By Michael Botur
If I were to describe Moneyland, I would say it’s Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, meets Squid Game. This is a futuristic horror novel, where robots have taken over the world and are experimenting on humans. One of these experiments involves leaving twelve teenagers in an abandoned suburb where they must fight over resources.
The main character, Eden, is a participant in this experiment. She is a wealthy and entitled teenager leading a consumerist lifestyle. Usually, I’m not a fan of this kind of trope: the bratty high school bully who comes from a rich family. But in this story, the trope works, because Eden is quickly thrown into an environment where there is a shortage of everything. This stark contrast to Eden’s old life offers very interesting character development.
The juxtaposition of settings is a compelling aspect of this novel. We have the humans who are rich and hedonistic. And then we have the human experiments who must fight each other for resources. These extremes reflect on how an imbalance of resources, whether too much or too little, breaks and tears apart society.
Just a note, there is violence towards animals in this book, so if you’re at all sensitive or squeamish, I would proceed with caution.
Overall, an intriguing read. Would definitely recommend to fans of horror and science fiction.
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