Idlewild

As a worm, it’s good to reside in rich earth. As a bookworm, it’s good to reside in books.
I’ve allowed my book worm tendencies to come to the fore lately. I had been quite neglectful of my reading needs for quite some time, but now I feel very enthused about diving into the books I have. Just 14 books remain in my physical stack of must-reads.
I finished Idlewild by Nick Sagan this morning after a few evenings spent on the story. It was an involving book with properties that induced the treasured can’t-put-it-down experience.
Idlewild was a well-crafted and unique vision of a near-future that splices some of the themes of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game with The Matrix and a handful of other works, but it is also a distinct vision. It begins as an exploration of lost memory but soon progresses to explore integration with technology, combatting disease and varying relationships. This doesn’t do the story justice, because it’s steeped in intrigue and mystery that make the story truly compelling and draw the reader into the themes.
In an interview with Penguin (his publisher), Mr. Sagan said the following about his inspiration for Idlewild “I’d been thinking about the nature of education in the future. And I’d been daydreaming about mythology, drawing up a new pantheon of gods. Somewhere along the way, I started making connections between the concerns of gods and those of the cliques from back in high school. A jock and a god of war? A “brain” and a goddess of wisdom? A goth and a god of death? Out of that fusion came my characters. Before I knew it, I was writing.” This inspiration is quite clear in characters given life in this story. Each of the teenagers in the institution are variations of high school archetypes, from social darling to class clown. It should not, however, be assumed that the characters are flat or merely comply to those archetypes. Simone was a particularly dynamic personality. She was a “brain”, one of the most gifted students, but also became a junkie when exposed to reality.
Idlewild does not present an uplifting tale, and neither does it stand entirely as a warning. It struck me more as a statement of fact, or at least a vision of fact, and a look at the possible challenges we will be faced with in the future. Integration with technology and the confrontation of mortality are going to be pivital among many challenges humans will be faced with in this world we’ve created, like they always have been.
I would definitely recommend Idlewild with enthusiasm, but I will again warn that it’s not a happy tale. It speaks of reality and loss quite strongly, so it’s not for everyone. That said, it’s a well crafted book, and a story you won’t want to put down. Add it to your reading list and you won’t be disappointed.

As an afternote, I’d like to mention that the copy I have is an uncorrected proof. Aside from a few grammatical and spelling mistakes, this did not detract in any way from my enjoyment of the novel, and those small errors were only the slightest of distractions. The hardcover edition is currently in print, and the paperback will apparantly be released in July of 2004.
I highly recommend visiting Nick Sagan’s official website. It offers a good deal of insight into both the novel and its author.