Book: Meritropolis
Author: Joel Ohman
Genre(s): Young Adult, Dystopian, Science Fiction
Where to Buy: Barnes & Noble, Kindle, Amazon
Synopsis (Via Goodreads): The year is AE3, 3 years after the Event. Within the walls of Meritropolis, 50,000 inhabitants live in fear, ruled by the brutal System that assigns each citizen a merit score that dictates whether they live or die. Those with the highest scores thrive, while those with the lowest are subject to the most unforgiving punishment--to be thrust outside the city gates, thrown to the terrifying hybrid creatures that exist beyond.
But for one High Score, conforming to the System just isn't an option. Seventeen-year-old Charley has a brother to avenge. And nothing--not even a totalitarian military or dangerous science--is going to stop him.
Where humankind has pushed nature and morals to the extreme, Charley is amongst the chosen few tasked with exploring the boundaries, forcing him to look deep into his very being to discern right from wrong. But as he and his friends learn more about the frightening forces that threaten destruction both without and within the gates, Meritropolis reveals complexities they couldn't possibly have bargained for...
About the Author:
Joel Ohman is the author of Meritropolis--"The Hunger Games meets The Village with a young Jack Reacher as a protagonist". He lives in Tampa, FL with his wife Angela and their three kids. His writing companion is Caesar, a slightly overweight Bull Mastiff who loves to eat the tops off of strawberries.
Goodreads Author Link: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8546485.Joel_Ohman
Author Website: http://www.joelohman.com/
*About the sale: Meritropolis is currently $0.99 for Kindle (Thursday, November 27 to Monday, December 1st), if you're a Kindle Unlimited member you can read this for free.*
Reader Interview with
Joel Ohman
Who or what was your inspiration to write about post-apocalyptic,
dystopian sci-fi?
I've read a lot in this genre, so I would say it’s a mix of a
lot of different things. I really just wanted to explore this question of,
"What gives a person worth?" Is it their usefulness to society? Is it
because someone loves them? Is it because of how they look? Is it because of
their health or ability? As a Christian, I believe that all people have worth,
because they are made in the image of God. I wanted to explore some different
takes on this question. I think that the post-apocalyptic/dystopian/sci-fi
genre was the best vehicle to tackle some of those deep philosophical questions
in a fun and interesting way.
Why do you write? Is it for fun, or because you have something
you need to say in your writing?
Some writers are loath to say their writing has a message,
because maybe they think doing so diminishes their art (not true, in my
opinion), but I think that everyone has a message in their writing, even if
they aren't as consciously focused on it—and that's a good thing. My message is
in my epigraph: "Because everyone matters - Psalm 139".
Why the title Meritropolis?
I wanted a short one word title that was a clever—or at least
semi-clever—play on two different words. I like "Meritropolis"
because it combines "Merit" and "Metropolis," two words
that are great for describing a city where each resident's worth is measured by
a score given to them.
In Meritropolis how were the animal
combinations decided upon? For example, I know you chose to write about a bion
(bull-lion), as well as many other freaks of nature. So what I want to know is
how did you decided which animals to meld together and why.
I have a big list of animal combinations that I came up with
before I began writing the book, and I tried to work in as many as I could.
Sometimes the only criteria was that I liked the way the name sounded. Look for
many more in the following books!
Can you tells us about your characters and who/what inspired
them?
I am a big believer in John Truby’s approach to building a
“character web”, because this deepens the relationships between characters and
helps to make each of the characters more complex. Absent building a good
character web, it can be all too easy to fall into the
not-very-true-to-real-life good-person/bad-person false dichotomy where your
protagonist devolves into this I-can-do-no-wrong character and your antagonist
is just pure evil. I was very much aiming to show the imperfections and
brokenness in each of the characters. My thinking as a Christian influences
this to some degree, given that the Bible teaches that we are all essentially
the same; we are all sinners—only God is perfect.
Do you have a favorite genre that you like to read?
I read pretty much everything! Fiction, non-fiction, you name
it! I am of the opinion that, as an author, I can learn something from almost
every kind of writing. Sometimes, it most definitely is a matter of
learning what not to do—but, on the whole, I love to read a wide
variety of writing styles, genres, etc.
Are there any books that have inspired your own writing?
I read A LOT so there are many different things that have shaped
my writing over the years, but I wouldn't say there was any particular book, or
books, that I was consciously looking to for inspiration while writing Meritropolis.
Looking back though I can definitely see different threads of influence in
almost everything I have read over the years that contribute toward
making Meritropolis what it is: the strong protagonist of Lee
Child’s Jack Reacher series, the philosophical bent of C.S.
Lewis’ fiction, the dystopian setting of Hugh Howey’s WOOL series,
and many more.
Are there any authors that have emerged in the last three years
that have caught your interest?
Hugh Howey is an author that I really like that has caught my attention
lately. I would highly recommend his WOOL series!
*Note, I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
My Review:
My Rating: 4/5 stars
To be honest, one of my favorite parts of this book was the really cool illustrations in front of every chapter. There are so many way-cool animal combinations/hybrids!
I really loved the main character, his flaws made him perfect (to me anyways). He was such a fun character and I understood him so completely.
The action was intense and kept me on the edge of my seat. The setting was awesome.
I ended up flying through this book in just a couple days, it was an amazing thrill ride.
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