pam_sartain's review
5.0
We are in the Golden State, where everyone speaks the truth, records their daily activities, and are monitored everywhere.
But this is a good thing, because we tell each other facts as a form of greeting. There are Speculators, those with the power to sense a lie, and Lazlo Ratesic is one of these. He's been a Speculator for 10 years, and always worked alone.
Until today, when he is assigned Aysa Paige to mentor. She has an even greater gift for lies. She can sense when objects are wrong or missing, and this skill helps with the case that they are sent out on.
This was a very well crafted world, where all of this monitoring is justified at all times, and talked about in such a positive way that you can see the brain washing that has been carried out on the inhabitants of the Golden State, which is set in California.
This is a post apocalyptic tale, with you only finding out this at the very end of the book, but isn't something that impacts the tale.
I really enjoyed this book, and would thoroughly recommend it. It would be classified as sci-fi for the lie detection powers, and because it's post apocalyptic.
Golden State is out now, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books! It was published on 24th January this year.
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House, and Cornerstone (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
But this is a good thing, because we tell each other facts as a form of greeting. There are Speculators, those with the power to sense a lie, and Lazlo Ratesic is one of these. He's been a Speculator for 10 years, and always worked alone.
Until today, when he is assigned Aysa Paige to mentor. She has an even greater gift for lies. She can sense when objects are wrong or missing, and this skill helps with the case that they are sent out on.
This was a very well crafted world, where all of this monitoring is justified at all times, and talked about in such a positive way that you can see the brain washing that has been carried out on the inhabitants of the Golden State, which is set in California.
This is a post apocalyptic tale, with you only finding out this at the very end of the book, but isn't something that impacts the tale.
I really enjoyed this book, and would thoroughly recommend it. It would be classified as sci-fi for the lie detection powers, and because it's post apocalyptic.
Golden State is out now, and is available on Amazon, and everywhere else you can find books! It was published on 24th January this year.
I was given this book for free in return for an unbiased review, so my thanks to NetGalley and to Random House, and Cornerstone (the publishers) for this book.
Check out my GoodReads profile to see more reviews!
bound_to_books's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, there was something about it that just gripped me from the instant I picked it up and started reading it.
It is from a candid first-person account of a new world, the Golden State. For me Lazlo was how I would think I would be in that type of world, he just wrapped me up and made me feel safe. In all honesty, the book didn't go in the direction that I expected it too at the beginning, the narrative seems to switch from a small-time crime to something much better.
This was a lovely and very well written book that I would recommend to anyone!
It is from a candid first-person account of a new world, the Golden State. For me Lazlo was how I would think I would be in that type of world, he just wrapped me up and made me feel safe. In all honesty, the book didn't go in the direction that I expected it too at the beginning, the narrative seems to switch from a small-time crime to something much better.
This was a lovely and very well written book that I would recommend to anyone!
marcatili's review
4.0
Golden State is a thought-provoking meditation on truth, un-truth and lies wrapped up in an enjoyable mystery.
Lazlo Ratesic lives in the Golden State, an alternate world LA in which lies are not only the biggest crime, but truth is essentially revered. All moments of life are documented, caught on film, ratified. Life—and truth—is represented through documentation, all to be kept in the Record, the official and sanctioned truth of what is and what has been. Anything that isn't on the Record is unknown and unknowable, and this includes the world outside of LA, which seems to have suffered something catastrophic. But then, who knows?
Lazlo is one of those with a rare gift of being able to sense lies, and so he is one of the feared special service whose job it is to seek out lies and punish those who speak them. And he believes in his job, the importance of the Objectively So.
When he and his new partner are called out to an accidental death—a roofer falling and breaking his neck—things seem pretty straightforward. But from then on life and truth get a lot more complicated for Laz.
So why read it? Firstly, like the Last Policeman this is a fun mystery, with an engaging and flawed protagonist and a plot with sufficient turns and twists to keep you guessing. More than that, truth itself is constantly questioned in this book and the reader won't necessarily get answers for every big mystery uncovered (and sometimes will get answers to those little, forgotten mysteries).
It isn't a mind-blowing exploration on the nature of truth, but there's enough there to reflect on what is at present an important issue: how important is truth, how subjective is it, and is there any value in the stuff the comes in between truth and lies?
