Product Description
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 readers into a make-believe world of riveting suspense, technology, and adventure.
UTOPIA -- Where technology dazzles–and then turns deadly!
From the Hardcover edition.
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Amazon.com Review
It takes a lot of chutzpah to give your novel the same title as one of the most famous novels in the history of English-language literature, even if the original novel didn't spawn a literary field or two (utopian and dystopian fiction) or become an everyday term for the perfect place to live on Earth. Yet there's a postmodern appropriateness to applying the title Utopia to a novel set in a theme park that uses cutting-edge technology to create Earth's most desirable fantasy place to visit. Like Westworld and Jurassic Park, Lincoln Child's Utopia is a near-future theme-park thriller, and like Michael Crichton, Child delivers an abundance of white-knuckle thrills, chills, and shocks. Despite its remote location in the Nevada desert, the Utopia theme park receives 65,000 visitors daily. They never dream their lives may be in any real danger. However, some of the self-programming robots are becoming erratic, so park administrators quietly bring the robots' brilliant creator from the East Coast to fix the problem before it gets any worse. Dr. Andrew Warne brings his daughter, for he doesn't believe there is anything wrong with his creations. But on the day of their arrival, a mysterious band of ruthless criminals infiltrates not only the park, but its computerized systems. The unknown terrorists appear to control everything, from the simplest robot to the most dangerous ride. And if their demands aren't met, thousands of innocent park-goers will be killed. --Cynthia Ward
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 as good as the book ( aubreydavis )
This review will be brief. If you liked the book, you'll like the CD. The reader does a fantastic job with the characters nailing down the voices regardless of gender or nationlity. If you want it free, go to you public library and check it out. That's what i did. :)
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Good thriller
Being a Preston and Child fan, I picked up this book wondering what Child's solo effort would be like. I wasn't disappointed. This was a very good book with it's share of horror, suspense, intrigue and gave the readers lots to puzzle over. It was nice to have a break from the P&C Pendergast series of books and Child delivered.
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Solid techno-thriller
Amusement parks, explosions, and carnage, what more can you ask for? Sure, I wasn't enamored with any of the main characters - I thought some of the back story on the main characters was superfluous and a bit trite, but I admit I really liked a lot of the side characters. They were written perfectly, with just enough background and personality to make them interesting (yes, even the robots!), but not so much you felt info-dumped on. And while I do like romance, I thought it was out of place in this book. I felt a little forced and stiff, and I don't think the storyline would have suffered without it.
Still, I have to admit that with all its flaws, I still very much enjoyed reading it. As action novels go it has the perfect blend of bad guys, mystery, and outright carnage. And despite all that goes horribly wrong for so many of the guests, it made me want to visit that theme park! The descriptions of the rides were incredible; I just wish we'd been told more about some of the other rides shown on the map at the front of the book.
Unlike some of the other Preston/Child books, there was no element of the supernatural - this is more of a straight techno-thriller. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good action-packed story, and to all fans of amusement parks.
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 Utopia by Lincoln Child
Lincoln Child is one of my very favorite authors ever and this book was superbly written with action continuously all the way through. I strongly suggest all books he co-wrote with Douglas Preston and his other two solo books, Death Match and Deep Storm. This man is one of the most super-talented and gifted authors today. This book takes place in an amusement park which is a little different than his other books but with his wit its probably more fun than actually going to an amusement park.
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 Produce Man
Hard to stay with this book. I have read all of the other books and this one seemed to drift.
Really liked the idea of the theme park and all of the detail. Someone should build a theme park like Utopia.
The ending was very predictable but fun in a way.
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