''Utopia'' () is the first solo

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

Lincoln Child Lincoln Child (13 October 1957) is an American author of techno-thriller and horror novels. Though he is most well known for his collaborations with Douglas Preston (including the Agent Pendergast series and the Gideon Crew series, among other ...

published in 2002. It is set in a futuristic

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

called ''Utopia'', a park that relies heavily on holographics and

robotics Robotics is an interdisciplinary branch of computer science and engineering. Robotics involves design, construction, operation, and use of robots. The goal of robotics is to design machines that can help and assist humans. Robotics integrat ...

. Dr. Andrew Warne, the man who designed the program that runs the park's robots, is called in to help fix a problem. But when he gets there, he finds out that the park is being held hostage by a mysterious man known as

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

Worlds

Utopia consists of five "Worlds", each modelled after different time eras. *The Nexus: A neutral setting between the Worlds. *Gaslight: Based on Victorian London. *

Camelot Camelot is a castle and court associated with the legendary King Arthur. Absent in the early Arthurian material, Camelot first appeared in 12th-century French romances and, since the Lancelot-Grail cycle, eventually came to be described as the ...

: A medieval kingdom. *Boardwalk: A reproduction of a sea side amusement park. *

Callisto Callisto most commonly refers to: *Callisto (mythology), a nymph *Callisto (moon), a moon of Jupiter Callisto may also refer to: Art and entertainment *''Callisto series'', a sequence of novels by Lin Carter *''Callisto'', a novel by Torsten Kro ...

: A futuristic spaceport above

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...

's sixth moon. *

Atlantis Atlantis ( grc, Ἀτλαντὶς νῆσος, , island of Atlas (mythology), Atlas) is a fictional island mentioned in an allegory on the hubris of nations in Plato's works ''Timaeus (dialogue), Timaeus'' and ''Critias (dialogue), Critias'' ...

: A water park based on the lost continent of Atlantis (in the novel, Atlantis is still under construction, and is seen in the epilogue).

Rides and attractions

Notting Hill Chase: In Gaslight, this rollercoaster is themed as a runaway midnight carriage ride. In the prologue this ride malfunctions and a boy named Corey is seriously injured. Professor Cripplewood's Chamber of Fantastic Illusion (HoloMirrors): An advanced fun house that uses mirrors and holograms. John Doe attempts to kidnap Sarah Boatwright in this attraction.

Critical Reception

Reception was generally positive with many reviewers claiming it to be a "page turner¨ and "Child rarely takes the obvious approach"

References

External links

Preston/Child web page
with two ''Utopia'' sample chapters 2003 American novels 2003 science fiction novels Techno-thriller novels Novels by Lincoln Child Utopian novels American thriller novels {{2000s-thriller-novel-stub