seems to be the zeitgeist of the 21st century and unashamedly used to full extent in this book which manages to be Science Fiction and fantasy with a faint note of subtle horror.
While reading that you may think that the book is a mish-mash of genres, it is not. 'Genetopia' manages to elicit all sorts of emotional input from those that read it. Never failing to hit the right note at the right time in the story.
Elements of Amber's disappearance and resultant journey are disturbing, yet I was sat on the edge of my seat hoping, praying, even, for this simple but effective young woman of a character. To elicit that kind of interest it takes great writing and a healthy dose of emotive input on the part of Brooke.
The plot is quite simple to follow, all particulates of the strange moulded world are explained by using memories of forcing True into the changing vats and other memories that fully put you in the loop of the author's universe.
Flint's quest to find his sister takes him through an almost accelerated period of personal growth to a strange manhood. His journey is the one we seem to focus on, but when characters are central to the story they have their own sections that work in tying Flint to their paths.
The only disappointment to this book was its ending. It is as if we reach a point in Brooke's imagination where the story stopped flowing and the words ran dry. It's really unfortunate that such a fantastic book that really does make you think after you have read it, should end in such a flippant manner.
Regardless of this, though, it is a genuinely great read. Whether you like a character driven plot or a story that has clever twists and turns this book has it all. Simply brilliant!
Donna Jones
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