Read Dave Eggers future dystopias?

[MsAmerica]

I was really interested when The Circle by Eggers came out a few years ago. Sounded right up my alley, as a tech-skeptic. I was awfully disappointed, though. It wasn't actually a bad book, but not that interesting, and the writing so mediocre that I never would have guessed it was by a respected author I held out hope for the movie, because it's not unusual for a mediocre book to be a great movie, but that got mediocre reviews, too.

Now there's The Every and even though I'd read a review saying it was worse, I went ahead and I'm enjoying it much more. It has a more interesting main character, more interesting ideas, better writing, and even occasionally some humor.

Any of you read it?

I’ve just read it. I agree it’s an entertaining read, often quite funny ( the trip to see the seals!). A lot of the satire is spot on, and quite scary. It shows how ready people are to sacrifice their freedom and privacy in exchange for an ‘easier’ , safer life. However I felt the ideas were the main point of the book, and I didn’t find the central character particularly believable or engaging. But I don’t think depth of characterisation is what he’s after here.

And they don't even see it as a sacrifice!

I agree, not much even to the main character, but more to her than in The Circle.

And I must say, it's haunting me more than most books do.

I've loved his other books (The Circle was interesting but less well written, agreed, think he found it harder to combine usual skill re characters and story with more political angle). But glad to hear this one is good as I've been wondering! Have you read heroes of the frontier?

I read the whole of his first book, A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, and went to hear him talk about it at the South Bank - back in the late 90s / early 2000s.

But since then I haven't been able to finish anything he's written and nothing was as long as that book.

Just started it