Kingdom: Tiber City Blues

Kingdom: Tiber City Blues is a graphic view into a world where main character Michael Morrison attempts to create a utopia that ultimately results in disaster. This dystopian novel illustrates what happens when two geneticists, Morrison and Jonathan Campbell, attempt to play God and mess around with genetic mutations. What happens becomes an ugly picture of reality as the mutations physically and mentally manifest in the human beings of Tiber City.

In the Jungle, a part of Tiber City, we are introduced to Dylan Fitzgerald, son of Senator Fitzgerald who was recently found dead by suicidal means. Dylan is a mess. He douses himself in drugs and almost overdoses until Meghan Morrison, Michael Morrison’s daughter, comes to save him from a body searching drone that is set to find dying (but still alive) human beings in the street for the purposes of scientific experimental procedures. This part of the story is separated from the part that Morrison and Campbell exist but are connected later on in the book. Meanwhile, Jonathan Campbell realizes that his and Morrison’s “baby,” otherwise known as the Exodus Project, and a way to create the perfect human being through gene mutations, is both immoral and has very bad results. He joins a group called “The Order” who takes care of people who are in extremely bad condition.

This book was an excellent illustration of a very disturbing world. The author did a fantastic job of describing everything, no matter how gruesome it was. From blood and gore to some of the beautiful buildings in the story, I felt like I was in the same room as the characters. One of the most gag-worthy images from the book was the description of the maggots eating away at the bodies that Dylan and Meghan find. The author compares the sound to the “churning of cottage cheese.” Filled with descriptions like this, it is obvious to the reader exactly what the author is picturing. I also enjoyed the action scenes in the book, which brought both excitement and hope into the storyline at times when it seemed like the world was doomed.

Several parts of the book did not fit together until the very end; however, the author did a great job of explaining everything so that the reader would have that a-ha moment. This book was full of sadness, triumph, action, blood and guts, and hope. Just not in that order. The perfect read for fans of science fiction thrillers and dystopic worlds.