Book Review: Meritropolis

Meritropolis by Joel Ohman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charley has just achieved a score of 118, one of the highest in Meritropolis. That score will afford him a lot of perks, but seeing a little girl about to be zeroed brings back memories of his brother, Alec, who was also zeroed as a child, and sends him into a blind rage. He saves the little girl, for now, but at the expense of his best friend, who is chosen to be put outside the gates in her place. Charley vows then and there that he will fight the System, because he knows all life is valuable, regardless of what the System dictates. But should he fight the system from within or attack from the outside? And are they really the only people left after The Event, or is that just another lie perpetuated by the System?

Set in the post-apocalyptic AE 12, author Joel Ohman explores what would happen if we were all assessed only by what we could contribute to society, and how we would make the decision that some are worth saving but others are just too much of a drain on society’s resources, such as the elderly, the sick children, the disabled, and even those of questionable genetic lineage. His main character has the advantage of being one of the higher intelligence, physical strength and character, but has watched the innocent suffer for too long. In a very thought-provoking manner, he explores how a society can go about exterminating the weak and undesirable, a sort of world-wide holocaust, and how one person can make a difference. I loved the blatant value of life and the defense of it, as well as the setting and larger story. Charley’s motivations are good, but he is still human and makes mistakes, and has to weigh whether starting a revolution - which will lead to more loss of innocent life - is worth it to change a flawed System. I think this is a solid basis for a series, and am looking forward to seeing more of Charley’s quest come to life.


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