It's also a redemption story, which some people will love and some will hate. Cantankerous Lazlo has not had an easy time after the death of his brother and hero, and later divorce from his wife. Taking on a new, young and eager partner brings out his worst. By the end, though, this dystopia makes a promise of hope.
Ultimately, this book is not going to change your worldview (despite some reviews) but it is well written, with a good balance between action-oriented story-telling and spare description that manages to effortlessly evoke the world its describing. It's Winters' humour and style that makes this an enjoyable read. With some meaty content and an enjoyable plot, it's the kind of thing you can get through quickly and will probably leave an impression. Soft 4.
Lazlo Ratesic lives in the Golden State, an alternate world LA in which lies are not only the biggest crime, but truth is essentially revered. All moments of life are documented, caught on film, ratified. Life—and truth—is represented through documentation, all to be kept in the Record, the official and sanctioned truth of what is and what has been. Anything that isn't on the Record is unknown and unknowable, and this includes the world outside of LA, which seems to have suffered something catastrophic. But then, who knows?
Lazlo is one of those with a rare gift of being able to sense lies, and so he is one of the feared special service whose job it is to seek out lies and punish those who speak them. And he believes in his job, the importance of the Objectively So.
When he and his new partner are called out to an accidental death—a roofer falling and breaking his neck—things seem pretty straightforward. But from then on life and truth get a lot more complicated for Laz.
So why read it? Firstly, like the Last Policeman this is a fun mystery, with an engaging and flawed protagonist and a plot with sufficient turns and twists to keep you guessing. More than that, truth itself is constantly questioned in this book and the reader won't necessarily get answers for every big mystery uncovered (and sometimes will get answers to those little, forgotten mysteries).
It isn't a mind-blowing exploration on the nature of truth, but there's enough there to reflect on what is at present an important issue: how important is truth, how subjective is it, and is there any value in the stuff the comes in between truth and lies?
It's also a redemption story, which some people will love and some will hate. Cantankerous Lazlo has not had an easy time after the death of his brother and hero, and later divorce from his wife. Taking on a new, young and eager partner brings out his worst. By the end, though, this dystopia makes a promise of hope.
Ultimately, this book is not going to change your worldview (despite some reviews) but it is well written, with a good balance between action-oriented story-telling and spare description that manages to effortlessly evoke the world its describing. It's Winters' humour and style that makes this an enjoyable read. With some meaty content and an enjoyable plot, it's the kind of thing you can get through quickly and will probably leave an impression. Soft 4.
eloisebell's review
4.0
Once again, another read I finished in a day.
Set in a utopian/dystopian future Lazslo Ratesic is a Speculator living in the Golden State. With powers that allow him to see when someone is telling a lie, he is part of a law enforcement group that catches members of the public lying. A simple lie can win you 5 years in jail with numerous lies getting you exiled. In a world fixated on documenting and logging all and everything Lazslo’s path begins to change when he is partnered with a junior Spectator Ms Paige.
After reading a slew of books featuring unlikable characters, I am so glad I took to Lazslo as well as I did. The majority of the books is told from his point of view and his head was a wonderful place to be. He is so naive and pure and desperately trying to do the right thing.
The thing I loved most about this book were the twists and turns. 20 pages into the book you think you know how the story is going to play out... you don’t. And being with Lazslo on this journey made it even better.
I loved how the book took a different route to what would be considered the normal ‘dystopian hero discovering secrets’ angle. I was constantly surprised and shocked!
Great great read.
Set in a utopian/dystopian future Lazslo Ratesic is a Speculator living in the Golden State. With powers that allow him to see when someone is telling a lie, he is part of a law enforcement group that catches members of the public lying. A simple lie can win you 5 years in jail with numerous lies getting you exiled. In a world fixated on documenting and logging all and everything Lazslo’s path begins to change when he is partnered with a junior Spectator Ms Paige.
After reading a slew of books featuring unlikable characters, I am so glad I took to Lazslo as well as I did. The majority of the books is told from his point of view and his head was a wonderful place to be. He is so naive and pure and desperately trying to do the right thing.
The thing I loved most about this book were the twists and turns. 20 pages into the book you think you know how the story is going to play out... you don’t. And being with Lazslo on this journey made it even better.
I loved how the book took a different route to what would be considered the normal ‘dystopian hero discovering secrets’ angle. I was constantly surprised and shocked!
Great great read.
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