Optima Terra means Perfect
World according to (Canadian?) author Scott Simms. The book is a light sci-fi tale that is both dystopian and utopian at the same time. Strange, right? Well,
it is a strange story. I enjoyed this book and the adventures of Darren, the
principal character, who finds himself in a myriad of bizarre situations.
What attracted me to this book
was the cover - not because it was fancy, but because it was so minimalist in
its design. The other element attracting my attention was the blurb - it just
seemed like something I would enjoy.
The story opens with a
seventeen-year-old Darren Decko in school. It spans his life through age
twenty-six. During this time, Darren faces many challenges to him, both
mentally and physically, while he strives to achieve the Gold status. The idea
is to mount up points on his smart phone (or his "life card") through
his performance on the jobs he is assigned. While in school, he meets the love
of his life, a young woman named Rachel. In this highly regulated world, there
are no guarantees people will see each other as they pass from one
"Rotation" to another. A Rotation lasts 121 days. At the end of a
rotation, all those except for skilled people - doctors, scientists, etc. -
move from one place to another and perform different jobs or attend different
schools as assigned by their life card.
Darren's life goal is to spend
his life with Rachel, and he will do anything it takes to make that happen,
including bringing down the Rotation System.
The story follows Darren for
nine years of his life. He is a good person who is curious about the history of
his world. He wants to understand the how and why of where he is. While he
enjoys the benefits of the system, he is also dismayed by it because he does
not know of his family. Family becomes very important to him as he gets hints
about the world before the "New Era." When he meets Rachel, he wants
to spend the rest of his life with her, but the system won't allow that. So, he
decides the system needs to be changed. Darren is not the only one who wants
change, there are many others who feel the same as he does. He decides the
system need to be changed for everyone.
The key thing I enjoyed about
the plot of this story was the elaborate and detailed world building by Simms.
The plot unfolds through the backdrop of a world that provides everything
people need to have a satisfying life within certain guidelines.
When a person finished school,
they are sent into the workforce in the Rotation System. Everyone gets a new
life every 121 days under the system. They are provided a place to live,
complete with clothing, food, and an assigned job. Job assignments are sent to
people on the first day of the new rotation. In one rotation, a person might be
a garbage collector. In the next, they may find themselves a CEO of a major
corporation. The training for these positions is provided while on the job, so
it's a little stressful on the first days of an assignment.
Points are earned and awarded
for adequate performance on the job, but points can also be taken away for poor
performance or by committing an infraction of rules. Everyone is monitored by
an army of flying robots - "bots" as they are referred to - and these
bots may take points for rule infractions, failure to comply, or they may even
hand out punishment.
Smart phones are vital to the
citizens. They get information on their assignments on them as well as keep
track of points on them. Phones are also a means of communication and work
pretty much as they do for us today. One can store information, photos,
locations of others on the devices, but they are wiped between rotations.
The world itself, Earth in the
distant future, is a global community with no apparent government. There are no
wars or conflicts, no environmental difficulties, and most people seem content
with their situations. There are those who choose not to live within the system,
and they are reduced to a low level of subsistence, barely squeaking out a
living. Others not in the system have formed communities where they live an
agrarian lifestyle that is difficult, but it is free.
A map of the planet is included
at the front of the book to help one orient themselves as the story unfolds.
I'm not sure, but I think one
of the themes the author wanted readers to think about is the dependance we
have on technology in our world. Everything and everyone in Optima Terra is
heavily reliant on tech. Everyone is monitored throughout their entire lives
and the only thing that still seems private in life is one's own inner
thoughts. As mentioned before, all the most basic necessities of life are
provided for, but there is more to life than shelter and food. The society in
this story has turned their lives over to the whatever power determines the
rotations in the system. There are no long-term relationships on Optima Terra.
Even how children are brought into existence is highly regulated. As I think
about the world presented in this book, I know it is a place I would not want
to live in. So, I think Simms is warning us to be careful to make sure
technology remains a tool, and that we don't give up too much of our existence
to it.
While the theme of machine
control over humanity is usually framed as post-apocalyptic in most sci-fi,
that is not the case in Optima Terra. This is a light sci-fi story meant to
entertain more than frighten the reader and the writer did a good job
incorporating humor in the text. Along with humor, there are many poignant
moments, especially as Darren interacts with Rachel, and others important to
him.
I recommend this story for
those who want a relaxing read. It will be relaxing as long as one doesn't take
it too seriously and think too deeply about it.
Scott Simms is a writer of
urban fantasy and speculative fiction, preferring everyday situations with
light sci-fi or fantasy elements introduced to an "everyman" or
"everywoman."
I received an advance review
copy of Terra Optima for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Well, there it is...
Qapla!
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