Golden State Lib/E

Winters, Ben

3.48

7,696 ratings by Goodreads

ISBN 10: 1549149563 ISBN 13: 9781549149566

Publisher: Little Brown and Company, 2019

From award-winning, New York Times bestselling novelist Ben H. Winters comes a mind-bending novel set in a world governed by absolute truth, where lies are as dangerous as murder.

In a strange alternate society that values law and truth above all else, Laszlo Ratesic is a nineteen-year veteran of the Speculative Service. He lives in the Golden State, a nation standing where California once did, a place where like-minded Americans retreated after the erosion of truth and the spread of lies made public life and governance impossible.

In the Golden State, knowingly contradicting the truth is the greatest crime-and stopping those crimes is Laz's job. In its service, he is one of the few individuals permitted to harbor untruths, to "speculate" on what might have happened.

But the Golden State is less a paradise than its name might suggest. To monitor, verify, and enforce the truth requires a veritable panopticon of surveillance and recording. And when those in control of the facts twist them for nefarious means, the Speculators are the only ones with the power to fight back.

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About the Author:

Ben H. Winters is the New York Times bestselling author of Underground Airlines and the Last Policeman trilogy. The second novel in the trilogy, Countdown City, was an NPR Best Book of 2013 and the winner of the Philip K. Dick award. The Last Policeman was the recipient of the 2012 Edgar Award, and was also named one of the Best Books of 2012 by Amazon.com and Slate. Ben lives with his family in Los Angeles.

Review:

A skillful and swift-moving concoction...For those who like their dystopias with a dash of humor. No lie.

-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Golden State grabs notions of disinformation and literalism and brilliantly turns them on their head to see what falls from their pockets.

-- "James Sallis, author of Drive"

Winters always finds a way to get at a larger truth about our present even as he plays games with what we consider to be an acceptable form of reality, and his new work is sure to delight in the science fiction and crime worlds.

-- "Literary Hub"

The engaging detective story...melds elements of noir, cop procedurals, political thrillers, and speculative sci-fi...[in] a fascinating examination that takes fidelity and correctness down a freaky Orwellian path.

-- "USA Today"

Winters has a knack for creating appealing detective fictions that skew reality in thought-provoking ways.

-- "Washington Post"

An entertaining new take on the venerable genre-blending of noir and science fiction.

-- "Los Angeles Review of Books"

Thought-provoking, genre-bending...[and] keeps readers flipping pages.

-- "Booklist"

Kiff VandenHeuvel's nuanced narration elevates this dystopian thriller, drawing listeners into Winters's futuristic vision of California...This inventive tale of disillusionment is sure to intrigue listeners.

-- "AudioFile"

, the ineffable language of public life performs a subtle kind of trick, marking out what makes a particular imagined universe different and - simultaneously, paradoxically - rendering it utterly, often chillingly, familiar.

-- "New York Times"

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